Evan Turner, Jrue Holiday Lead Improved Sixers Backcourt Headlining Top 10 Breakout Stars of NBA Season (Photos)

by Ben Watanabe on Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 4:29PM

Many NBA players subscribe to the theory that if they are not getting better, they are getting worse, because somewhere out there, their opponents are working on their games.

A few players have taken improvement to the extreme this season. Whereas every player looks to make moderate gains from year to year, some young players have made leaps, both literal and figurative. Whether it is Jrue Holiday making the jump from role player to star or Nik Vucevic surprising almost everybody with his scoring and rebounding prowess, a breakout campaign can change the way a once-anonymous player is perceived around the NBA.

Keep in mind that improvement is not static, so while I labeled Eric Bledsoe as the league’s most improved player two weeks ago, that is not the case anymore. Chances are this list will not stay constant all season, either.