Feb 8, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) shows emotion against the Houston Rockets in the first quarter at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Just missed it…
LaMarcus Aldridge
Aldridge is always up there with the top scorers in the league and averaged 21.1 points per game last season. He will likely average somewhere around 20 points next season as well, but there are a couple of other candidates that will more likely than not leave him outside the top 10.
Dwyane Wade
Even though Wade was injured towards the end of the season, he still averaged 21.2 points. Assuming he returns healthy he should continue putting up respectable numbers, but it’s hard seeing him doing better than he did last season.
Kyrie Irving
Irving put up 22.5 points per game in his sophomore season, and he could very well improve on that, but it’s not as likely as before. The Cavs have brought in a lot more talent so the pressure on Kyrie should ease. If Andrew Bynum is healthy, he’s going to need his touches in the post. Then you also have Jarrett Jack, who will be able to take over the ball-handling duties and he will be putting up quite a few shots.
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk missed the early parts of the season and his numbers naturally took a hit. In the 2011-12 season he averaged 21.6 points. With Monta Ellis around, Dirk likely won’t get that high but he should definitely be somewhere in the top 20.