Written by Joseph Arthur ( joe_arthur2010 )
Almost two weeks of the NBA season is in the books and we’ve had a chance to take a look at (most of) this year’s class of rookies through their first few NBA games.
There’s been some big surprises, some slightly less big surprises, some rookie’s starved of opportunity and as always, plenty of inconsistency.
So let’s dive in and take a look at some very early (arguably premature) rookie rankings.
Instead of your usual 1-10 ranking, since it’s so early in the season, we’ll be breaking our rankings down to three tiers: top flight, surprise packets and showing promise.
TOP FLIGHT: *All stats as at 3/11/19
Ja Morant 18ppg, 4reb, 5ast
Give me some more of this kid. Stats aside, he has made an immediate impact on the Grizzlies. Morant’s influence as a play-maker can’t be understated and the raw athleticism of the 20-year-old is something to behold. His statement 30-point, nine assist performance in the Grizzlies OT win over the Nets perfectly highlighted why he went pick 2.
What’s been even more exciting is his ability to adapt to the pros – his game has translated quicker than many thought. Worries about his size haven’t been an issue on offence thus far and his outside shot (50% from three), although a very small sample size, has been falling.
He is very undersized on defense and needs more time to learn the ropes, but with 1.67 steals a game and a big-time block on Irving, he’s shown good promise as an on-ball defender. Morant is only going to get better the more reps he gets and the rest of the league should be worried about what he might do in the future.
RJ Barrett 18ppg, 7reb, 39% from 3
Finally some good sings for the future of Knicks basketball. A polarising rookie out of the draft, Barrett has taken some good early strides towards quieting the haters and justifying his position in the draft. What’s already clear is this guy can score the basketball. He has made some tough shots driving into the lane and pulling up from mid-range and recently, finally got some free-throws to drop.
While the outside shot needs work, it has been falling on occasion and the 19-year-old has shown a level of fearlessness New York will love. Defensively he’s like most rookies – a bit of a liability, but he has the tools to become a solid to good defender and his effort on defense has been promising. Hard to complain too much about Barrett following a strong first couple of weeks in the league.
Rui Hachimura 18ppg, 7reb, 18.00 efficiency rating (first among rookies)
Pick 9 in this year’s draft has surpassed a lot of people’s early expectations of him. Nobody doubted Hachimura’s physical tools and NBA ceiling, but few expected his game to translate so well to the league this early on. On a weak Wizards team, he’s been gifted both minutes and shots. To date, he has made the most of both.
The Wizards decision to use him at the four-spot is paying dividends and he has shown a keen ability to use his size and speed to his advantage on both ends. There are holes in his game, his shot is dropping but it’s hard to see that remaining consistent once people guard him out beyond the arc and he’s struggled to force turnovers, but this pick is already looking like the right move from Washington.
Tyler Herro 17ppg, 6reb, 14.80 efficiency rating
Looked good in summer league, looked good in pre-season and is looking good right now. Confident, cocky and one of the purest shooters in this draft. With the size and skills to become a good defender and with the offensive prowess he’s already shown, this dude looks like the second coming of Klay Thompson.
There’s so much to like about this kid and in an organisation as good at developing talent as the Miami Heat, it’s difficult to imagine he doesn’t just go from strength to strength as the season goes on. It will be exciting to watch him paired with Winslow and Butler once Justice returns from injury.
SURPRISE PACKETS
Kendrick Nunn 22ppg, 3ast, 2stl
Now I know what your saying – ‘Why isn’t Nunn in the top flight tier?!’ – and don’t get me wrong, he has been top flight among rookies so far. However, as an undrafted rookie, I think he has been more of a surprise to come from nowhere and perform so well. Basically he is instant offence and his ability on that end is going to be enough to keep him in the league for a long time.
Great passer? No. Great defence? No. But he gets buckets and looks to have the potential to be a Lou Williams type scorer. The numbers will likely drop when Butler returns, but you’ve got to love what Nunn has shown so far. Miami have got an exciting rookie class this season.
P.J. Washington 16ppg, 7reb, 52% 3pt shooting
A bright spot in an otherwise bleak looking season for Charlotte. Shooting the absolute lights out from deep thus far, those numbers will drop but he is certainly capable. As a stretch four who can shoot the three, P.J. has immediately become one of the most valuable assets on his team.
A mature rookie at 21-years-old, Washington has surprised many with his hot-start when perhaps everyone should have seen this coming. The extra year in College is already paying dividends and he improved from year-to-year in college so there’s no reason for him to not improve in the NBA.
SHOWING PROMISE
Coby White 12ppg, 3red, 2ast
Had a big game in the Bulls first win of the season, dropping 28 points against the Grizzlies. He’s been very up and down and his minutes are fluctuating but there is plenty of potential for the Bulls to work with.
His defence and passing needs plenty of work but his outside shot and finishing around the rim has been better than expected. Consistency will come with time, Coby just needs to make sure he works hard to develop his game and improve upon some of those glaring weaknesses.
Brandon Clarke 10ppg, 5reb, 1.5blk
A slasher through and through, Clarke absolutely oozes potential. There was no doubting his intangibles but few expected him to be contributing so profoundly right from the start.
His ability to adapt to the league and contribute offensively has been a refreshing surprise and it’s hard not to get excited about his defensive potential. The young Grizzly is already a menace around the rim, leading all rookies in blocks and his athleticism is undeniably good.
Matisse Thybulle 1.5blk, 3stl
The hype is real. Thybulle defends better than any rookie in recent memory and man can he force a turnover. The 76er is a total menace for anyone trying to shoot or dribble anywhere near him and is currently one of the league leaders in steals (3gme). Now we knew he was good at defence and it’s nice to see the hype wasn’t unfounded.
However, his stroke isn’t pretty and needs lots of work as he’s shooting under 30% from deep and even worse from inside the arc. This will be what separate’s Thybulle from being solely a lockdown defender or a genuine two-way threat – he needs to be at least serviceable on offence to stay out there in crunch time.
There you have it, our early rookie insights. Let us know what you think and keep an eye-out for more rookie reports as the season progresses.
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