Marcin Gortat has burst forth onto the scene with his play in Phoenix surprising not only Suns fans with a trade that was greatly disliked, but also the league by almost tripling his output in less then a half a season.  Although when we looked back it seemed inevitable being a skilled center backing up the best center in the league, he had to have picked up some pointers.  That being said I doubt anyone expected him to be as dominant at times as he was with the Phoneix Suns, a team that didn't share the same philosophy about defensive based basketball as he.  

Glad he didn't let that get him down, instead it seemed to light a fire under him which resulted in him being one of the most improved players in the league.  He also has made a rather dominant statement on the center position as well showing the Suns, for the first time, What a real center is.  

This leads me to my next point, Marcin Gortat is simply the best center we have had in recent history and has the potential to be one of the greats this team will ever have the privilege of calling their own.  In only 55 games he managed to go from averaging a little over 4 ppg to 13 and from 4 rpg to over 9.  What really gives me motivation though is that there are still many things that he can improve on, such as a post game and his mid range jumper, which was better then expected.  The best thing about Marcin is that defensively he is one of the best centers in the league up there with his former teammate Dwight Howard.  His blocking ability and lateral movement makes him a fantastic help defender as well as his intelligence to stay high when defending an attacking center keeps him out of foul trouble.  

So what should we expect out of this rising star next season.  Well without being overly optimistic I see him solidly averaging 15-17 ppg if he can add a decent post game, and 10-11 rpg.  This would make him one of the better centers in the league.  Not to mention he holds a sky high shooting percentage at over 56% he will do this efficiently and with fewer turnovers then Robin would.  

While I have talked in the past about needing a solid backup point guard and a 20+ ppg shooting guard I think the one thing that will keep us a contender next season will be the improvement of the "Polish Hammer".  If he can just make some minor improvements to his all around game, and teach Channing Frye some solid pointers about rebounding then I see a solid season next year.  It all falls on you Gortat make us proud!

Marcin Gortat's Phoenix Suns Offseason Improvement Video (via TheMikeSchmitz)

Marcin Gortat against Hornets (double-double & career-high), January 30, 2011 (via DuzyMlotek)