Their are always star players who are coming back from bad injuries or veterans trying to hold onto their career and young names that haven’t yet panned out in the NBA. Here are a few names to look at this coming season to win the Comeback Player of The Year award.
Joakim Noah: New York Knicks
Noah has a lot to prove that he is still the player he was during his first few seasons with the Chicago Bulls. He was benched, injured and got upset with his minutes. He eventually signed with the Knicks this off-season. The big question is whether all those bad years of playing have taken a toll on Noah physically and mentally. It would be huge for the Knicks if they can have him stay healthy and deliver that old school attitude he had when he just a few seasons in the league.
Bradley Beal: Washington Wizards
Beal got paid this offseason with signing a maximum contract worth $128 million. Now that he has signed a max contract he has got to show that he can stay healthy and stay on the floor more. Beal has had injuries to his leg and ankle that sidelined him for another 27 games last season as the Wizards missed the playoffs. During Beal’s career he has only played more than 63 games once in his career. When the Wizards backcourt is healthy it is one of the best in the league with John Wall and Beal.
Blake Griffin: Los Angeles Clippers
Blake was well on his way to make the Western Conference All-Star team last season. Griffin suffered a torn quad that put him on the shelf for months. He then punched out an assistant equipment manager that led to him breaking his hand and drawing a four-game suspension from the team for the incident. Griffin injured his quad again as the Clippers lost to the Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs. Blake is still one of the best power forwards in the league and it is time for him to take over the Clippers this coming season.
Anthony Davis: New Orleans Pelicans
Before Davis got hurt he was averaging 24.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Shockingly, he is still only 23 years old and a lot of people had him in the MVP race before last season started. He had to be shut down early for surgery on his left knee and he must prove he can go a full season this coming season. Davis has missed 14 games in each of his first four seasons.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: Charlotte Hornets
Michael is way too young to be making a comeback at the age of 22. Sadly, he has only played seven games last season due to a shoulder injury. Mike is the kind of player the Hornets really need with Al Jefferson leaving for the Indiana Pacers, Courtney Lee to the New York Knicks and Jeremy Lin signed with the Brooklyn Nets. If Kidd-Gilchrist plays a full season he could become a regular on the NBA’s All-Defensive team.