2015 NBA Rookie Ladder: Andrew Wiggins Making Mockery of the Field
Andrew Wiggins' long-term growth got a dose of nourishment when the Minnesota Timberwolves hooked back up with Kevin Garnett for a farewell tour.
His immediate development, particularly with respect to his pursuit of a Rookie of the Year Award, has also continued apace.
The usual cast of pursuers—Nerlens Noel, Nikola Mirotic and Elfrid Payton—are still chasing the season's best first-year player, but they now have a few late chargers on their heels.
Two new names crack our top 10 in this edition, both having performed well since our last set of rankings on Feb. 17.
Heartfelt condolences go out to Miami Heat rookie Tyler Johnson, who scored a career-high 26 points in a win over the Phoenix Suns on March 2. No rookie had a more surprising outburst over the past few weeks, but Johnson doesn't have the overall resume to rank among the top 10.
A final note: These rankings aren't designed to judge which player will be the best future talent. Instead, the focus here is on how each rookie has performed this year, with specific emphasis on what's happened most recently.
10. Bojan Bogdanovic, SF, Brooklyn Nets
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Stock Report: ↓
Bojan Bogdanovic's first game after the All-Star break, an 18-point surprise in a 114-105 defeat of the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 20, is the only reason he's still clinging to this No. 10 spot.
After that effort, he missed the next three games with an ankle injury. He returned Feb. 28 and scored a combined eight points in his next two contests.
Overall, Bogdanovic is averaging 7.7 points per game on 41.8 percent shooting, and he's still a skillful cutter and a decent spot-up shooter. Plus, he dunked on Robert Sacre, which always helps in these rankings; it's one of the unwritten rules.
Nonetheless, if Tyler Johnson had contributed just one more decent game to go along with his 26 points against the Suns, Bogdanovic might have found himself on the outside of these rankings for the first time in months.
You're this close, Bojan.
9. Mitch McGary, PF, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Pull off a Dream Shake (half of one, anyway), and you're an automatic top-10 rookie.
Truth be told, Mitch McGary probably should have made the top 10 in the last set of rookie rankings. He scored 36 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets on Feb. 8 and 9, respectively.
At that point, though, his limited body of work made his breakout look suspect.
No more.
McGary scored 20 points and grabbed nine boards against the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 27, and whenever he's been able to get on the floor this year, he's produced.
Though his limited minutes disqualify him from most leaderboards, his player efficiency rating of 19.5 is tops among rookies who've logged as many minutes as he has (192 through March 2), per Basketball-Reference.com.
McGary can play.
8. Langston Galloway, PG, New York Knicks
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The New York Knicks may not be designed to win games this season, but rookie Langston Galloway doesn't care. He's been content to win a few all by himself.
Seth Rosenthal of Posting and Toasting chronicled Galloway's heroics, noting the fact that of New York's 12 wins on the season, the first-year spark plug has connected on tide-turning shots in four of them.
"I ride the tank, but I can't be mad at one undrafted rookie D-League buddy making the big play in one third of the Knicks' wins this entire season," Rosenthal writes. "And again, this is a guy who joined the team in January and has participated in just 21 games."
Not only has Galloway been big in late-game situations, but he's also produced pretty well in general.
Since the All-Star break, he has scored in double figures in four out of five games, hitting at least one triple in each.
Since falling off the list last time around, Galloway has clearly earned his way back into the top 10. If he keeps hitting huge shots, he might climb even higher.
If the Knicks are smart, they'll stop giving him chances to sabotage their lottery dreams.
7. Jordan Clarkson, PG, Los Angeles Lakers
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No rookie has been on the rise like Jordan Clarkson, and he vaults up from No. 10 to No. 7 here after continuing to make the most of his starting role for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Since Feb. 17, only Wiggins has averaged more points per game among rookies than Clarkson. And it's worth noting that the Lakers point guard has connected on 56.4 percent of his shots from the field and 42.9 percent of his threes in that span.
That's serious production, and as Clarkson continues to get comfortable, there's little reason to expect it to stop.
"He's playing much better now," Lakers head coach Byron Scott told Justen Verrier of ESPN.com. "He's playing with better pace, he's not as frantic out there as he was earlier in the season. He's reading the defenses better, even though he still has a lot to learn."
It's been a dark season in Los Angeles. Clarkson has provided a little light.
6. Jusuf Nurkic, C, Denver Nuggets
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Enjoy this one. It might be some time before Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic ranks this high again.
A nasty ankle sprain cost the big man games against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 27 and the New Orleans Pelicans on March 1, and it doesn't look like a return is anywhere in sight. Before losing his job on March 3, Brian Shaw indicated to Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post that Nurkic would be out for "a while."
Fortunately, Nurkic provided a good enough sample before getting hurt to justify his spot for now.
