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Group I: Second-year players
Also known as the "fish in a barrel" department, second-year players are the obvious best candidates for improvement, so one could just make a blanket list that said "all second-year players" and feel pretty safe about it -- especially given the unusually strong rookie class we had last season. So, instead, let's list those players who I feel will show particularly strong progress this coming season:
Derrick Rose, Bulls: Not a big shocker after his strong finish to last season and superb playoffs against Boston. Between his own improvement and the departure of Ben Gordon, Rose could boost his scoring average into the low 20s and make a run at an All-Star bid. I'd be even more impressed, however, if he improved his assist rate and defense -- two areas in which he was subpar as a rookie.
Group II: Back to the future
These players have been good in the past, but struggled with injuries last season and put up disappointing results. It says here that each will recover, both physically and professionally, in 2009-10:
Luol Deng, Bulls: A forgotten man in Chicago's offense even before late-season injuries knocked him out, Deng has several factors in his favor heading into this season. For one, Chicago lost Ben Gordon, which means more shots for everyone else and, in particular, more plays as a first option for Deng. Second, as Vinny Del Negro gets the hang of this coaching thing he should find more opportunities to take advantage of Deng's size -- something he seemed determine to avoid doing last season. Either way, I don't think Deng gets back to his 18.8 points-per-game peak, but he'll beat last season's 14.1 average comfortably.
