Rookie Rankings Weeks 3&4

Jan 27, 2012

Week Three and Four of the season shuffled most of the rookies in our rankings. We have some new entries and have had to keep some out of the top 10. We’ve also seen our former number 1 (First week) Norris Cole drop to 7th place and have witnessed the uprising of former UConn star Kemba Walker! At the top, it’s become a joust between Irving and Rubio, the two stellar point guards who are leading their teams out of mediocrity. Enjoy the read!

 
 
1. Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 16.8 PPG / 3.2 RPG / 4.9 APG
Last Week: 1
Kyrie shot 50% or higher from the field in seven of the nine games since our last rankings – released Janurary 8th – and also scored 17 or more in seven of those games. He is the top scorer amongst all rookies and second in assists. Perhaps the most intriguing fact is that he has led the Cavs to a respectable 7-10 record, tying the Bucks for the 8th seed in the east. Wow, who saw that coming?

 
2. Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 11.1 PPG / 4.6 RPG /8.7 APG / 2.6 SPG
Last Week: 2
Since our last rankings, Ricky improved in all statistical categories (+1.2 PPG, +0.7 RPG, +1.1 APG, +1.5 SPG) and is now 6th in the league in assists and 3rd in steals – as a rookie. The injuries of Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea and Michael Beasley, but also his spectacular and effective play, have made him a permanent starter since January 13th. He was ranked 3rd among Western Conference guards in the latest ballot returns for the NBA All-Star Game on January 12th – whoa, nelly! He’s great but not there yet! With Rubio as a starter, the Wolves are 5-3, beating the Clippers and Mavs during that stretch and only falling short to some of the hottest teams in the league, the Hawks, Jazz and Rockets.

 
3. MarShon Brooks (New Jersey Nets) – 15.4 PPG / 4.6 RPG / 1.6 APG
Last Week: 6
Brooks also had two huge weeks, scoring 3.2 points more per game than in our last ratings. Since January 9th, MarShon has had three 19+-point / 8+-rebound nights and is ranked second among all rookies in scoring behind Kyrie. He’s turning out to maybe be THE steal of last year’s draft, as he was only picked 25th overall by the Celtics and sent to New Jersey. He missed the win against the Sixers, and has been out for two games due to a sore left Achilles.

 
4. Iman Shumpert (New York Knicks) – 11.3 PPG / 3.6 RPG / 3.4 APG / 2.4 SPG
Last Week: 5
Shumpert has struggled shooting the ball over the last games, shooting only 5/20 against the Grizzlies, 1/9 against the Bobcats and 0/5 against the Bucks, just to name a few examples. Still, Iman has brought defense and respectable scoring to the Knicks, and he is fourth in the league in steals.

 
5. Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats) – 11.7 PPG / 3.5 RPG / 3.2 APG
Last Week: 10
While the Bobcats are the worst team in the league, Kemba is getting better and better. He isn’t getting the attention he was used to at UConn, but uses that to develop his game. He had a season-high 23 points in a win over the Warriors on January 14th and added 22 versus the Knicks on the 24th. He also does some pretty good rebounding, not grabbing less than 4 boards over the last seven games – not bad for a 6’1’’ rookie guard!

 
6. Brandon Knight (Detroit Pistons) – 12.5 PPG / 3.5 RPG / 3.3 APG
Last Week: 7
Even though the Pistons are only at 4 and 15, Brandon Knight has established himself as a pretty solid point guard. He had a career-high 22 points against the Grizzlies, shooting a perfect 10 for 10 from the charity stripe. Against the Mavericks, Brandon showed what he is capable of doing when he gets into a rhythm from downtown, shooting 4 for 5 from deep.

 
7. Norris Cole (Miami Heat) – 8.8 PPG / 1.6 RPG / 2.8 APG
Last Week: 3
After a hot and wild start into the season, the Miami Heat have cooled down a little bit – and so has Norris Cole. He’s only scored 10 or more points twice over the last eleven games and his averages have dropped in all categories (-2.1 PPG, -0.1 RPG, – 1.1 APG, -0.5 SPG).

 
8. Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs) – 7.4 PPG / 5.2 RPG / 0.8 APG
Last Week: N/A
Kawhi has become a huge part in the Spurs’ rotation. In Ginobili’s absence, he’s been on the court 30 or more minutes in eight of the last eleven games. Leonard was huge, especially in the week from January 10th to 17th, when he had a 19-point effort on 9 for 12 shooting versus the Bucks on January 10th.

 
9. Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets) – 7.3 PPG / 5.6 RPG / 1.7 APG
Last Week: In the conversation
The Rockets are one of the big surprises of the last two weeks. After a slow start to begin the season (2-5), in which Parsons only played 15.7 minutes, the Rockets got really hot and have gone 8 and 3 since then. Parsons is now averaging about 24 minutes per game and does his job with a little offensive support and rebounding the ball. Pretty good effort for a second round pick!

 
10. Markieff Morris (Phoenix Suns) – 7.5 PPG / 5.1 RPG / 1.1 APG
Last Week: 4
Markieff’s season has been a rollercoaster ride. After early struggles, Morris found his rhythm in the second week of the season, but he’s had his problems in the last two weeks again. Morris hasn’t been shooting well and his rebounding efforts haven’t been there either. However, Markieff seems to have a brighter night once a week, for example he had 14 points against the Spurs on Jan. 15th, but it took him over a week until he had his next double digit box stat with 11 boards on the 23rd at Dallas.

 
Barely Missed the Top 10

 
Derrick Williams (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Tristan Thompson (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Jon Leuer (Milwaukee Bucks)

In the conversation: Alec Burks (UTA), Enes Kanter (UTA), Jimmer Fredette (SAC), Klay Thompsom (GSW), Bismack Biyombo (CHA), Nikola Vucevic (PHI), Chris Singleton (WAS), Isaiah Thomas (SAC), Josh Selby (MEM), Lavoy Allen (PHI), Shelvin Mack (WAS)

Yannik Lingen & Patrick Roland