Who is the one that player that surprises?

[nolaslim213]

Robin Lopez with out a doubt IMO. The guys has crazy potential. Brook is naturally more skilled offensively, but he doesn't have anywhere near the passion for the game that Robin has, which is why I think Robin will thrive under Monty. Monty will push and give Robin every tool he needs to be a good player, and I think he takes it and runs with it because he loves the game.

My other reason why Robin breaks out is that he looked like a steal in 08 and 09 (before his injury). After his injury, he lost some of his athleticism that made him such a promising young player. Phoenix forced him to play through it, and it caused him to have a bad couple of years. Now, however, he says that he has gained his athleticism back over the past few months after having a surgery on the knee. If he really did gain it back, he could be a great player for us.

This is him pre-injury:



And this is him post-injury:





You can see in the first video (pre-injury) that he possesses insane athleticism for his size, but then you see the 2nd video (post-injury), and you see that he lost his athleticism. He could really be something if he can get back to that. Also, Monty and Ryan Anderson hinted that Lopez is more offensively skilled than people think. We'll see, but if he can give us a back to the basket game, he and Davis could do some serious damage.

[Liltiger]

I know the question was which player would surprise, but i believe our whole 2nd will surprise ...
pg ... Vasquez
sg ... Mason
sf ... Henry/Warrick
pf ... Anderson
C ... J-Smith

I believe this is a very adequate 2nd unit and they will surpise not only us, but people around the league as well.

[Mr. West]

Robin Lopez with out a doubt IMO. The guys has crazy potential. Brook is naturally more skilled offensively, but he doesn't have anywhere near the passion for the game that Robin has, which is why I think Robin will thrive under Monty. Monty will push and give Robin every tool he needs to be a good player, and I think he takes it and runs with it because he loves the game.

My other reason why Robin breaks out is that he looked like a steal in 08 and 09 (before his injury). After his injury, he lost some of his athleticism that made him such a promising young player. Phoenix forced him to play through it, and it caused him to have a bad couple of years. Now, however, he says that he has gained his athleticism back over the past few months after having a surgery on the knee. If he really did gain it back, he could be a great player for us.

This is him pre-injury:



And this is him post-injury:





You can see in the first video (pre-injury) that he possesses insane athleticism for his size, but then you see the 2nd video (post-injury), and you see that he lost his athleticism. He could really be something if he can get back to that. Also, Monty and Ryan Anderson hinted that Lopez is more offensively skilled than people think. We'll see, but if he can give us a back to the basket game, he and Davis could do some serious damage.

Good post.

[morsatun]

[QUOTE=
pg ... Vasquez
sg ... Mason
sf ... Henry/Warrick
pf ... Anderson
C ... J-Smith

.[/QUOTE]

So you think Vasquez will be consistently in the second unit? Does that mean you think Rivers will be starting pg on day 1?

[Nola Hornet]

Roger Mason is going to surprise a lot of people. With all the new toys the team brought onto the team this year, He has been an afterthought to most people.

[BallSoHard]

I HOPE Aminu will impress. I don't think many people expect much from him which is why I picked him.

[smcgull]

I would have to say Miller, since that would be the Hornets best draft class ever.

[Ryno_33 NOLA]

Xavier. Sounds like he's been working real hard, and if Aminu's offensive game isn't coming along, i wouldn't be suprised to see his grab the starting 3 spot. For the same reason, Darius Miller also has a shot...

You know what, every Hornets player has a chance to breakout, or do more than what is expected..

Davis: Could show more of an offensive game than we expect
Rivers: Could grab the starting PG spot, and surprise us all. His handles are immense, and he could definitely break down opposing defenses and open up Ryno and EJ.
Gordon: COULD stay healthy-ish, and that would be a welcome surprise to all of us.
Anderson: If (when) Gordon goes down, he'll be the go-to scorer on the team. Is definitely underrated by a lot of fans on this site
Mason: Could emulate his old-days with the wizards and spurs; making it rain from from 3. You don't need to be young and athletic to shoot the ball
X & Darius: As mentioned at the start of this post
Lopez: If he's given the minutes (say around 30 a night), he could evolve into a guy who averages around 12 & 8. Surprising? Yes. Impossible? Hardly
Aminu: Could finally show us a more refined game on the offensive end, and get significant minutes as one of the better perimeter defenders in the league.
Vasquez: If he holds down the starting spot, the work he has put in over the offseason could really show.. He could develop into a really solid floor general. Monty's guy.
Smith: Only guy on our team who i believe is a bit overrated on this board. Could still provide serviceable minutes
Warrick: He's eager. He's hungry. He could be a huge surprise as one of out first bigs of the bench.
Camp guys (Thomas, Roberts, Alabi, Wright, Morrison): There's always a camp guy who surprises

[Liltiger]

Yes, if Gordon is healthy, i believe Rivers will eventually be our starting pg, like after the first month of the season.

[Silverfoxx]

Good post.

im sooooooo wrong for laughing at this lol.

[Bee-Fense]

I say Vasquez. I really love his game. He's a solid defender, a smart offensive player, and his shot keeps improving. I think this year he'll show that he's not a horrible starting PG, and would be an elite PG off the bench. I think he'll end up averaging about 13 and 8 with a 3:1 Asst/TO ratio.

He's got a lot more talent to pass to this year. Our bigs are much more efficient scores, we should have Gordon to take more pressure off of him, and Al Farouq should be more improved (although I'm not expecting anything substantial).

Additionally, this year is the first year he's been able to participate in training camp. He is also entering his 3rd year, and although he may be 25, he's still clearly improving his craftiness and ability to control the offense. I think in his first chance to be the full time starter, he shines, especially with the improved talent around him.

[cmac81]

Going with X. He's still so young and I think he made a mistake leaving uni so early, but he's been working hard (reportedly) this summer and I think he has a good chance to secure a large percentage of the backup SG/SF minutes.

[bojangles837]

Going with X. He's still so young and I think he made a mistake leaving uni so early, but he's been working hard (reportedly) this summer and I think he has a good chance to secure a large percentage of the backup SG/SF minutes.

You know I like x too. I loved his game in college but I think he has confidence issues and gets down on himself after missing too many shots. I hope he gets his 3 percentage up and plays well behind Gordon and aminu.


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[StefanC]

Guys don't normally gain much quickness, but I seriously hope Vasquez will be better at turning the corner on pick and rolls. He would be a very solid point guard if he could take guys off the dribble.

[ramsters60]

I didn't predict it, but I really hope that Lopez turns out to be the surprise guy....I know its very, very early, and I am not nearly ready to write him off, but he is currently leading my "less than impressed" list....

[DefensiveMind]

Looks like Kris Humphries-Kardashian just made a good play. Like most humans, Lopez got up higher with increased momentum. Regardless, I hope he and Smith are surprises.

If they play well at the 5. Davis and Anderson, regardless of natural fit, have plenty of ability to manage the other forward positions. I also think playing the 4 will spur Davis' offensive growth.