NBA Rookie Ladder: How the Top 10 Stack Up Entering 2017
2016 can't come to an end soon enough for most of the NBA's current rookies.
Sure, there was plenty of excitement on draft day. And for players such as Joel Embiid and Dario Saric—whose debuts in the Association were put off by circumstances beyond their control—finally getting a taste of the world's best basketball league must've been a treat.
But by and large, the 2016-17 season has thus far been forgettable for those who, in NBA terms, are still wet behind the ears.
Ben Simmons, 2016's No. 1 pick, is recovering from foot surgery. Jaylen Brown, the No. 3 selection, hasn't found any semblance of consistency on a more veteran Boston Celtics squad. Dragan Bender, at No. 4, has fallen behind another rookie teammate of his with the Phoenix Suns. And No. 5 pick Kris Dunn hasn't done enough to steal Ricky Rubio's spot with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Still, there's been progress among other lottery picks from this year's draft—enough to land six of them on the list. So before we look ahead eagerly to 2017, let's bid farewell to 2016 by ranking the top 10 NBA rookies so far, based on individual production and team-wide impact.
10. Marquese Chriss, Power Forward, Phoenix Suns
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Marquese Chriss made headlines for scuffling with Kristaps Porzingis, but it was his performance during the Phoenix Suns' 113-111 overtime win against the New York Knicks on Dec. 13 that could be the bigger eye-opener in the long run.
The 19-year-old out of the University of Washington put together perhaps his best all-around performance. Opposite Porzingis, he logged his first career double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds), nailed a three-pointer and all three of his free throws, and then got a big block on Justin Holiday during the extra period.
That game, and that incident in particular, gave the Suns a glimpse of what Chriss could be for them down the line, as head coach Earl Watson told reporters afterward:
"Marquese Chriss has to become our Draymond Green. And I think he gave you an example or a flash of what that can be, as far as getting the flagrant, protecting his teammate (Tuesday against New York when he shoved Kristaps Porzingis, who had knocked over Eric Bledsoe). I have no problems with that. We need a presence on the court that brings a fight to our team that is kind of contagious. It builds unity, it builds momentum.
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As it happens, Chriss has already been the victim of Green's patented shenanigans. If he can develop into even half the player Green has become for the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix will have yet another young stud around whom to build for the future.
That Chriss has already averaged 7.3 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting an improving 32.7 percent from three as a starter shows the Sacramento native is well on his way.
9. Dorian Finney-Smith, Power Forward, Dallas Mavericks
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Every time we redo the rookie rankings, another undrafted free agent seems to pop into the top 10.
Dorian Finney-Smith marks the second such member of the Dallas Mavericks to fit that description, joining former Drew League MVP Jonathan Gibson.
Like Gibson, Finney-Smith found himself in a more prominent position by way of injuries elsewhere. But in the case of this Florida product, he's had to hold the fort for a fallen legend in Dirk Nowitzki. The future Hall of Famer's strained Achilles opened up a gaping hole at power forward, one Finney-Smith has filled more ably as the season has gone on.
During Nowitzki's first stint in street clothes, the man known to family and friends as "Doe-Doe" averaged a forgettable 4.9 points on 41.4 percent shooting (20 percent from three) with 2.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 22 minutes per night. Since replacing the giant German a second time, Finney-Smith has bumped those numbers across the board to 7.5 points on 46.1 percent shooting (41.3 percent from three) with 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 27.4 minutes.
Dallas, meanwhile, has been a not-entirely-terrible 5-8 during Nowitzki's most recent sabbatical, thanks in no small part to Finney-Smith, who came within an inch of not being a Maverick at all.
"In training camp, he was one of the guys fighting for the last spot, and he was always doing the work, always a positive attitude, a really even-keeled guy," Nowitzki told NBA.com's Ian Thomsen. "I think those were the main reasons we chose him—his versatility on defense, his attitude and willing to work."
8. Jamal Murray, Shooting Guard, Denver Nuggets
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Jamal Murray has played less and shot worse since Gary Harris returned from injury to the Denver Nuggets. With Harris now back in the starting lineup, Will Barton has moved to Denver's bench, making Murray the third guard in Denver's second unit.
As a result, the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for October and November figures to have a tough time defending that title in December. Since Harris' return, Murray has averaged 5.3 points on 29.2 percent shooting from the floor.
The Nuggets, though, insist they want Murray to do more with less.
