NBA Draft 2012: Breaking Down Top Rookie of the Year Candidates
With the 2012 NBA draft behind us, it's time to start looking ahead to how this crop of college stars fits into the professional game next season. There may be no better way to assess who will do that most successfully than by identifying the early Rookie of the Year candidates.
A lot of factors go into painting the picture of an NBA Rookie of the Year candidate, ranging from skill level to the situation to potential playing time.
Below, we break down the top candidates to be the 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year.
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets
Davis isn't going to score a ton of points in Year 1 with the Hornets, but his defense and rebounding will keep him in contention for this award.
Predicting a rookie stat line of 8-10 points and rebounds and 2-3 blocks certainly isn't pushing the realm of possibility. He might need to be in that range for all three categories to win the award.
Thomas Robinson, Sacramento Kings
I'm not convinced that Robinson is going to be a star in the NBA, but he's certainly got the look of a 10-year starter who will do a lot of things very well at the next level.
Rebounding is one area he excels, and there's no reason he can't score 13-15 points a night right out of the gates. If he is the double-double machine in the NBA that he was at Kansas, Robinson will get attention.
Barnes might be my favorite to win the award.
While some have ragged on his college showing the past two years, Barnes' game is tailor-made for the NBA. He's a smooth athlete at the small forward position who can create his own shot and finish at the rim.
And if there's any player in this class that can come into the NBA and average 20 points a night, it's probably Barnes. If he accomplishes that, I don't see any other rookie winning the award.
Austin Rivers, New Orleans Hornets
Rivers is falling into a perfect situation in New Orleans, where Anthony Davis will handle most of the rookie pressure and Rivers can focus on forming a top offensive tandem in the backcourt with Eric Gordon.
If he can get the right amount of minutes off the bench, Rivers has the confidence and ability to be a 15-point scorer or better.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats
There are worries about Kidd-Gilchrist's ability to score the basketball, but he'll certainly get the chance to post big minutes for a Bobcats team that desperately needs help.
His final stat line from college—11.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.0 steals—might be a good starting point for his NBA career. He won't need to be a world beater to help improve Charlotte, either.
