The Rookie Report: All Star Break Ranking

By Sam Littman

With All-Star weekend coming up, it’s only natural that the rookie report feature the cream of the 2011 crop as many prepare to represent their class against the league’s top sophomores. The most notable exclusions are swingmen Evan Turner and Wesley Johnson, the second and third picks in the draft, as a result of their very disappointing performance in relatively big minutes, as both have not only stuffed the stat sheet like they did in college, but their top notch intangibles are yet to make themselves apparent, either. They’ll have to work a little harder if they want to join this group.

1st Team

G – John WallJohn Wall
The Wizards’ talented young prospects have endured some pretty rough growing pains, and Wall has occasionally gotten to much flack.  Truth is, Wall hasn’t received nearly the acclaim he’s due: statistically speaking, Wall’s rookie year is very much on par with Chris Paul’s, and superior to that of Derrick Rose. Anyone that claims Wall will never be as good as Derrick Rose is simply wrong, as Wall is already finishing in the top ten in assists and steals, and has a great deal of room to grow as a scorer. Wall isn’t quite as strong but he’s just as quick and might even have an inch on him. It will be interesting to see how Wall grows as the young Wizards try to right the ship.

G – Landry Fields
Over the course of the last six months, Fields has gone from virtually unknown prospect to Spike Lee’s jersey of choice. Despite averaging 22.8 points and 8.8 rebounds at Stanford, and despite possessing perfect size for the swing, Fields was barely on anyone’s radar as the draft loomed. As a Knick, Fields has become the player that his production would project he would become, starting every game for a playoff team while taking home Rookie of the Month honors twice.

F – Blake Griffin
With LeBron now sharing the spotlight with Dwyane Wade, I don’t believe it would be outlandish to call the 21-year Griffin the most exciting player in today’s game. Averaging 22.8 points and 12.6 rebounds along with 3.5 assists, Griffin has established himself as the future of the power forward position, but more importantly has raised his teammates’ games, the measure of any great player. Griffin’s tireless play has reignited the fire in notoriously lazy point guard Baron Davis, while Eric Gordon has played at a near All-Star level.

F – Greg Monroe
The 2010 portion of the season wasn’t too kind to Monroe, who struggled mightily out of the gate, demonstrating a shyness on the block that led many scouts to question his effectiveness in the league. After initially validating their assertions, Monroe has spent 2011 proving them wrong. Monroe commenced the year with an awful November, in which he averaged 3.8 points and 4.9 rebounds; in January, the Georgetown product averaged 10.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and amazingly 1.7 steals while shooting 60% from the floor. A potential franchise big man, Monroe is still just 20 years old.

C -  DeMarcus Cousins
While Monroe’s improvement throughout the year might be the most impressive, Cousins has been the most newsworthy.  One of the most productive rookie centers of the last decade, Cousins averaged 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds in January, and is currently putting up 17.8 points and 11.3 rebounds in February, while improving his shooting from 38.9% in November to 46% in January. Cousins has almost singlehandedly won many games for the Kings, capping a sterling January with a dominant performance against Gasol and Bynum, going for 27 and 10 as the Kings upset the Lakers. When Cousins remembered to attack the basket rather than settle for ridiculous jumpers, the Kings finally saw the best in their franchise center.
 He has also been a constant disruption for the team, the latest being a physical altercation with teammate Donte Greene because he was upset that Greene inbounded the ball to Tyreke and not to him for the chance to take a game tying shot as time expired.  This was his 4th negative incident for him as a King and the first where he was forced to miss a game.  Cousins has all the talent in the world but ultimately it is his choice if he wants to be act as a professional or be a basketball vagabond as his talent will give him many second chances, but there are only so many chances a team, or a league can give before moving on.   

2nd Team

G – Eric Bledsoe
The most underrated performer in the month of November may well have been Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe, who averaged 10 points, 5.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals despite being just 20 and without much experience at the point (after dominating the ball in high school, Bledsoe played next to Wall at Kentucky). Bledsoe’s numbers tapered off after the return of Baron Davis, but his play in 2010 was enough to establish him as the second best point guard in his class, and the potential future floor general of Blake Griffin’s squad.

G – Gary Neal
The Spurs were undone by lack of consistent outside shooting in the 2010 playoffs, which has made 26-year old rook Gary Neal all the more indispensible. Playing just under 20 minutes per game for the league’s best team, Neal averaged 2 threes per game in December, as the Spurs went 13-2. Already an elite shooter, Neal is good for 10 points and a couple big shots a night, numbers that aren’t inflated by garbage team for a team with too many minutes to hand out. Neal has been key in his team’s unprecedented success, a claim that no other rookie can make.
Paul George
F –Paul George
The athletic swingman from Fresno State has been one of the most efficient rookies, averaging 8 points in 3.1 rebounds in just 18 minutes per game, and has become a key role player for a team that would make the playoffs if the season ended today. After receiving very little run in November and December, George averaged 9.1 points on 52.7% shooting, and his PER of 16.1 is second only to Blake among rookies playing at least 10 minutes a night.

F – Ed Davis
To the surprise of many, Davis’ strengths as a big man at North Carolina translated very smoothly to the NBA despite his lack of muscle and relative inexperience. The 21-year old power forward is already a defensive force, averaging 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 21.7 minutes. Davis has also demonstrated a variety of effective post moves, and is currently shooting a scorching 57.6% from the field. When he puts on ten more pounds and becomes more assertive on offense, Davis might challenge DeMar DeRozan as the face of the franchise, considering the league’s lack of big men who can both score and defend.

F – Derrick Favors
The teenage rookie from Georgia Tech is always the youngest player on the court, has dealt with blaring trade talk and a ton of blowouts, and is still a very productive player when he gets minutes. Favors possesses that coveted combination of size, strength and athleticism, playing a fluid style that suggests he could one day blossom into a dominant power forward. Currently shooting 52.1% from the floor (compare to Cousins 43.8% clip), Favors is finally starting to become a major factor on the defensive end, as evidenced by better shot-blocking numbers and an authoritative 14-rebound performance against the Knicks.