The NBA regular season is in the books and the play-in race is in full swing. So let’s take one last look at this season’s impressive crop of freshmen and see which rookie has been the best performed over the past month.
One of the best/worst parts of the last days of the NBA regular season is seeing extended minutes given to the more unheralded freshmen. The worst teams in the league, tanking with ping pong balls in mind, start to see what they have in that athletic mid 2nd round wing. The best teams, assuming they’re not jousting for seeding, start to rest their stars lest they pick up a last minute injury.
Sure, they’re not the cream of the rookie crop, but it’s fun nonetheless.
So let’s see who sits atop the Vendetta Sports Rookie Rankings over the past month.
(For clarification, these rankings only take into account play since our last rankings in mid March)
1. Cade Cunningham – Detroit Pistons (LR: 1)
Cunningham’s slow and injury interrupted start to his rookie year has long been forgotten. The back half of the 1st overall picks season has been magnificent. It’s perhaps not enough to win him the Rookie of the Year award in a truly stacked field (this writer has him tabbed to finish 3rd in that race) but it does bode well for the future of the Pistons, who surely will get another choice lottery talent to put alongside Cunningham, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart.
Cunningham continues to post big numbers: 25 points and seven assists against Portland; 27 and six with four steals versus Philly; a gem of a 34 point performance against the Nets.
Through March Cunningham posted a nightly 22.9 points, seven assists and 5.9 boards. He joined Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only rookies in NBA history to hit those heights over a calendar month.
The stats look great, the eye test looks even better.
As he gets more reps, Cunningham looks more and more comfortable as an NBA lead guard. Cade’s patience and subtle changes of pace, his manipulation of away from the ball defences – it’s all occurring at a high level. A higher level than is appropriate for a young man who doesn’t turn 21 until late September.
He won’t be the Rookie of the Year, though multiple All NBA appearances are definitely in Cunningham’s future. He’s the real deal.
2. Jalen Green – Houston Rockets (Last Ranking: 4)
The late, great Freddie Mercury – whose band this writer is absolutely certain Jalen Green does not listen to – once asked: Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Rockets fans might be asking themselves the exact same questions given Green’s play over the past seven weeks, compared to that of the first few months of the season. Is this uber athletic, efficient three-level scorer for real? Or does the real Green more resemble the wasteful chucker that we saw at the beginning of the season?
| PPG | RPG | APG | TO | 3P FG | FG% | 3P% | |
| Pre All-Star | 14.6 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 38.7 | 31.3 |
| Post All-Star | 22.1 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 47.6 | 38.7 |
Since the All-Star break, the game appears to have slowed down for the Rockets rookie. Whereas he would once rush into a pick and roll set, Green is now taking a beat to survey what’s in front of him. Combined with a handle that has tightened considerably from opening day to now, and Green’s command of the play is looking impressive. That new found confidence has carried over to Green’s jump shot, where his accuracy and fluency both off the catch and off the dribble have improved out of sight.
To be clear, Green is still an abomination defensively, despite the odd highlight play that comes with somebody of his remarkable athleticism. He will improve in that area, but by how much. And does it matter? This writer tabbed Green early as a player that might one day lead the NBA in scoring. If he reaches that level of offensive weapon, his defensive shortcoming will be easier to mask.
3. Scottie Barnes – Toronto Raptors (LR: 3)
This writer is still wavering on his (sadly, non-existent) vote for Rookie of the Year, but it is, without doubt, a race in two: Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes.
Barnes, lest we forget the surprise 5th pick in the draft (as always, Trust in Masai), came into the league with expectations as a versatile and potentially stifling defensive presence. What wasn’t anticipated was Barnes’ well rounded offensive skill set.
The 20 year old out of Florida State averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks. Each of those figures – along with field goals made and minutes played – rank in the top five among rookies. That is a case for Rookie of the Year if there ever was one.
The only area Barnes struggles is his outside jump shot. Barnes had made less than a three per game, connecting at just 30.1% from deep. Barnes wasn’t expected to be a prolific shooter coming into the league. Over the past month he is, at least, shooting the three with more regularity and confidence. He’s not knocking them down yet, but his confidence in taking them is a positive sign.
Barnes’ basketball IQ is off the charts and perhaps best demonstrated in his offensive rebounding. His elusiveness in avoiding a box-out is one of the primary reasons that the Raptors rank 2nd in the league in second chance points.
4. Nah’shon Hyland (LR: Re-entry)
For all the undoubted brilliance of Nikola Jokic, the production of Nah’Shon ‘Bones’ Hyland off the bench has proven a huge influence in keeping the Nuggets afloat.
Since our last check in Bones has upped his scoring to 14.3 points per game and assists to 4.3 a night, impressively only turning the ball over 1.6 times per contest. Hyland is absolutely fearless, somewhat in the mold of the absent Jamal Murray in his shot making an ball handling. His ability to create a somewhat reasonable facsimile of Murray’s game has given Denver (read: Jokic) another weapon as they head into the playoffs.
The rookie was white hot from deep as this rankings period began before falling off. If he can find his stroke then Jokic and the Nuggets are capable of pulling a first round upset.
5. Davion Mitchell – Sacramento Kings (LR: Re-entry)
The Kings started the season with too many highly touted young point guards and Mitchell was the clear loser, unable to get regular minutes with DeAaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton ahead of him in the rotation. Even when he did take the court he was marginalised as those two (deservedly) dominated the basketball. Now, with Fox injured and Haliburton a Pacer, Mitchell is showing exactly why the Kings drafted him.
