The NBA Sophomore Report 1.0

By Brendan McKay

Given that this is the first edition of the report, it only seems right to take a deeper look at the player that tops our list, Stephen Curry. Curry has exceeded even the biggest expectations. He is complete offensive player, and a threat to score every time he crosses half court. His court vision is at a point very few can match so early in their careers. The second he stepped onto the podium at Madison Square Garden, he was one of the best shooters in the NBA, but what impresses me most is his ability to create for a generally hapless roster of teammates. I love Monta Ellis as much as the next guy, but if you think his 5 ppg increase from 08-09 to 09-10 is solely due to his personal growth, you're nuts. Same for Corey Maggette and his 50% fg% in 09-10 after spending a career as a 45% shooter, who has come back to reality, and some, this year shooting 40% without Mr. Curry's assistance.
Stephen Curry
As for Curry's individual numbers? Oh, they're not bad either. If Russell Westbrook wasn't making a legit MVP argument, he'd be in the running for the All Star bench. So far this year he has put up 18.6 ppg, a decimal shy of 6 assists, while shooting 47% from the floor and a sizzling 92.6% from the line (can you sizzle at the free throw line? I say yes). He's also 30th in the league in PER at 20.26 and John Hollinger is a very smart man, so that must mean something. You might notice defense has not been mentioned once, but don't let that fool you, he's not bad. He is fourth in the league in steals at 2.0, and despite playing on a team that doesn't typically play defense, he doesn't get blown up by the opposing point guard too often. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of room for growth, but he plays tight man to man coverage and has the work ethic to get there. He would also benefit greatly by playing in front of an elite shot blocker that would forgive his aggression when attacking the passing lanes (are you hearing this Keith Smart? More playing time for Andris Biedrins please).

While some physical limitations might keep him from being a tier one star in this league, expect him to be a staple all star in years to come. He has certainly made his father proud.

1.    Stephen Curry:

Unless the NBA decides to change the rules and deem Blake Griffin a second year player, don't expect this spot to change...ever.

2.    Tyreke Evans:

Overall, Evans scoring numbers have dropped from year one to year two, but this is to be expected when opposing defenses realize that he is the only player that needs attention on a less than stellar Sacramento team. Expect this to change if Demarcus Cousins decides to grow up and start dominating lesser players on the block. He also has had some injuries to his foot and ankle which zaps what he is great at: driving to the hole, however with recent scoring outbursts of 27 and 29 points  in consecutive games against Denver and Atlanta, maybe this is a sign to return a return of health and output.

3.    Brandon Jennings
Nipping at Tyreke's heals is Brandon Jennings. Unlike Evans, Jennings is taking his game up a notch in his 2nd year. His 2 ppg increase can be attributed to better shot selection, and an increase in trips to every scorers' best friend, the free throw line. Jennings already has 40 more shots from the charity stripe than he did at this point last season, a 50% increase. He can stroke it from deep and is near impossible to stay in front of. If he spends more time in the weight room to increase his strength, he should be able to increase the number of 3 point plays. Were it not for his injury he would have had a real chance of overtaking Evans at the #2 spot.

4.    Jrue Holliday
What a difference a year makes. Holliday's numbers have almost doubled across the board. Sure his playing time has gone up as well, but not as much as his stats have. He's putting up just shy of 15 ppg and 6.7 apg. Like most of his peers above him, he's doing this on a very poor team. Former UCLA teammates living the NBA dreamThrough his tutelage at UCLA and his great length and athleticism it shouldn’t be a surprise that he has been playing lock down defense for the 76ers. He embarrassed Derek Fisher on New Year's Eve, holding him to 1 point on 0-7 shooting, and decided to follow that up 3 nights later by holding none other than Chris Paul to 15 points on 4-11 shooting while letting him dish out only 5 assists.

5.    Darren Collinson
You can blame Jim O'Brien for Collinson's placement on this list, as he is only playing 30 minutes a game. After excelling as a replacement for Chris Paul during the All Star’s injury absence, you'd think the Pacers intended to find their point guard of the future when they traded for Collinson, but he has played fewer minutes than anyone above him on this list. As his minutes rise, expect him to move up our list.

6.    Wes Matthews:
Matthews went from undrafted, to starter on the Jazz to one of the most coveted 2010 free agents.  Now with the Blazers his emergence has lessen the burden of Brandon Roy's injury woes.  With continued consistent production don't be surprised if he quickly moves up our rankings..

7.    Serge Ibaka:
Many expected Ibaka's minutes to drop with the arrival of Cole Aldrich, but Air Congo's inspired play has kept Aldrich's butt glued directly to the bench. 10 ppg, 6.7 rbg and 6th in the league in blocks at 2.2 bpg. While he is not the low post scoring threat OKC wants, he is an active and athletic defensive presence few teams have.

8.    DeMar DeRozan:
No one is more surprised by DeRozan's play than myself. I thought he was all athlete and no game, it turns out I was dead wrong. DeMar has been absolutely lighting it up as of late consecutively putting up 37, 27, 18, 13 and 20 points while shooting 49% over the same stretch. If he can ever develop a consistent outside shot, we might be looking at one of the NBA's toughest covers.

9.    Ty Lawson:
Ty Lawson is one person playing close attention to the Melo trade talks. As the deal stands right now, Chauncey Billups will be heading out of town with Carmelo which would result in a extreme increase in Lawson's minutes. In only 24 minutes a game, Lawson is averaging 11 points a game and 4 assists. You only have to watch one Nuggets game to realize that Lawson is a starting NBA point guard.

10.    James Harden:
This marks the drop off in quality players on this list. Harden is a nice player, but nothing to write home about. His play night to night still fluctuates in ways you would expect out of a rookie, not a second year player on an inspired OKC team. He will shoot 6-7 one night, and 1-6 the next. This could be racked up to having a difficult time finding consistent minutes and shot on a roster with two young super stars, but his spot on this list is hardly secure.

Honorable Mention    DeJuan Blair:
There is no shame in this man's game. Blair brings down 6.6 boards in 20 minutes a game, 2.6 of them on the offensive side of the floor. While we might be looking at his ceiling, he has been a big contributor for the Spurs, a team holding by far the best in the NBA.