"I can't play everybody," head coach Michael Malone told Bleacher Report. "Right now, Jamal's getting maybe 15-18 minutes a night, and he has to go out there and kind of maximize the opportunity...be aggressive. I don't think he realizes he's as open as he is sometimes. I want him to shoot the ball more. He's that good of a shooter."
For Murray, it's a matter of figuring out which ones to take and which to pass up. After starting the season 0-of-17 from the field, his care in differentiating is understandable.
"I'm just trying to find a balance with what shots to take, what's a good shot, a bad shot and just kind of play," Murray told B/R. "Sometimes it's going to be bad shots, but you can't think about it. You can't put it in your head."
7. Dario Saric, Power Forward, Philadelphia 76ers
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The rookie roller coaster has arrived in Philadelphia, and Dario Saric is strapped in for the ride.
Nerlens Noel's return has only compounded a crunch for minutes up front between Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, Richaun Holmes, Ersan Ilyasova and Saric. The 22-year-old Croatian has shifted to small forward "almost exclusively," as 76ers coach Brett Brown put it, per the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey.
Switching to the wing should allow Saric to see the floor consistently while Brown reworks his rotation.
"I feel OK," Saric said of the change, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Of course, I will need some time, you know, to adjust to the new position, to guard different types of players, players who play more with the ball. [They are] players who are downhill, attack-minded."
Defense hasn't been the only concern so far. Over Saric's last five games, his personal output has slowed to a trickle: 4.4 points on 24.0 percent shooting (15.4 percent from three) and 4.4 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game.
It doesn't help that he has been battling a bruised knee. If Saric gets healthy and proves he can be a factor at the 3, the 6'10" combo forward could become another key in a supersized, uber-talented Philly lineup alongside Embiid and 2016 No. 1 pick Ben Simmons—once Simmons gets healthy himself, that is.
6. Domantas Sabonis, Power Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder
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All it took was a particular visitor to Chesapeake Energy Arena for Domantas Sabonis to snap a 19-game free-throw drought.
With his father, Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis, in attendance, the No. 11 pick out of Gonzaga got to the line four times, making two, during the Oklahoma City Thunder's 114-101 win over the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 17.
"A bit of extra motivation," the younger Sabonis said of his dad's presence, per the Oklahoman's Brett Dawson.
Those freebies were but canaries in the coal mine for a more impactful performance on both ends: Sabonis finished with nine points, four rebounds, a block and a steal.
“Sometimes I think he needs to be a little bit more aggressive," the elder Sabonis said, per the Oklahoman.
Anyone would look passive playing next to a diesel-powered dynamo like Russell Westbrook. But without many scoring options beyond the All-Star point guard, OKC needs Sabonis to assert himself as no less than a viable two-way threat for the team to stay afloat out West.
5. Brandon Ingram, Small Forward, Los Angeles Lakers
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Already with a win over the Warriors in their back pocket, the Los Angeles Lakers came close to knocking off the Cavaliers before ultimately succumbing to the defending champions during a 119-108 defeat on Dec. 17.
But the more eye-opening near-miss came from Brandon Ingram. The 19-year-old rookie fell one point and one assist shy of becoming the youngest player in NBA history to tally a triple-double—against the man (LeBron James) who owns the record, no less.
That came in Ingram's third start of the season at point guard, in place of a resting D'Angelo Russell. At a lanky 6'9", the Duke product wouldn't seem a floor general. In truth, it's a role with which he's intimately familiar.
"I played [point guard in] youth basketball, AAU basketball," Ingram said, per the Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli. "When I was in high school, I played point guard. Since high school I didn't play point guard until I got here. When I started growing I still used my guard skills a lot."
Ingram spent more time on the wing in college but has found himself running point regularly with L.A.'s second unit. He has yet to find the range at the NBA level (35 percent from the field, 27.1 percent from three), but once he does, the Lakers will have another unique young playmaker on a team full of them.
4. Malcolm Brogdon, Shooting Guard, Milwaukee Bucks
7 of 10Malcolm Brogdon is far more mature than the average rookie these days. He turned 24 earlier this month, has a master's degree in public policy from Virginia and has become a key component for the Milwaukee Bucks both on and off the court.
"That's just who he's been since he's been here. He's been a leader," head coach Jason Kidd told Fox6Now.com's Tom Pipines. "His teammates, his coaches, we trust him. Every time he takes the floor, he finds a way to do the right thing."