Since Feb. 17, he's averaged nine points and 10 rebounds per game in 26.9 minutes. Best of all, he turned in one of the season's most enjoyable anti-flopping public service announcements, delicately placing the ball on Markieff Morris' chest after flipping in a righty hook.
Of the players we've listed so far, Nurkic has been the most consistently productive (and mischievously entertaining). That's enough to keep him just outside the top five for a while longer.
5. Marcus Smart, PG, Boston Celtics
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You might look at Marcus Smart's recent stats and wonder how he ranks this high.
After all, his shooting numbers since the last ladder have been ugly: 40 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from deep and 59.1 percent from the foul line.
But Smart is about so much more than shooting slashes. He's a capable floor general on offense, one who is improving as a decision-maker under head coach Brad Stevens. More than that, though, he's a defensive monster.
Smart is on the very short list of the league's best perimeter defenders, and his 1.8 steals per game since Feb. 17 only tell a fraction of the story.
He's brutally strong, difficult to screen and relentlessly determined. On the ball and off, Smart does damage on D. If his offensive game ever ventures into "average" territory, he's going to be one of the three best rookies from this class.
For now, he's at No. 5.
4. Elfrid Payton, PG, Orlando Magic
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At this point, Elfrid Payton is what he is: an advanced decision-maker with a good feel for the game, a solid defender and an abysmal shooter.
That's good enough to check in at No. 4 in this bunch, mainly because even without a reliable perimeter shot, Payton has flirted with triple-doubles a few times in recent weeks. He put up 10 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in a Feb. 20 win over the Pelicans, then followed it up with 10 points, seven assists and eight rebounds two days later against the 76ers.
On the year, his 5.7 assists per game are tops among qualified rookies. And his 3.8 rebounds (from the point guard spot, mind you) rank sixth.
Like Smart before him, Payton needs to find a way to score efficiently to really take the next step. Because he's learned how to produce in other areas better than the Boston Celtics rookie, Payton edges him out here.
Also, his hair is cooler.
3. Nikola Mirotic, SF/PF, Chicago Bulls
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Two specific performances bumped Nikola Mirotic into the top three: his 16-point, 14-rebound effort against the Bucks on Feb. 23 and his 29-point, nine-rebound explosion against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 1.
Beyond those two outliers, Mirotic's minutes and production have continued the consistent month-to-month decline that started in December.
Now, though, Jimmy Butler is expected to miss a few weeks with an elbow injury, which could mean an expanded role for the 6'10" forward. Mirotic has shown the ability to knock down threes; he and Smart are tied for the most total makes among rookies. And he certainly possesses the confidence to run with increased responsibilities in the offense.
We could be on the cusp of a mini Mirotic revival, especially if his two outbursts in late February indicate what might be ahead.
2. Nerlens Noel, PF/C, Philadelphia 76ers
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Stock Report: ↔
In terms of both subtle and obvious impacts on a game, Nerlens Noel dwarfs every rookie we've mentioned so far.
His shot-blocking presence inside makes for highlight stuffs, the kind that force opponents to think twice about venturing into the lane. Noel had nine blocks (to go along with 12 points and nine rebounds) in his first game after the All-Star break, and he's averaged 3.3 swats per game since Feb. 20.
In addition to high-profile rejections, Noel's less apparent gifts as a defender have also been valuable.
He's an intuitive mover on D, one who puts himself in position to alter the course of penetrators and bother passes that would otherwise be left alone. He has good hands and is developing a better sense of when to challenge shots and when to get into rebounding position.
Make no mistake: We're watching a defensive star hone his skills.
The offense isn't there yet for Noel. He's not a great finisher, his jumper isn't pretty, and he needs to work on his timing as a roll man. But he's a decent passer who could develop into a viable threat in time.
Thanks to serious recent production and steady work all year, Noel is the easy pick here.
1. Andrew Wiggins, SF, Minnesota Timberwolves
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It'd be nice if there were some way to pretend another rookie almost snagged the top spot from Wiggins.
But there's just not.
Since our last edition, the Minnesota Timberwolves stud has led all rookies with 21 points per game. On the year, his average of 15.8 puts him comfortably ahead of the field as well.
B/R's Dan Favale has more: "If Wiggins' numbers hold, he'll become the third player in NBA history to begin the season under 20 years of age and average at least 15 points, four rebounds, one steal and a usage rate north of 20. Those other two players are Carmelo Anthony and [LeBron] James."
We're done here, right?
We don't need to get into his mature demeanor, his vast defensive potential, the benefits he'll reap as a pupil of Kevin Garnett or anything else, do we?
Wiggins has been the best rookie in the league lately, and he's been head and shoulders above his peers all season long.
Unless Noel starts blocking five shots a game while tossing up a handful of 20-10 efforts in a hurry, nobody's going to come close to Wiggins going forward.
*All stats accurate through games played March 2 and come courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise indicated.
