How Long Will Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins Lead the NBA's Rookie Class?
It's been a pretty weird first quarter of the season for most 2014-15 NBA rookies. Even the bright spots have had some clouds frequently pass through.
The Minnesota Timberwovles' Andrew Wiggins and the Milwaukee Bucks' Jabari Parker were just named Rookies of the Month for November, and quite frankly, neither has been super impressive relative to past winners and top rookie performers.
Even weirder, this is actually the first time in 11 years that the No. 1 and No. 2 picks were named Rookies of the Month simultaneously. Yao Ming and Jay Williams pulled it off in December 2002.
You hate to take anything away from Wiggins and Parker, but given the lack of production and impact made by their competitors, all they really had to do was show up.
Take a look at the numbers so far for your top two dogs in the class:
| FG Percentage | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Three-Point Percentage | |
| Andrew Wiggins | .394 | 11.7 | 3.6 | 1.1 | .462 |
| Jabari Parker | .474 | 12.2 | 6.1 | 1.7 | .25 |
Wiggins has been inconsistent, though he's played a few eye-opening stretches that have highlighted his superstar two-way upside.
He scored 17 points on November 5 against the Brooklyn Nets, 20 against the New Orleans Pelicans on November 14 and 29 against the Sacramento Kings on November 22.
But he's also put up a few duds—Wiggins has failed to reach the 10-point mark seven times on the year, a reflection of his passive tendencies and lack of polish off the dribble.
Ironically, despite his ludicrous athletic ability being far ahead of his ball skills, Wiggins has done most of his damage with the jumper while struggling around the rim.
Of his 71 made field goals, 38 have come either in the mid-range or behind the arc. It's this type of shot selection that might explain Wiggins' 39.4 percent shooting clip early on.
Still, at 19 years old, Wolves fans should be able to live with a little early inconsistency from Wiggins, who's flashed some mesmerizing mismatch and defensive potential.
Like Wiggins, Parker has also had a number of quiet showings, though to his credit, he's playing for a team that's winning, and most of his single-digit scoring outings have been a result of the game flow—not necessarily ineffective play.
He's actually seeing 10 more touches per game than Wiggins (44.4 to 34.4), and he's been the more efficient rookie (47.4 percent shooting) early on. That shouldn't have come as a surprise, given his refined offensive attack and 235-pound frame.
Parker has been a tough cover for power forwards, who struggle to contain him in face-up situations. And he's got the size and strength to overwhelm smaller wings down low, where he's done most of his work, having made 68 shots within five feet at a solid 65.4 percent clip.
His best games so far: a recent 22-point showing on 11-of-15 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 2, a 19-point performance against the Houston Rockets on November 29 and a 23-point outing in a win over the Nets on November 19.
Parker has ultimately struggled shooting with range early on, having hit only four three-pointers through 20 games. He's actually shooting a better percentage on pull-ups than he is in catch-and-shoot opportunities.
But the mechanics are definitely there, and if there's one thing that players can definitely improve on over time, it's shooting.
Together, Wiggins and Parker have easily been the best two rookies through November. And with the No. 3 pick Joel Embiid potentially out for the year, the No. 4 pick Aaron Gordon out indefinitely with a broken foot, the No. 5 pick Marcus Smart having already missed 10 games with an ankle injury, the No. 7 pick Julius Randle lost for the season with a broken foot as well and Dario Saric, who went No. 12, playing in Europe in 2014-15, we could be looking at a two-man Rookie of the Year race from now until April.
Unless, of course, 76ers wing K.J. McDaniels keeps filling up box scores in Philadelphia's empty lineup. McDaniels, the second pick of June's second round, is arguably next in line behind Wiggins and Parker on the rookie ladder.
On the year, he's averaging 10.2 points—which ranks third among rookies—on 36.1 percent shooting from downtown, though it's been his defensive playmaking ability that's created the most buzz. McDaniels, who led the ACC in shot blocking a year ago, is averaging 1.4 blocks per game to lead all rookies.
Sixers.com's Max Rappaport noted just how rare McDaniels' shot-blocking prowess might be for a 6'6" wing.
"In the last 20 years, only three players 6’6” or shorter have averaged at least 1.3 blocks per game—Clarence Weatherspoon, Vince Carter, and Dwyane Wade. All three did so while logging 30-plus minutes per game, while McDaniels has maintained that pace despite playing 24 minutes per game. In fact, among players who’ve averaged at least 20 minutes per game, he’s blocked the most shots per 36 minutes (1.9) of any his height since Julius Erving in 1983-84.
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In the Sixers' first win of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he went for 12 points, nine boards, two three-pointers, four blocks and a steal.
Over his last four games, he's played at least 30 minutes in each, averaging 15.2 points, 9.2 boards and 2.2 blocks.
Without anyone in Philadelphia to really threaten his minutes or touches, I'm not sure anyone has a better chance than McDaniels to make a run at Wiggins and Parker.
The next two guys in line might be a few older Europeans who've been stashed abroad over the past few years.
Nikola Mirotic was drafted back in 2011, and now at 23 years old in his first year as a pro, he's found the Chicago Bulls' rotation and made a significant impact as of late.
Mirotic, a textbook stretch power forward who can shoot, attack closeouts and finish on the move, has played at least 20 minutes in each of his last seven games while averaging 12.7 points on 10-of-23 shooting from downtown.
Brooklyn forward Bojan Bogdanovic is another guy who's been seasoning abroad since 2011. And it's paid off—now 25 years old, he's a rookie starter for the Nets averaging 31.2 minutes and 10.1 points per game.
Bogdanovic doesn't pack much upside, but given his versatile shot-making ability and high basketball IQ, he's emerged as an every-night contributor, which could go a long way this particular year with Wiggins' and Parker's lights both vulnerable to flickering.
The rest of the crew is a bit behind. Sixers center Nerlens Noel has had his moments, but he's a little too far away offensively to make a regular impact. Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum has looked extremely promising, though it would probably take a Trey Burke injury or demotion for his minutes to jump. Now that Smart's recovered from injury, he'll have a chance to create some noise in Boston's lineup—only behind Rajon Rondo, who's still running the Celtics' show.
At this point, it looks like Wiggins and Parker should both be sitting comfortably in the driver's seat and shotgun, with McDaniels, Mirotic and Bogdanovic each stuffed in the back.
It hasn't been the prettiest start to the year for these 2014-15 rookies, but between the youth of Wiggins and Parker and the injuries that have plagued the rest of the class, it's tough to be too critical.
I'd like to think our November Rookies of the Month will only improve as the season progresses and their confidence increases. And hopefully, we'll see a few more challengers emerge from the bottom of the pack.
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