Most observers of the Toronto Raptors recognize how far Andrea Bargnani has come over the past calendar year. They are right to point out that he is scoring, rebounding, and defending more consistently than ever and that since Jay Triano took over as head coach last December, he has thrived.

But sharp spectators also recognize that the former first overall pick is far from a finished product, and if the Raptors are to achieve any sort of meaningful or long-term success, he needs to continue his ascension into the league’s elite. Otherwise, the Raptors are destined to be nothing more than an “also-ran” for the foreseeable future, and Bargnani’s name will be placed next to other supremely talented prospects who never realized the pinnacle their skills allowed.

Acknowledging that this pressure exists is well and good, but how does the fourth-year Italian centre actually start to cash-in on that considerable talent?

There is a well known Chinese proverb which states a single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of individual study. Indeed, we often learn more from a single brief encounter with a true master than over than course of prolonged study.

Applied in basketball terms, it follows that a player’s development can grow exponentially following a single game, given that the stakes are high and the personal challenge is immediate and truly potent.

Players can develop more as a result of a single playoffs series than an entire month of regular season games. Likewise, youngsters can mature more following a head-to-head matchup with an elite superstar than they might from a dozen games against average opponents.

To truly become great and realize real progress, a young star must seek out those opportunities and use them as a benchmark for how much further they have to go.

If last Sunday’s victory over Dallas is any indication, it would seem that Bargnani has heeded this advice well. It was then he outplayed Dirk Nowitzki, the player Bargnani would do best to model himself after. In fact, Nowitzki went on to praise the young centre after the game, telling the media that Bargnani is “more athletic than (he) ever was.”

In doing this, Nowitzki confirmed both the gift and the curse that Andrea’s talents bring him. Having a former MVP (and perhaps the best European player ever) say that you are shooting extremely well and using your first step brilliantly is the kind of praise a young player can hang his reputation on. But it also raises expectations, and confirms that the Italian big has the ability to do so much more than he has so far.

It was only a year ago that many were questioning whether Bargnani was more Darko Milicic than Nowitzki. His value to Toronto is now clear: the youngster averages 2.3 points more per game in Toronto wins than in losses (18.4 compared to 16.1) and pulls in 1.1 more rebounds (7.0 compared to 5.9). The pressure is still there to show the league that he can consistently perform to the level his talents stipulate.

None of this is new. From the day he was drafted, Bargnani has drawn many comparisons to Nowitzki – a result of each being a seven-footer with a talent for shooting from distance and the ability to put the ball on the floor. Through his rookie season, Bargnani actually progressed better than Nowitzki – he scored more (11.6 to 8.2), rebounded better (3.9 to 3.4) and shot better from the field (.427 to .405). But where Nowitzki’s second season saw him more than double his scoring and finish second in the voting for Most Improved Player, Bargnani actually regressed significantly across all statistical categories.

As mentioned, he thrived following Sam Mitchell’s dismissal last year and ended up posting career highs in points (15.4), rebounds (5.4), blocks (1.2), field goal percentage (.450) and three-point percentage (.409). Still, by his third year Nowitzki was an All-NBA selection and averaging 21.8 points a game.

Bargnani’s play has continued to improve, and he is poised to break career best averages in nearly every statistical category. But the question is now whether he can reach the next level and become a true star in this league. His Player Efficient Rating currently sits at 16.47, which places his only 17th among international players, far below the likes of Andrew Bogut (18.37) or Luis Scola (17.67) and in fact puts him slightly below fellow Italian Danilo Gallinari (16.47).

To reach the next level, he will need to consistently bring the sort of aggressiveness and confidence needed to take over games and be a real difference maker. That starts with being more assertive on the boards, and having the confidence to drive hard to the rim when he has a speed mismatch. While he does not have a mid-range game on par with Nowitzki or even teammate Chris Bosh, he is a better three point shooter than either, and he already possesses the footwork and strength needed to be a scorer in the post.

What remains to be seen is if he has the sort of personality and mental toughness to become a solid defender. This is why the loss of Reggie Evans has hurt the Raptors so much this year – one of Evans’ primary roles was to have been to toughen Bargnani up in practice every day.

For a player to learn, they must be motivated, they must be interested. Which is why Triano has been so successful in bringing Bargnani along: he has allowed him to actively work through his mistakes and progress along his own learning curve as a player. The coach trusted him to make the required adjustments and trust his abilities and it has paid off. There are coaches who believe that you cannot really teach a player anything. Rather, the role of coach is to help the player discover whatever they have within themselves. Perhaps this is true of Triano and Bargnani’s relationship as well.

Whatever the cause, Bargnani’s play has certainly picked up after the calendar turned to 2010. The month of January has seen him produce career best scoring, rebounding, and three point shooting, all while showing marked improvement in interior defense. During this recent stretch he has given Toronto fans a glimpse of potential greatness: the 24 point, 12 rebound performance he put on in New York last week; the 17 rebound effort against Indiana the game before that; and the 22 point showing he put up against Nowitzki last Sunday.

But those games cannot stand alone. Great performance like those must become the norm, not the exception. Bargnani is simply too talented to have a great game every three or four contests. He needs to learn from players like Nowitzki how to bring that kind of effort every night. He needs to watch those older masters of the game and understand what it means to be a star, that having his level of talent means every game should bring a sense of urgency and expectation.

Point blank, he must deliver. Deliver on his promise. Deliver on our expectations. Deliver on his potential. We know he has the skill – the question remains if he wants it enough to be dependably great, to be reliably efficient. Once he reaches that level and his team knows just which Bargnani they are getting on a nightly basis, everything else will be downhill.

Last year in this article, I proclaimed that I believed in Andrea Bargnani. I still do, precisely because players like Nowitzki have made a blueprint for him to follow.