2012 NBA All-Rookie Team: Kyrie Irving Headlines Roster

The 2012 NBA All-Rookie First Team has been officially released, and there are hardly any surprises.

Rookie of the Year winner Kyrie Irving leads a group that also includes Ricky Rubio, a contender for the ROY award before going down with an ACL injury; Kenneth Faried, who earned a starting job on the No. 6 seed Nuggets after emerging as a double-double threat; Klay Thompson, a sniper that hit 41.4 percent of his shots from beyond the arc and starred after the Warriors traded Monta Ellis; Iman Shumpert, an explosive athlete and defensive stopper for the Knicks; Brandon Knight, a promising guard for the up-and-coming Pistons; and Kawhi Leonard, an integral role player for the top-seeded Spurs.

The most notable snubs include Isaiah Thomas of the Kings and Chandler Parsons of the Rockets. 

Thomas averaged 11.5 PPG and 4.1 APG in 25 minutes of play. He was always providing energy either off the bench or as a starter late in the season. Parsons was able to do a variety of things when he was on the court, averaging 9.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.1 APG and 1.2 SPG in just 28 MPG. 

These two players headline the All-Rookie Second Team, along with MarShon Brooks, Derrick Williams and Tristan Thompson.

The head coaches around the league—who aren’t allowed to vote for their own players—did a good job picking a mix of emerging young rookies who were instrumental to the success of their respective teams.

The seven members represent the biggest All-Rookie First Team class in NBA history. As the rules dictate, a tie allows all players involved to be a part of the First Team.

All of the promising up-and-comers that made either All-Rookie team definitely deserved the honor, and serve as more evidence that the league indeed has a bright future.