There are a lot of reasons to think Kirk Hinrich will be helpful to the Wizards this year, but expecting him to somehow bust out and be a completely different player at age 29 is not one of the reasons. The Wizards got him because they wanted a steady veteran influence, not because they figured he'd showcase some untapped potential in his eighth season in the league. To paraphrase Mike Miller, who made this phrase common last year, Kirk Hinrich is who he is.
↵But somewhere in this world, there is one (or maybe even more than one) NBA general manager who thinks otherwise. Just the other day, the NBA released its annual GMs survey, and one of the questions dealt with which player GMs expect to have a "breakout" season next year. Pretty much everyone on the list is under the age of 25. Everyone, except for one person.
↵↵
| Which player is most likely to have a breakout season in 2010-11 | ↵||
| 1. | ↵
Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers; Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City | ↵14.8% | ↵
| 3. | ↵Derrick Rose, Chicago | ↵11.1% | ↵
| 4. | ↵
Darren Collison, Indiana; Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia; JaVale McGee, Washington | ↵7.4% | ↵
|
Also receiving votes: Marcus Aldridge, Portland; Michael Beasley, Minnesota; DeMar DeRozan, Toronto; Tyreke Evans, Sacramento; Eric Gordon, L.A. Clippers; J.J. Hickson, Cleveland; Kirk Hinrich, Washington; Joakim Noah, Chicago; Anthony Randolph, New York; Marcus Thornton, New Orleans | ↵||
| - | ↵Last year: Kevin Durant | ↵25.9 | ↵
↵
JaVale McGee? I can buy that. Kirk Hinrich? I think his scrappiness already experienced a breakout four years ago.
↵(Via Brew Hoop).