Mitchell’s defense remains as rock solid as ever as his minutes and responsibilities have increased. What has been a pleasant surprise is scoring and especially his play making. In 11 games since stepping into the starting lineup on a regular basis, Mitchell is posting 18.8 points and 9.3 assists.
Mitchell had a five game streak of 20+ points, including a 28 point effort (with four treys) against the Suns. His assist numbers have been occasionally Stockton-esque, with 17 against the Pelicans and 15 in another Suns match up. That 17 assist effort passed Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith for the Kings rookie record.
6. Evan Mobley – Cleveland Cavaliers (LR: 2)
It took an injury to All Star centre Jarrett Allen, but the Cavs star freshman finally ran headlong into the Rookie Wall.
Since our last rankings, Mobley’s production has dipped to 10.9 points as his efficiency has cratered. Given Mobley’s slight build, having the security of Allen taken away from him has clearly worn the rookie down.
That said, he’s still produced in flashes: 12 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks against the Pistons; 18/10/4 versus the Bucks reserves on the final day of the regular season.
As mentioned earlier, Mobley is still – alongside Scottie Barnes – the other side of a coin flip for this writer’s Rookie of the Year vote, such is the impact he’s had on the Cavaliers over the course of the season.
With Allen a possibility to return in the play-in and a certainty to return for the playoffs, should the Cavaliers qualify, Mobley might be re-energised by a move back to the four as he enters his first post season.
7. Herbert Jones – New Orleans Pelicans (LR: 6)
The rise and rise of ‘Not On Herb’ Jones is just so impressive.
The 2nd round pick was a major factor in the free falling Pelicans stabilising their season, his otherworldly defense allowing Brandon Ingram – a very good defender in his own right – to become an offensive focal point in the absence of Zion Williamson.
As New Orleans has made their push into the play-in post the CJ McCollum acquisition, Jones’ offense has fallen away a little, though his defensive effort continues to excel. That said, he’s still thrown up some big offensive games over the last month, including a 22 point effort against the Suns.
Jones has proven such a prolific thief that after swiping your basketball, there’s a chance he’ll have you wallet, car keys and wife before you even realise what’s happened. Since our last rankings the Pelicans wing has averaged 2.5 steals, a figure that were it extrapolated over the full season, would lead the league by half a steal – the same margin between the current 1st (Dejounte Murray)and 14th (Robert Covington) ranked players.
8. Franz Wagner – Orlando Magic (LR: 5)
Evan Mobley hit the rookie wall; Franz Wagner ran headlong into it at a hundred miles an hour over the last couple of weeks. Frankly, if this was a weekly rankings column, Franz would have fallen out of the top 10. Alas, we do these rankings monthly and his stellar play in the first week of this rankings period was enough for him to keep his place.
The younger Wagner hung 26 points on Detroit, 28 on the Wizards and a 19/9 effort on the Kings in amongst some otherwise uninspiring play (at least by the otherwise high standards he’s set as a rookie).
Wagner’s defensive intensity has taken a noticeable dip since the All-Star break, his usual physicality and nastiness waning as the season took it’s toll.
The upside is that even is a what has been the worst month of his career Wagner is still a top 10 rookie and is practically a lock for All Rookie 1st team honours.
9. Jonathan Kuminga – Golden State Warriors (LR: 8)
Still aged just 19, Kuminga’s greatest feat as a rookie might be his likely claiming of a playoff rotation place amongst the tried and tested Warriors lineup.
The last month of the season has been a reflection of Kuminga’s game since the turn of the calendar year: some games with minimal minutes or negligible impact, punctuated with LOUD thunderclaps that demonstrate what a fully formed Kuminga might become.
Sine our last rankings Kuminga has had some of the former (zero points in a combined nine minutes against Utah and Phoenix) as well as a little bit of this:
At this stage, Kuminga is more devastating finisher than crafty play maker, but when he gets it going he’s tough to slow down. Encouragingly for the Warriors, Kuminga – shooting just 33% from deep on the season – went 7-for-9 from downtown in his last four regular season games.
He’s going to be a special player.
10. Jose Alvarado – New Orleans Pelicans (New Entry)
A confession: this writer has a serious man-crush on Jose Alvarado. It’s nothing to do with hulking muscles or a classical jaw line. With the greatest of respect, these are not Alvarado’s traits. What makes the 24 year old rookie (happy birthday for two days ago, Jose) so easy to love is the impish, almost whimsical way in which he plays the game.
Alvarado’s calling card is his defense. He’s always in his man’s jersey, guarding him each and every inch of the 94 feet. He possesses quick feet, even quicker hands and is deceptively strong for a guy that is surely smaller than his listed 6’0” 179lbs suggests.
But let’s stop burying the lede, here. The joy in watching Alvarado comes from what has rapidly become his signature move: the Grand Theft Alvarado. Rather than explaining it, just sit back and enjoy this chicanery:
The best of these are clearly when, after a made bucket, Alvarado hides in the corner and waits for the point guard to walk the ball up the court before soft shoe shuffling into the frame to nick the ball from behind. It’s a delight!
Alvarado is also a clever play maker who, if he can improve his shaky jumper, will craft out a long career as a pace changing reserve point guard.
The Pelicans clearly understand what they have in Alvarado, recently converting his two-way deal into a multi year contract.
Dropping out: Ayo Dosunmu, Brandon Williams, Jalen Suggs
This article also appears at leading independent media site FOOTYOLOGY.
