With the NBA season now roughly at the midway point, we are starting to get a better glimpse of just which rookies will be players going forward. After all the college season lasts approximately 30-40 games if you consider post-season play. Right about now is when these players muscles will start to burn and we consequentially begin to see their production slide.
While in our initial December NBA Rookie of the Year Rankings, it was nearly a toss-up between Washington’s John Wall and LA Clippers’ Blake Griffin as to who the front-runner really was, Griffin has clearly distanced himself from the entire field.
Wall now needs to be concerned with players like New York’s Landry Fields, Detroit’s Greg Monroe, and Sacramento’s Demarcus Cousins who are coming on strong as of late. Also many fresh faces have been playing well in the new calendar year like Cleveland’s Manny Harris, Toronto’s Ed Davis, and Memphis’ Greivis Vasquez with increased playing time.
Check out our January 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year Rankings:
1) Blake Griffin
LA Clippers
22.8 ppg, 12.9 rebs, 3.5 ast, .522 FG%, .617 FT%
2009 Draft – #1 Pick
Previous: 1
Not only is Griffin a ROY candidate but I would consider him an All Star behind his outstanding production in this, his rookie season. Blake ranks 2nd among all players to only Minnesota’s Kevin Love in double-doubles and leads all rookies in ppg, rebounding, and is 2nd in FG%. His all around game is developing before our eyes as he has shown the ability to score in a variety of ways besides just dunking like his devastating spin move, baby hook, and soft touch on his jumpers. He has scored in double figures in every game this season, including a league high 47 points vs. Indiana on January 17th. His mounting rebounding numbers are equally impressive as he has grabbed 10+ boards in every game but one since Thanksgiving. Blake is averaging an amazing 28.5 ppg, 14.5 rebs, and 5 ast over his last 3 contests.
2) John Wall
Washington Wizards
15.1 ppg, 9.2 ast, 3.8 rebs, 1.8 stl, .400 FG%, .303 3 PT%, .786 FT%
2010 Draft – #1 Pick
Previous: 2
While this year’s #1 overall pick has struggled through injuries and turnover problems in his rookie season, the future looks bright. After all, Wall ranks 2nd behind only the great Blake Griffin in scoring, leads all rookies in assists and steals per game. In any other year Wall probably would rank #1 but mainly because of those nagging injuries has been in a mini slump in the month of January and has fallen back towards the field among rookies. He has proven to have the ability not only as just a scoring point guard but continually gets others involved, as evidence of ranking 4th overall among all NBA players in assists per game. Over the last 7 games Wall is again hitting his stride, scoring in double figures in 6 of 7, while dropping 10+ assists in 4 of those contests. One other area of concern is that although John has an impressive statline, those gaudy numbers have yet to translate into wins for the Wizards.
3) Landry Fields
NY Knicks
9.9 ppg, 7.1 rebs, 1.8 ast, 1.1 stl, .517 FG%, .383 3PT%, .756 FT%
2010 Draft – #39 Pick
Previous: 3
Although his overall numbers have tailed off a bit as of late, a lot of what Landry brings to the table doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet. If you ever watch a Knicks game you will come away amazad at his basketball IQ, seemingly always in the right place at the right time. Even though he has scored in double figures in only 2 of his last 7 games, Fields still ranks 4th among rookies in scoring, 3rd in rebounding, and 3rd in FG%. I know everyone keeps saying it but it still amazes me just how good a player he is considering he was a 2nd round pick. I’m not the only one as Knicks GM Donnie Nelson has gone on the record as already comparing him to Celtics great John Havilcek. Time will tell.
4) Demarcus Cousins
Sacramento Kings
13 ppg, 7.7 rebs, 1.7 ast, 1 blk, .423 FG%, .661 FT%
2010 Draft – #5 Pick
Previous: 4
DMC has made the biggest jump among rookies this month as he has kept his emotions in check(for the most part), letting his immense natural abilities that made him the best big man in college shine through. Cousins is still at times inconsistent but has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 games, including 6 games of 20+ points. He also has notched 3 double digit rebound games during the same stretch, including a 21 point, 16 rebound gem against Memphis on December 29th. Despite his immense size, Demarcus will never be a great shot blocker and still connects on a below average FG% but if his head remains straight, he may very well be on his way to becoming the dominant big man we thought he could be. Over the last 3 games, Demarcus is averaging 16.7 points and 8.7 rebounds.
5) Eric Bledsoe
LA Clippers
6.7 ppg, 4 ast, 3 rebs, 1 stl, .419 FG%, .286 3PT%, .793 FT%
2010 Draft – #18 Pick
Previous: 7
Along with Baron Davis’ return to the Clippers starting lineup from injury, Eric’s playing time has diminished and consequentially so has his production. Considering he has only been playing roughly 17 minutes per contest, he still has been outstanding dishing the rock, averaging more than 8 assists per 48 minutes. I know what you are thinking. Even I would have outstanding assist numbers dishing to Blake Griffin but Bledsoe is committing 2 turnovers or less in 9 of 10 contests this month alone. I guess you’d call it making the most out of what he is given. Eric ranks 2nd to Wall in assists, 6th in steals, and 10th in scoring among rookies.
