NBA Players To Watch In 2009 (Oct. 14, 2008)

NBA Players to Watch in 2009:

Mo Williams -- Williams teams up with LBJ after two straight seasons scoring more than 17 and dishing more than 6. If all goes well for Williams (meaning he doesn't miss his annual 15-20 games), he should have a career year.

Martell Webster -- If Webster can bounce back from surgery that is expected to sideline him for 10 weeks, the Blazers may have yet another emerging All-Star. Webster has improved each season since coming into the NBA straight out of high school. He averaged 10.7 ppg and 4.0 rpg, playing nearly 30 minutes a night last season.

Jose Calderon -- After just his third season in the NBA, Calderon scored 11.2 ppg and had 8.3 apg. With Ford exiting for Toronto and O'Neal on board, Calderon should flirt with 10 assists per game this season.

Al Thornton -- With Davis on board, the Clippers offense should thrive and Thronton will be the beneficiary. After playing 27 minutes a game and averaging 12.7 ppg and 4.5 rpg as a rookie, I expect to see a solid sophomore campaign from the former Florida State forward.

DeShawn Stevenson -- Another no-college talent has used his first three seasons in the NBA as "education". Stevenson may be called upon heavily to score buckets during the first part of the season with Arenas out. Stevenson has always been productive in all categories (at least 11 points per game each of his first three seasons), the Wizards will need him to be just a little more productive.

Gerald Wallace -- If Wallace can stay on the court for all 82 games, he could be the NBA's next consistent All-Star. Wallace has improved his numbers every year since entering the league as the 25th overall pick in 2001.

Louis Williams -- This 22 year old kid broke out last year with an 11.5 ppg average and dishing out 2.1 apg. After finding confidence last year, I imagine we'll see big numbers for Williams this season.

Danny Granger -- Granger is a stat racking beast. His 6-9 frame allows him to gather rebounds (6.1) while scoring in a variety of ways (19.6 ppg, 40% from 3) and his long arms allow him to get dirty on defense (1.1 bpg, 1.2 spg). Granger should be an All-Star and will be a house-hold name in no time.