As the NBA season kicked off, we broke down three rookies and how they looked in terms of the rookie of the year race. A few weeks into the shortened season it is time to reevaluate how the youngsters are looking.
Jimmer Fredette
Jimmer is starting to heat up for the Kings. He isn’t starting yet, but he is proving his worth off of the bench. While averaging 10.2 points in 25 minutes per game, he is truly becoming one of the most popular reserve players in the league. The fans in Sacramento love him. No, he doesn’t have the star power of Tim Tebow, but his religious beliefs and character are making him a star in Sac-Town.
Jimmer may be a fan favorite but he is not close to winning the ROY race. He is not in the top five and will need to bust into the stating lineup and increase his scoring per night to climb in the ranks. One thing that is on his side is that the Kings aren’t very good. They are going to lose a lot of games and his progression is important. This equals more PT in the future.
Kyrie Irving
When we posted the original post I stated ” Of this class, he is the player who is the most ready to play. Expect big things out of Irving this year. He will be a borderline all star and will run away with the year’s award.”
I stand by that statement as Kyrie is making my pick look like an intelligent one. He is averaging 14.6 points per game in 25.8 minutes per game. He has a 5.6-2 assist-turnover ration and being used exactly how we envisioned. He may have only played eleven games in college but he is starting to prove that he didn’t need another year at Duke. On NBA.com’s Rookie Ladder, Kyrie is ranked number one and is being called the rookie to beat.
Ricky Rubio
In our preview we compared Rubio to a Spanish Bigfoot. We said that if the myth proves true then he can be a solid player in this league. Folks that is exactly what is happening right before our very eyes. Rubio is playing and playing well. He is more than living up to the hype thus far as he is is only scoring 8.8 per game but his passing is more than making up for it. Rubio is the best passer on his team and many are starting to buy into the hype.
Surprisingly Rubio is having a very good start to the young NBA season. While rookies like Kemba Walker and Brandon Knight struggle, Ricky is making the most of his time on the court.
On NBA.com’s Rookie Ladder Rubio is second only to Kyrie in the ROY race. A surprising result to many that certainly doubted the Spanish prospect.
Where are the other guys?
Marshon Brooks – Brooks is proving to be a true scorer but his defense is suspect. It needs improvement fast. Second to Kyrie in the rookie scoring lead, he needs to focus more on defense to get more PT.
Norris Cole – Cole was on no one’s radar to win the ROY. Lets be honest, it is almost impossible for him to be a star on this team. However, the Heat need role players and that is exactly what Cole can be. Cole is 3rd in terms of rookie scoring and could benefit from blow outs compliments of LBJ and crew.
Kemba Walker-Kemba, Kemba, Kemba… You single handedly lifted the Huskies to an NCAA title, but the consistency showed in D1 just isn’t there yet. He is overshadowed by a more seasoned DJ Augustin and his hopes of competing for the ROY award is starting to be questioned.
We will check back in in a few weeks to see how well the guys are playing and up date you on your favorite rookie in their quest to become the NBA’s Rookie of the Year.