With the NBA season now hitting the homestretch with nary a month to go before the post-season, this year’s talented crop of rookies are either hitting the rookie wall or taking their game to a new level. Even though not many of these young ballers will get to taste the Playoffs in their first season because of playing on some pretty bad teams, their games are kicking into overdrive.
Not a lot has changed at the top from our last ROY Rankings, where players like Blake Griffin, John Wall, and Landry Fields ruled the rankings but a number of players are definitely on the rise like Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins and Toronto’s Ed Davis, who seem to be getting their 2nd wind.
Other players like Philadelphia’s Evan Turner and Minnesota’s Wes Johnson continue to puzzle fans with their up and down play. Can they rebound over the final month of the regular season or will they become NBA Draft busts?
Check out our March 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year Rankings:
1) Blake Griffin
LA Clippers
22.3 ppg, 12.1 reb, 3.6 ast, .503 FG%, 54 Double-Doubles
2009 Draft – #1 Pick
Previous: 1
Even though his stats have dipped a bit during the month of March(17 ppg, 10 reb), Blake has already done enough to take home the award as he projects as one of the NBA’s brightest young superstars. Earning an All Star berth, along with winning the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest by jumping over a car may give him some votes, but his overall skill set is what sets him apart from the rest of his rookie peers. His combination of power, speed, athleticism, and soft hands make him a talent that comes along only once in a 20 year period. Case in point his recent 30 point, 8 rebound, and 8 assist effort against the Cavs. His 54 double-doubles not only lead all rookies, they rank 3rd in the entire league behind Kevin Love and Dwight Howard.
2) John Wall
Washington Wizards
15.8 ppg, 8.7 ast, 4.6 reb, 1.6 stl, .313 3PT%, 23 Double-Doubles
2010 Draft – #1 Pick
Previous: 2
While Griffin may have grazed the “Rookie Wall”, John Wall has quietly improved his game to arguably All star caliber levels. From December(13.9 ppg), Wall has upped his production to an improved January(16.5 ppg), to now lofty standards in the month of March(17.5 ppg). I’ll argue that if it wasn’t for Griffin getting hurt prior to last season, we would be crowing about Wall’s outstanding play instead. While he still struggles at times with turnovers(3.8 per/gm) and a shaky shot selection, he like Blake are the two stand-out players in this year’s rookie crop. His 8.7 assists per game average leads all rookies and ranks 6th in the entire Association, while his 23 double-doubles rank 4th among rookies and 7th among all NBA guards.
3) DeMarcus Cousins
Sacramento Kings
14.3 ppg, 8.7 reb, 2.2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 22 Double-Doubles
2010 Draft – #5 Pick
Previous: 4
After some early season drama involving feuds with the coaching staff and several signs of immaturity, DMC is showing sings of becoming a very good NBA player behind some pretty gaudy numbers(7 double-doubles) in the month of March, including marks of 18.5 ppg and 9.2 rebounds over the past 2 weeks. He set a new career high of 29 points playing opposite Dwight Howard and the Magic on March 9th and has now hit double figures in rebounds in 24 games this season. Unfortunately, Cousins’ outstanding play hasn’t translated into many wins for the Kings as they have dropped 8 of 9 contests in March, but it’s hardly his fault.
4) Landry Fields
NY Knicks
10.2 ppg, 6.7 reb, 2 ast, 1.1 stl, .513 FG%, .413 3PT%, 11 Double-Doubles
2010 Draft – #39 Pick
Previous: 3
Considering that Coach D’Antoni doesn’t really run any offensive sets for the fabulous rookie out of Stanford, and that he has slipped even further down the pecking order when looking for shots in NY now that Melo is in the fold, Landry is having a truly outstanding rookie campaign. He continues to rank not only as the best shooter among all rookies but ranks only percentage points behind San Antonio’s Tony Parker among the entire league’s best at the guard position. And while the Knicks continue to figure out just how the Stat and Melo conglomerate will work out, Fields is as steady as can be, notching 6 double digit scoring games in the month.
