Matt graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in May of 2007 majoring in TV Production. Matt is currently a writer at StaticMultimedia.com, TheBleacherReport.com, NationalSportsNation.com, SportsMixed.com, FanFever.com, Filmcatcher.com, 2 Much Swag, and TheHoopDoctors.com. Matt will provide you with insightful wit and an eager eye for sports.
Nearly a month into the NBA season we wanted to evaluate how the Class of 2009 is producing. Without Blake Griffin this has been a good class with some surprises and, as always, a few disappointments. When BG returns, the list will change, and so will the NBA.
Brandon Jennings has set the NBA on fire averaging nearly 25 PPG, good for 9th in the NBA. The names ahead of Jennings on the scoring list are the best players in the world and “Young Money” is quickly becoming a household name. Is he better than Derrick Rose? The numbers suggest he is.
Tyreke Evans is the best player on an emerging young team. ‘Reke’s 17 PPG is good for second among rookies and his 1.5 SPG is the best among his classmates. He has a great all around game (17 PPG, 4 RPG, 4 APG, 1.5 SPG) and he will cut his turnovers down as he matures. The Kings will be a force as early as next season.
Terrence Williams is getting a lot of playing time due to Devin Harris’ injury but with the way TWill has played in the All Star’s absence, he will not see a decrease in minutes when Harris comes back. The rookie from The ‘Ville started 4th on the our preseason ROY Rankings and has moved up one slot as he has averaged 10 PPG, 6 RPG, and 2 APG. His FG% is terrible and he turns the ball over a lot but Williams is going to be a solid NBA player.
Stephen Curry has impressed everyone including Head Coach Don Nelson. Nelly has surprisingly handed the keys to the offense over to Curry as he is averaging nearly 30 MPG. He was a scorer in college but Curry has become a better ball player as his 5 APG suggest. Curry started out at 6th in the preseason ROY Rankings and he has moved up due to his 9 PPG, 5 APG, 2 RPG, and 1.4 SPG. Among rookies Curry is 3rd in A/TO ratio (the most important stat in the NBA).
Ty Lawson is near the top in everyone’s rookie rankings and 5th might be a little low but Lawson will likely continue to ascend nearly to the top. Lawson will likely not win the ROY but he will always be in the picture and his A/TO ratio is good for 2nd among rookies and in the top 25 in the NBA.
Jonny Flynn should not have been drafted ahead of Brandon Jennings but who knows what Minnesota is ever doing. Flynn started 9th in our preseason ROY Rankings and is a productive PG but he relies on his scoring too much. His PPG should go down and APG go up when Kevin Love returns and Flynn is 6th in the NBA in turnovers and has a dreadful A/TO ratio. Clearly he needs to become more of a true PG and not a scoring PG to be considered a valuable player.
Chase Budinger was the steal of the 2009 NBA Draft, sorry DeJuan. We thought he was a first round pick last season and he is currently playing like one. Budinger was NR on our preseason ROY Rankings but the 2nd round pick out of ‘Zona has produced (8 PPG, 3 RPG, and 1 APG) and is barely seeing ample minutes (18 MPG) for a playoff team.
DeJuan Blair was everyone’s favorite “steal of the draft” and we predicted Blair would average 4 PPG and 4 RPG. Unranked on our preseason ROY Rankings, Blair is now ranked 8th and it is because he is producing (6 PPG and 6 RPG) in limited minutes. Blair will not win the ROY this season and when Blake Griffin makes his anticipated return, he might be off the list.
Taj Gibson plays like a ten-year vet and is surprising a lot of people around the NBA with his defensive abilities and basketball IQ. Already better and cheaper than Tyrus Thomas, Gibson is making the Bulls decision to let Thomas go much easier. Taj defends extremely well for a rookie as he leads all rookies in BPG, is 4th in RPG, and is 6th in SPG.
Omri Casspi was the 5th NR on our preseason ROY Rankings and the 21 year old from Israel has a nice complete game. He can bang down low, defend, rebound, and stroke the three as his 45% 3PT% suggests. He is averaging 8 PPG, 3 RPG, but has more TOs than assists. He is a good smart player but when Blake Griffin comes back you can kiss Casspi goodbye from the ROY Rankings.
Honorable Mention
James Harden was the 3rd pick overall and has not done much but he scored a career high 24 against the Magic in a blowout loss. His A/TO ratio is sparkling at 2.8/1, good for 14th in the NBA.
Wesley Matthews went undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft but he has averaged 7 PPG for an injury plagued Utah Jazz team.
Toney Douglas has put up good scoring numbers this season and is 7th among rookies at nearly 9 PPG.
DeMarre Carroll was a late first round pick by the Grizzlies and the rookie from Mizzou ha shown a little bit of game in limited minutes (5 PPG and 3 RPG).
DeMar DeRozan was NR on our preseason ROY Rankings and we received a lot of messages how dumb we were for that. Well, guess who was right?
Blake Griffin will return in a little over the month and will drastically improve the Clippers chances of making the playoffs.
Matt Anaya
Twitter.com/ShmattShmanaya
