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Talent can't be taught. Most of the NBA players have just got it. It's all about maximizing that talent with the team assembled around you in the hopes of winning a championship someday.
On the other hand, even with so many players having the talent, there is a reason there is only one LeBron James. Having an elite career requires discipline, determination, the right attitude and a good work ethic to not only thrive in the league but also find success. That's pretty demanding of the players, not to mention the off-court problems they have to face and overcome.
So not all players having the same career progression like many of the league's elites do. There are some who see a lull, where their productivity, efficiency, and demand in the league drops. That forces them to reinvent themselves or just work and try harder.
Here are five players, who through the first quarter of the season, seem to be giving their career a revival of sorts:
#5 Tyreke Evans
Tyreke Evans began his career with a bang for the Sacramento Kings, becoming one of only four rookies in NBA history to record 20+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists. Although he was still productive during his rookie contract, a lack of team success, saw him sign with the New Orleans Pelicans in the summer of 2013.
For a couple of seasons, he did what the team needed and the franchise had mixed results (one Playoff performance as the 8th seed and the other a 34-win season). However, from the beginning of the 2015-16, his numbers began to dip largely in part to injuries. From 2015 to 2017, he only played a total of 65 games out of a possible 162. Oh, also he got traded back to Sacramento as part of the DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans trade.
But this year has been like a new life for Evans.
For one, he's played in all of the Grizzlies' 23 games, even starting four of them. He's averaging 17.8 points (tied for second-best in career, previously averaged in the second season of career), 5.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists in 29.2 minutes on the floor. He's so far having his best contributions, by minutes averages, in his career. Now for the best part. In a league, that depends on a lot of shooting, Evans is shooting career-highs from the field () and beyond the arc ().
#4 LaMarcus Aldridge
There was a talk a lot at the end of last season about the possible decline of LaMarcus Aldridge and how his numbers have dipped since moving to San Antonio from Portland.
While his averages dropping was understandable, given the depth of talent the San Antonio Spurs have at their disposal and the fact that he was playing alongside Kawhi Leonard, what angered fans or had them disappointed was his failure to take over games in the Conference Finals series against the Golden State Warriors once Leonard was ruled out.
Everybody touted him as a misfit in the Spurs system. To make matters worse there plenty of trade rumors which including around the 2017 NBA Draft.
But prior to the start of the season, he and the Spurs management (more importantly Gregg Popovich) realized they both needed each other. And so far, things seem to be working fantastically, considering that the Spurs are 17-8 (3rd in the West) with Leonard having not played a single game and Aldridge is a huge reason why.
Through 25 games, he's averaging 22.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists on 50.6% shooting in 33.3 minutes on the floor. His points and assists numbers are highest since he moved to Texas.
#3 Victor Oladipo
Coming into the league as the 2nd pick overall in the 2013 Draft, Victor Oladipo's career never really took off in Orlando. He was expected to be part of the future with the Magic but things didn't work out that way. Through three seasons, he averaged 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists for the Florida based team.
He eventually became an underrated part of the trade that brought Serge Ibaka from the Oklahoma City Thunder. He more or less averaged the same numbers (15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists) with OKC but was quite obviously overshadowed by reigning MVP Russell Westbrook and his triple-double ways.
With the fast-paced offense of the Indiana Pacers, Oladipo seems to have found his place in the league. The Indiana University product is averaging a career-high in nearly every statistical category - 23.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks on 48.3% shooting from the field and 44.0% from beyond the arc (Barring his assists average (career-high 4.1), all numbers are career-highs).
#2 DeMarcus Cousins
When you put up huge numbers all through seven years at Sacramento, it's difficult to say what a bounce-back season is. DeMarcus Cousins through seven seasons with the Kings averaged 21.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks at 45.9% shooting and 32.2% shooting from beyond the arc.
But in what projects to be his complete season in New Orleans, he is not only averaging career-highs in few category but more importantly, he is winning more.
Through this season's 25 games so far, Cousins averages 25.3 points (most since 2016-17), 12.3 rebounds (most since 2013-14), 5.2 assists (career-high), 1.6 steals (tied for career-high), 1.6 blocks (career-high) while shooting 46.1% (most since 2014-15) from the field.
As mentioned earlier, his personal numbers aren't the only bounce-back. For the first time in Cousins' career, his team is above .500 (13-12) after 25 games in a season.
#1 Andre Drummond
After being drafted 9th overall in the 2013 Draft, the Detroit Pistons needed to clean house themselves before Andre Drummond started to show some real All-Star caliber promise in 2015-16. But a disappointing 2016-17 season, dubbed it to be flash in the pan. However, the way Drummond is playing this year, last season's disappointment was just a bump in the road.
Throughout his five previous seasons, it was quite clear, Drummond's biggest problem was his free throw shooting. In previous years, his best was 41.8% but this year he's taken a considerable leap to 62.2%. That number might just keep dropping (he started at around 72% early in the season) but clearly being able to knock down free throws is showing an improved activity in all other facets of the game.
His rebounds (league-leading 15.3), assists (4.0) and steals (1.6) averages for the season so far are all career-highs. The Detroit Pistons are currently on a four-game losing streak at 14-10 but a week back they were comfortably placed at second in the Eastern Conference and that was largely due to Drummond's much-improved play.
