Investors expect their stocks to trend up. Parents expect their children to grow up.

The sun. Plants. Up.

When the Houston Rockets made Aaron Brooks the 26th pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, they believed he could play up. Three seasons later the point guard generously listed at 6'0" has done far more than that.

Look left-to-right across his 2010 statistical bottom line and you'll find nearly unanimous career highs.

Brooks' 209 three-pointers made are a new franchise record - they also led the league. His 19.6 points per game and 39.8% three point field goal percentage both placed in the Top 20. 5.3 assists per game earn Brooks a spot in the Top 25.

Those numbers are impressive all by themselves. More importantly: by essentially doubling his output across the board each year, Brooks has gone from a lightning bug super-sub to a nearly unguardable ball of energy.

By continuing to develop his skill set, Brooks has gone from a little-engine-that-could to a legit floor leader that consistently does.

By showing up for his starting assignment every single night, Brooks championed a Texas-sized effort that kept his injury-plagued Rockets in playoff contention long after many of the experts had written them off.

Congratulations are in order.

Aaron Brooks is the NBA's 2010 Most Improved Player.