But it wasn't until the Cleveland Cavaliers came to town Dec. 20 that Brogdon showed the world what he truly can be. With the Bucks down six points in the third quarter, he drove past LeBron James and posterized him with a right-handed slam from under the rim (see above).
"Honestly, if I looked and saw it was LeBron, I might not even have gone up," Brogdon told reporters (h/t Bleacher Report).
By and large, Brogdon has been a steady captain for Milwaukee's second unit. He's drained 41.4 percent of his threes and notched more than twice as many assists (3.0 per game) as turnovers (1.3).
Clearly, though, the Atlanta native is capable of the spectacular, even if that isn't yet a staple of his all-around game.
3. Pascal Siakam, Power Forward, Toronto Raptors
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The Toronto Raptors keep winning, and Pascal Siakam is still starting. His numbers (5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19.0 minutes) aren't particularly impressive, though he's finishing efficiently for a rookie (54.2 percent from the field).
What's more telling than the stats is that Siakam, at 22, has yet to budge from his spot on a squad that's been nipping at the Cleveland Cavaliers' heels all season.
His journey from a seminary in Cameroon to basketball courts at the high school, college and now pro level in North America only adds to the gravity of his accomplishments thus far. Even more so when considering he only recently developed a taste for hoops, as Siakam recounted for the Players' Tribune:
"I played [basketball] every now and then. I had some natural talent, but, like a lot of younger siblings, I thought it was unoriginal to do the same thing as my brothers. I wanted to be my own person. I had dreams of playing soccer professionally, or maybe going to business school and working in the government for my dad, who was the mayor of my hometown.
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Instead, Siakam, like another player on this list, was discovered at Luc Mbah a Moute's camp, where he earned an invitation to a Basketball Without Borders camp and, later, the attention of a prep school in Texas.
After three years at New Mexico State, Siakam rolled the dice in the draft. So far, his gamble has paid off as handsomely for him as it has for the Raptors, who've found much more than a stopgap at power forward with the No. 27 pick.
2. Buddy Hield, Shooting Guard, New Orleans Pelicans
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The last time we updated the rookie rankings, we wondered if Buddy Hield's big game back in Oklahoma would be the start of something special for the reigning Naismith College Player of the Year. So far, Hield has proved us right.
With 10 points during the New Orleans Pelicans' 108-93 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, Hield extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to four. He'd also nailed at least one three in 10 straight—a run dating back to his breakout in OKC.
Buddy's rookie rise is about more than a single shot of confidence, though.
His stellar play since that shining performance has coincided with a more permanent rise into head coach Alvin Gentry's starting lineup. Over his last nine games (all starts), Hield has averaged 11.2 points while draining 51.2 percent of his 4.6 three-point tries per game.
"You get to set the tone for the team," Hield told the Bahamas Tribune's Renaldo Dorsett. "You know you have to go out there and play hard and the team feeds off that energy. If I set the tone by making shots, or getting steals or a couple of rebounds or box outs, I can help the team get going."
Hield's improvement has yet to spark a shift in the Pelicans' fortunes—they've won just three of his nine starts. But the hot hand he's brought to the table could help turn the tide in New Orleans before too long.
1. Joel Embiid, Center, Philadelphia 76ers
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Joel Embiid has already proved himself as a stud on the court. His career-high 33 points (to go along with 10 rebounds) opposite Brook Lopez during Sunday's 108-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets were a staunch reminder of as much.
But it was after Philly's following game—a 108-93 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday—that Embiid showed he has some political tack to him too. He praised Nerlens Noel, who had largely fallen out of head coach Brett Brown's rotation (and has been none too pleased about it) but got a standing ovation from the Wells Fargo Center crowd upon entering the game in the third quarter.
"I loved it. He's my best friend on the team, and I was really happy for him," Embiid told reporters. "I thought he should have played more."
Embiid insisted it only makes sense for the Sixers to see what they have in Noel and whether the former No. 6 pick can play alongside their budding superstar at center.
"I also want to get on the court and see what we can look like together because I like him and I want to play with everybody," Embiid said. "I feel like if we're trying something, I feel like we should try the other thing too. Hopefully in the future they do that."
Either way, Embiid's spot in Philly's starting lineup is secure. Soon enough, he might be locked in as the Sixers' emotional leader too.
All stats courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted and accurate as of games played on Dec. 20, 2016.
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