Read the latest rookie rankings, where Warriors guard, Klay Thompson makes the cut.
Kyrie Irving, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers
If the rookie of the year award was given out today, Irving would be the runaway winner in most peoples opinions. The Cavs have a surprising (8-12) record good enough for ninth place in the Eastern Conference behind the Celtics, and leading the way is their rookie point guard, Kryrie Irving. He is leading all rookies with 18 points, and is right behind the Wolves rookie sensation Ricky Rubio, in assists with five per game. His future is clearly bright in Cleveland with the Cavs.
Ricky Rubio, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves have also had a surprising start to the season with a (10-12) record, they have been led by Kevin Love, and their rookie point guard, Ricky Rubio. Rubio is averaging a little more than 11 points, nine assists, and five rebounds per game. He is already drawing comparisons to soon to be hall of famer's such as Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. Those are some pretty high standards for the Minnesota point guard that has only played 22 games in the NBA, but he hasn't let anybody down yet. Experts are saying that once the league "figures him out", he won't have much success,but with the way he is playing I doubt the league will figure him out anytime soon.
Marshon Brooks, SF, New Jersey Nets
This is where things start to become a free for all, but I'm going to place Brooks ahead of the Bobcats rookie out of Connecticut, Kemba Walker. This was a close call considering that both of their respective teams have miserable records which is usually one of the deciding factors in this process, but Brooks came out on top. Brooks is nearly averaging 15 points and five rebounds per game, starting at the shooting guard position for the Nets. He wasn't much of a factor at the beginning of the season, but started to get hot after about five games. My best comparison for Brooks, would be Jamal Crawford because they both spark their teams with their streaky scoring habits. Nevertheless, Brooks has a bright future in this league.
Kemba Walker, PG/SG, Charlotte Bobcats
Not surprising, Kemba places in the top five out of all rookies. Walker came off of the bench to begin the season, but about 12 games into the season he proved that he is worthy of cracking the starting five and sure enough he hasn't looked back since. The rookie out of Connecticut is averaging 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists. The highlight of his season so far was clearly his first triple double against Washington about a week ago. This shows that there are many ways that Kemba can impact a game, which makes him such a valuable piece for the Bobcats as they develop into a team that posses a threat in the Eastern Conference. He will be one of the center pieces of the Bobcats for years to come.
Iman Shumpert, PG, New York Knicks
Shumpert is also one of those players that can contribute in a variety of ways. He is a very big point guard, standing at 6'5, and he plays like a big guard as well. Shumpert got injured on Christmas, which held him out for a couple of weeks, but has recovered very well. My only early season concern for Shumpert so far is his shooting percentage. He is shooting an atrocious 36% from the field, and 28% from beyond the arc. His shooting touch is something that he will have to improve on as he matures as an NBA player. If there was ever a night where he was hitting his shots, he could be legitimate triple double material. When Baron Davis returns from injury, Shumpert's role will be reduced, but he is in New York's future plans.
Brandon Knight, PG/SG, Detroit Pistons
Knight was thought to be a steal as the number eighth pick in the draft, and he has showed why. Knight started the season coming off the bench and only playing limited minutes, but now he has turned into the Pistons starting shooting guard and is playing nearly 24 minutes per game. Brandon is averaging 13 points, four assists, and nearly four rebounds in 24 games for the Pistons. Clearly, the Pistons want to give him all the opportunities possible as he is basically their future. Unless Knight begins to struggle, he should remain in the starting lineup for years to come.
Markieff Morris, PF, Phoenix Suns
Morris has been one of those under the radar guys throughout his whole career, which is a role he seems to thrive in. He won't score many points, averaging only seven, but he leads all rookies in rebounds with five per game. His role on the Suns is currently decreasing because he is starting to struggle, but as the Suns start to rebuild for the future,don't be surprised when Morris will have to take on a bigger role under Alvin Gentry.
Jimmer Fredette, SG, Sacramento Kings
The rookie out of BYU is currently averaging nine points on two assists with barely one rebound. We all know that Jimmer was in the NBA because he can score the ball at a very high rate when he receives enough minutes, but In 21 games he has started only six and is averaging 23 minutes under Keith Smart. His limited number of minutes are partly due to the fact that he can't play any defense, and also because the Kings have two scoring guards in Marcus Thornton and Tyreke Evans. Until he starts playing some defense, he won't be much of a factor in the NBA because he simply won't earn enough minutes to produce at a high level.
Chandler Parsons, SF, Houston Rockets
Parson’s playing time has been up and down this season. At the beginning he received very little court time, in the middle he was playing at least 30 minutes per game, now he is averaging 20-30 minutes, making it hard for us to determine how he fits in with the Rockets. On the bright side he is having a pretty solid rookie season, averaging seven points and five rebounds. The Rockets have showed that they will be a contender in the West, so it will be interesting to see how Parsons fits in as the final stretch approaches.
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Klay Thompson, SG, Golden State Warriors
Thompson had some early season struggles, but it looks as if he is coming on for the Warriors of late. Warriors head coach, Mark Jackson clearly stated that Thompson has the potential to be a starting two guard for almost any other team in the league. We haven’t seen him play to his full potential yet, but if Monta Ellis gets traded, Thompson will have to takeover a huge role in the backcourt for the Warriors.
