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This isn't in the ESPN forecast series, but in the spirit of those posts I figured I'd offer up another question. Who do you think will lead the team in scoring? I know that this is sometimes an overrated stat and chances are Rondo will be our most important (if not most valuable) player.
But someone needs to score and this team wasn't exactly lighting it up last year. Jordan Crawford was 3rd on the team during his time here and he only put up 13.7 per game. So this could be a key issue for the team.
Let's look at some candidates along with their average PPG in parenthesis.
Jeff Green (16.9) - The reigning scoring leader had his highs and lows and the average was, ...well, slightly above average. If he could just turn a few of those "low" nights into average nights, then he might be a 20 point scorer. Maybe Rondo will help him get there or maybe not. As always, we'll see.
Rajon Rondo (11.7) - Rajon has never averaged more than 13.7 per game (which he's done twice) but he's never had a full, healthy season of being the primary star on the team yet. He might be content to chip in with between 11 and 14 points per game while focusing on his passing and game management. Or he might just decide to be a scorer and throw everyone for a loop.
Avery Bradley (14.9) - Known as a defensive specialist, Bradley made big strides in his offense last year. At times it seemed like he was shooting a bit too much, but somebody had to take the shots on that team. My sense is that if he's the leading scorer, something went wrong with the team or the system, but you never know. Maybe he'll take another big step forward with his game.
Jared Sullinger (13.3) - Sully is my dark horse in this category. It is hard for bigs to get enough touches to lead the team in scoring unless they are stars. But he's just got a knack for getting the ball and slipping it up between defenders and into the basket. If he's in the right shape and has the right support from his teammates, he could bump up his average by several points (and still pull down the boards).
Evan Turner (17.4 / 7.1) - He got lots of shots in Philly and (ironically) tanked in Indiana. What will Turner do in Boston? Will he get enough looks to be a leading scorer on this team? Will Rajon Rondo stare laser beams through the back of Evans' skull when he takes an ill advised jumper? Or will he finally live up to some of his early career expectations?
Honorable mentions: Kelly Olynyk, Marcus Smart, Brandon Bass
So who do you think will post the highest average points?