5) Greg Monroe
Detroit Pistons
8.8 ppg, 7 reb, 1.1 stl, .546 FG%, 15 Double-Doubles
2010 Draft – #7 Pick
Previous: 6
Ever since mid February, it seems as if the former Georgetown big man has flipped a light switch to “on” when it come to his floor game. Although I doubt he he will ever be a shot-blocking, game-dominating, classic power forward/center, Monroe has given stability to the Pistons front-court, an area they have been sorely lacking in prior. Greg has notched double-doubles in 3 of his last 5 games, including a 21 point, 10 board, 5 assist night against Toronto. Over that period, he has averaged 13 ppg, 7.5 rebounds, and an impressive 3 assists per contest. Much improved has been his shooting as he has shot over 60% from the field and even made 14 of 22 FT attempts(.660%) during the month, which is dramatically higher than his .581 FT% on the season.
6) Gary Neal
San Antonio Spurs
9.5 ppg, 2.5 reb, .411 3 PT%, .809 FT%
2010 Draft – Undrafted
Previous: 9
Despite having his double digit scoring streak snapped at 10 games earlier in the month, Neal continues to impress as an undrafted sharpshooter for the Spurs. Gary rebounded well after scoring only 6 points against Sacramento by putting up 15 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds in only 24 minutes in his most recent game against Charlotte. He ranks 2nd, only percentage points behind Landry Fields, among rookies in 3 point shooting and has 33 double digit scoring games this season.
7) Evan Turner
Philadelphia 76ers
7.3 ppg, 4.1 reb, 2 ast, .813 FT%, 2 Double-Doubles
2010 Draft – #2 Pick
Previous: 7
Is last year’s NCAA POY drifting closer and closer to bust status or is he not being given playing time to develop? I think it is a little of both as Turner has both impressed and disappointed with his lack of assertiveness when actually on the court. Of course, there is the good: 20 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals vs the Warriors, to go with the bad: 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 for 2 shooting, in only 10 minutes of playing times vs LA Clippers. Which is the real Turner? My guess is that we will finally get a chance to see as Andre Iguodala sits a number of games down the stretch with tendonitis. Evan averaged nearly 17 ppg, 6 reb, and 5 assists during an 8 game stretch when Iggy was out earlier in the season.
8 ) Eric Bledsoe
LA Clippers
7.2 ppg, 3.8 ast, 3 reb, 1.1 stl, .424 FG%
2010 Draft – #18 Pick
Previous: 5
When given the opportunity, Eric has shown flashes of one day becoming a very capable floor general. The problem is, besides too many turnovers, is that he seems to always be playing behind somebody. When Baron Davis was shipped to Cleveland, I thought Bledsoe would finally be given his shot, until the Clips got back former Lebron James side-kick Mo Williams to run the point. Playing in only 24 mins/game, he has notched two 20+ point games and 4 double digit scoring games this month. He ranks 2nd among all rookies in assists per game and leads all rookies in steals. With consistent playing time, Bledsoe is capable of making a big time contribution.
9) Ed Davis
Toronto Raptors
6.8 ppg, 6.8 reb, 1.1 blk, .591 FG%, 7 Double-Doubles
2010 Draft – #13 Pick
Previous: 10
The question of just how good a season Davis could have had if he didn’t miss a chunk of the early season due to a knee injury comes to mind. I originally thought of putting Davis as high as #7 until his recent slump of scoring only 12 points and grabbing 15 rebounds over his last 3 games. Prior to that disaster, Davis was impressive in March, averaging 10.6 ppg, 7 rebounds, and nearly 2 blocks per contest in the month, including setting a career high in rebounds, with 15 boards against the NJ Nets. With his 7 double-doubles, he ranks 6th among all rookies, right behind Landry Fields, all by playing in only 51 games this season.
10) Wes Johnson
Minnesota Timberwolves
9.3 ppg, 3 reb, 2 ast, .355 3PT%
2010 Draft – #4 Pick
Previous: 8
The precipitous fall-off of former Syracuse stat-stuffer continues as he hangs on by a thread in our most recent rankings. He does still rank 5th in scoring and 3rd in 3 point shooting among rookies, he has had a widely inconsistent March as he has either been held to single digits(5 times) or scored 20+ points(2 times) in the 8 games played. Wes did set a new career high in points with his 29 points vs the Lakers but continues to disappoint with his inconsistent play. Could a spot on Coach Rambis’ bench be in the future?
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.