Kyrie Irving, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers
If the rookie of the year award was given out today, Irving would be the runaway winner in most peoples opinions. The Cavs have a surprising (8-12) record good enough for ninth place in the Eastern Conference behind the Celtics, and leading the way is their rookie point guard, Kryrie Irving. He is leading all rookies with 18 points, and is right behind the Wolves rookie sensation Ricky Rubio, in assists with five per game. His future is clearly bright in Cleveland with the Cavs.
Ricky Rubio, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves have also had a surprising start to the season with a (10-12) record, they have been led by Kevin Love, and their rookie point guard, Ricky Rubio. Rubio is averaging a little more than 11 points, nine assists, and five rebounds per game. He is already drawing comparisons to soon to be hall of famer's such as Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. Those are some pretty high standards for the Minnesota point guard that has only played 22 games in the NBA, but he hasn't let anybody down yet. Experts are saying that once the league "figures him out", he won't have much success,but with the way he is playing I doubt the league will figure him out anytime soon.
Marshon Brooks, SF, New Jersey Nets
This is where things start to become a free for all, but I'm going to place Brooks ahead of the Bobcats rookie out of Connecticut, Kemba Walker. This was a close call considering that both of their respective teams have miserable records which is usually one of the deciding factors in this process, but Brooks came out on top. Brooks is nearly averaging 15 points and five rebounds per game, starting at the shooting guard position for the Nets. He wasn't much of a factor at the beginning of the season, but started to get hot after about five games. My best comparison for Brooks, would be Jamal Crawford because they both spark their teams with their streaky scoring habits. Nevertheless, Brooks has a bright future in this league.
Kemba Walker, PG/SG, Charlotte Bobcats
Not surprising, Kemba places in the top five out of all rookies. Walker came off of the bench to begin the season, but about 12 games into the season he proved that he is worthy of cracking the starting five and sure enough he hasn't looked back since. The rookie out of Connecticut is averaging 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists. The highlight of his season so far was clearly his first triple double against Washington about a week ago. This shows that there are many ways that Kemba can impact a game, which makes him such a valuable piece for the Bobcats as they develop into a team that posses a threat in the Eastern Conference. He will be one of the center pieces of the Bobcats for years to come.
Iman Shumpert, PG, New York Knicks
Shumpert is also one of those players that can contribute in a variety of ways. He is a very big point guard, standing at 6'5, and he plays like a big guard as well. Shumpert got injured on Christmas, which held him out for a couple of weeks, but has recovered very well. My only early season concern for Shumpert so far is his shooting percentage. He is shooting an atrocious 36% from the field, and 28% from beyond the arc. His shooting touch is something that he will have to improve on as he matures as an NBA player. If there was ever a night where he was hitting his shots, he could be legitimate triple double material. When Baron Davis returns from injury, Shumpert's role will be reduced, but he is in New York's future plans.
Brandon Knight, PG/SG, Detroit Pistons
Knight was thought to be a steal as the number eighth pick in the draft, and he has showed why. Knight started the season coming off the bench and only playing limited minutes, but now he has turned into the Pistons starting shooting guard and is playing nearly 24 minutes per game. Brandon is averaging 13 points, four assists, and nearly four rebounds in 24 games for the Pistons. Clearly, the Pistons want to give him all the opportunities possible as he is basically their future. Unless Knight begins to struggle, he should remain in the starting lineup for years to come.
Markieff Morris, PF, Phoenix Suns
Morris has been one of those under the radar guys throughout his whole career, which is a role he seems to thrive in. He won't score many points, averaging only seven, but he leads all rookies in rebounds with five per game. His role on the Suns is currently decreasing because he is starting to struggle, but as the Suns start to rebuild for the future,don't be surprised when Morris will have to take on a bigger role under Alvin Gentry.
Jimmer Fredette, SG, Sacramento Kings
The rookie out of BYU is currently averaging nine points on two assists with barely one rebound. We all know that Jimmer was in the NBA because he can score the ball at a very high rate when he receives enough minutes, but In 21 games he has started only six and is averaging 23 minutes under Keith Smart. His limited number of minutes are partly due to the fact that he can't play any defense, and also because the Kings have two scoring guards in Marcus Thornton and Tyreke Evans. Until he starts playing some defense, he won't be much of a factor in the NBA because he simply won't earn enough minutes to produce at a high level.
Chandler Parsons, SF, Houston Rockets
Parson’s playing time has been up and down this season. At the beginning he received very little court time, in the middle he was playing at least 30 minutes per game, now he is averaging 20-30 minutes, making it hard for us to determine how he fits in with the Rockets. On the bright side he is having a pretty solid rookie season, averaging seven points and five rebounds. The Rockets have showed that they will be a contender in the West, so it will be interesting to see how Parsons fits in as the final stretch approaches.
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Klay Thompson, SG, Golden State Warriors
Thompson had some early season struggles, but it looks as if he is coming on for the Warriors of late. Warriors head coach, Mark Jackson clearly stated that Thompson has the potential to be a starting two guard for almost any other team in the league. We haven’t seen him play to his full potential yet, but if Monta Ellis gets traded, Thompson will have to takeover a huge role in the backcourt for the Warriors.
Nice Article. BTW, its Cleveland, not Akon. Lol, Bron grew up in Akron, but that's not where the cavs play.
ReplyDeleteWoops! thanks, I will fix that
ReplyDelete