6) Greg Monroe
Detroit Pistons
6.4 ppg, 6 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, .495 FG%, .554 FT%
2010 Draft – #7 Pick
Previous: NR
After struggling at first to both, find playing time and his consistency, the former Georgetown big man has been one of the few lone bright spots this season in Detroit. He has really come on as of late, reaching double figures in scoring in 8 of 10 games, including a stretch of 8 straight. During that stretch, he also has grabbed 10+ boards in 5 contests. But what is most impressive is his effort and production on the defensive end, as he has snatched 2 or more steals in 7 of his last 10 games, using his long wingspan to clog the passing lanes from inside the paint. Greg has also found his shooting stroke, connecting on 60% of his shots in the month of January. He currently ranks 4th in rebounding, 10th in scoring, and 2nd in steals among rookies. Over his last 4 games, he is averaging 13.3 ppg, 8.5 rebs, and 2.8 stls.
7) Evan Turner
Philadelphia 76ers
7.1 ppg, 4.4 rebs, 1.8 ast, .395 FG%, .310 3 PT%, .782 FT%
2010 Draft – #2 Pick
Previous: 5
It has been a mixed bag for Evan during his rookie campaign in Philly. When he plays valuable minutes, he provides a decent contribution filling up the stat sheet. But on far too many occasions(8 times to be exact), he has played in 15 minutes or less. Not to criticize Doug Collins but the situation is unacceptable. The guy was the National Player of the Year in college and a coach cannot find minutes for him? True Evan has struggled with his shooting percentage and has yet to expand his range to the 3 point arc, but the Sixers aren’t going anywhere, and what does it hurt to let Turner learn on the fly? While Iguodala was out with the Achillies injury, Evan scored in double figures in 4 of 7 games, including a season high 23 pts against Phoenix. Evan has fallen to 6th in both scoring and rebounding and 7th in steals among rookies.
8 ) Wes Johnson
Minnesota Timberwolves
8.7 ppg, 2.8 rebs, 2 ast, .429 FG%, .383 3PT%, .682 FT%
2010 Draft – #4 Pick
Previous: 6
While no one expected Johnson to be an impact player from day one, he appears to have hit the rookie wall recently as he has scored a total of 26 points over the past 6 games, including two scoreless contests. In fact, since a 24 point outburst on December 27th, Wes has been horrific, hitting double figures in only 2 games. He is struggling to get to the free throw line, taking only 7 attempts in January. Seemingly the only area of his game which hasn’t fallen off is his 3 point proficiency, where he is connecting on nearly 40% of treys this month. With that being said, he still ranks 4th in scoring and 3rd in 3 point percentage among rookies. Surely the Wolves hope the best is yet to come rather than we’ve already seen the best from Johnson.
9) Gary Neal
San Antonio Spurs
8.7 ppg, 2.6 rebs, 1 ast, .416 FG%, .399 3 PT%, .824 FT%
2010 Draft – Undrafted
Previous: NR
The San Antonio Spurs are getting timely contributions from the 26 year old rookie, as he has proved invaluable from the perimeter off the bench. Neal has been a key contributor on coach Popovich’s 2nd unit, providing scoring and rebounding from the guard position. His 3 point shooting has been at times spectacular, connecting on nearly 40%, and making a trey in 14 straight contests. He has averaged 10.7 ppg, 3.7 rebs, and made 55% from behind the arc over his last 3 games, prompting his coach to give him 25 or more minute of PT in 3 of his last 5 games. Neal leads all rookies in 3 point shooting, 5th in scoring, and 1st in FT percentage.
10) Ed Davis
Toronto Raptors
6.2 ppg, 6.2 rebs, 1 blk, .567 FG%, .561 FT%
2010 Draft – #13 Pick
Previous: NR
Seemingly coming out of nowhere, the product of North Carolina has been tearing it up lately, averaging 10 ppg, 9 rebs, and 1.5 blocks over his last 5 games while getting extended minutes. This is a far cry from the early portion of the season when Davis failed to reach double figures in scoring in 17 of 21 games to begin the year. The 6‘10, 215 lb Davis was a shot blocker at UNC, and has begun to show that skill on the NBA level by swatting 2 or more shots in 6 of 10 contests as well. Davis ranks 5th in rebounding, 9th in scoring, and 1st in FG% among rookies.
Next 5:
Paul George, Indiana Pacers – 6 ppg, 2.8 rebs, 1 stl, .458 FG%, .318 3 PT%, .857 FT%
Derrick Favors, NJ Nets – 6.6 ppg, 4.9 rebs, .556 FG%, .602 FT%
Al Farouq-Aminu, LA Clippers – 6.7 ppg, 3.5 rebs, 1 stl, .419 FG%, .376 3 PT%, .717 FT%
Manny Harris, Cleveland Cavaliers – 6 ppg, 2.7 rebs, 1.7 ast, .364 3Pt %, .811 FT%
Christian Eyenga, Cleveland Cavaliers – 7.4 ppg, 3.4 rebs, 1 ast, .440 FG%, .833 FT%
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
