The NBA is more than ever a young man’s league. We are seeing players barely over the age of 21 leading teams to playoff runs, and become the foundations of mid-range contending teams (see. Kristaps Porzingis, Giannis Antetokounmpo). Young men have become the foundation of this superstar league, and with that drafting becomes evermore important. Picking a solid NBAer is certainly a talent only some people have while drafting a bust has become far too easy to do (see. Andrew Bennett, Greg Oden). We currently have a very talented rookie roster this year, from big personalities (Lavar’s son) to surprise fallers in the draft (Kyle Kuzma) to the elder statesmen of the class (Ben Simmons).
To begin, I decided five rookies was not enough of the class to fit some high-profile rookies, so I have placed below a few words for players that didn’t make the Top 5, and maybe give a reason why.
Outside of the Top 5:
Lonzo Ball (C-)
Despite his hype, Lonzo Ball falls outside of our top 5.
Classic Lakers. Leave it to Los Angeles to be able to hype a player more than ever – maybe Magic Johnson and Lavar Ball are a marketing match made in heaven after all. Lonzo can’t shoot, don’t get it twisted. He has lost all confidence in his shot and doesn’t look NBA ready. Being the youngest player to record a triple-double won’t hide that. It’s silly to think he’d make the top 5, he’s not even the best rookie on the Lakers right now.
Lauri Markkanen (B)
I had a very tough time deciding between Markkanen and Fox. Markannen looks like a Porzingis-type player, he can stretch the floor, score around the rim, and should be the starter in the Chicago lineup all year. Although a superb player thus far, any 7-footer has significant worries in terms of injury (see. Ankle, November 12th, 2017). Also, he started off very strong, but over the last 5 games has dipped in efficiency.
Donovan Mitchell (B-)
I’m just not completely sold just yet. Mitchell has looked like one of the greatest steals in the draft (similarly to Kyle Kuzma/OG Anunoby). A small guard who can create his own shot, I can’t seem to figure out where he slots as a pro. He’s a 6’3 shooting guard, way undersized for the position, but doesn’t have quite the playmaking ability to be a point guard. He can certainly score, but I need to see more before I can commit.
Footnotes…
- Markelle Fultz hasn’t played enough to really assess him, but his shot is weird, to say the least…
- Josh Jackson hasn’t looked great, then again nothing about the Suns really has…
- Malik Monk has been disappointing so far, I expected bigger things on such a bad team…
- Frank Ntlikina has looked okay, But LeBron was right – the Knicks made a mistake…
- Milos Teodosic is the oldest rookie and quickly got hurt. Too small of sample size to assess…
Moving to the Top 5, there may be a few surprises, but throughout the season these players were graded based on basic and advanced stats, as well as NBA-readiness and the “eye test”, essentially, how do they look as an NBAer. Without Further ado, number five…
#5 – De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings, (B)
At the beginning of the season, I truly thought Fox was the third best rookie, and although mildly inaccurate on that testament, it wasn’t far off. Fox has looked like a formidable slasher thus far, while his playmaking ability has certainly been present. He has averaged 11.9 points and 5.2 assists, certainly nothing to shy away from on a team like the Sacramento Kings who are notorious for scaring or pushing away point guards (Remember when Isaiah Thomas was a King). Fox is arguably the second-best slasher of the class and has some qualities similar to James Harden. I’m not saying he’s the next Harden, but the skill sets are similar. He can slash, pass the ball, and can take a game over. Some may point to his bad shooting from three thus far, but he is shooting the three which is most important. He has the confidence to take the shot as he knows he can, eventually they’ll start to fall.
#4 – Kyle Kuzma, Los Angeles Lakers, (B+)
The B+ grade is a grade on his performance overall, not based on his draft placement. If that were the case, Kuzma would be the most valuable player for his pick this year, easily. Kuzma is currently second in rookie points per game (15.2) and has looked like an NBA player in almost every single game. He is probably the best off-ball player on this list, as he doesn’t need the ball in his hand to make a play. He is a superb ballhandler at 6-foot-9, and can shoot fairly well too. He can be put at multiple positions, and has proved he is the best Laker rookie this year. His ceiling as a player is likely lower than that of other young players in the Lakers system like Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball, he is the most NBA-ready of the group and could be a #3 scoring option on a future championship team. He is proving that maybe the one-and-done format isn’t the ideal format for all players.
#3 – Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics, (B+)
Danny Ainge continues to surprise. He got the player he wanted at the third draft spot, instead of the first, and he fits the Celtics perfectly. He can guard multiple positions, can create his own shot, and frankly, looks like the most NBA-ready player of any rookie (excluding Ben Simmons). Where many of the other rookies have had a learning curve in terms of the physicality of the professional game, Tatum has kept up and surpassed my expectations this season. He has shown he can play on- and off-ball defense fairly well too as he has shown to be a decent rebounder. The most accurate assessment of Tatum is to say that he is good at everything on the floor, just isn’t superb at any particular skill – hence a grade of B+. If he improves his driving or his range or literally any aspect to star-level, he could be a force to be reckoned with.
#2 – Dennis Smith Jr., Dallas Mavericks, (A-)
The media has had a field day with talking about what a surprise Smith Jr has been. Smith was my personal favourite for ROTY coming into the year, and it appears LeBron James holds similar company. I had the benefit of seeing Smith Jr at a game for NC State and was blown away. He has tremendous ballhandling ability, and has probably the fastest first step of all the rookies. He has a good outside shot, and can not only score but can pass – to a tune of about 5 assists a game so far. He is averaging 14.2 points on 40% shooting. That’s not a terrific percentage, but a third of his 14.8 shots per game come from three, where his shots haven’t been falling yet. He is taking the shots, so the confidence is certainly there, they just haven’t fallen yet, they will. He was a steal for the Mavs at ninth overall, and they should be able to capitalize on having a true #1 point guard for years to come.
#1 – Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers, (A)
What is there left to be said about Simmons? He’s easily the most talented rookie of the class, and is leading in practically every category. He is leading rookies in points per game (17.4), and is almost averaging a triple-double with 9 RPG and 7.8 APG. He can guard four positions on defense and has the handles and playmaking ability of a point guard eight inches shorter than him. His post-up game has looked good. There are only two weaknesses for him going forward: Firstly, he’s not a great shooter. He has a great mid-range, but can’t shoot three’s – a major component of the game these days. Secondly, some may still be worrying about his injury woes. After missing all of last season with injury, some may be unsure on his health moving forward. Simmons is the crop of this class, proving he is unmatched thus far as a rookie, and possesses such a diverse skill-set that one could argue he may even be an all-star this year. He has truly shown why the Sixers made a mistake drafting Markelle Fultz as they don’t need a primary playmaker – they already had it. Ben Simmons is proving that everyone else is currently fighting for second-place in ROTY voting.
