Top 15 2012 NBA Rookies You Must Be Following on Twitter

Who has the edge in this season's Rookie of the Year race?

Who cares?

The real question is who you should be following on Twitter this season. Yes, a new crop of young talent stands to shift the balance of power in the NBA, but that talent also has a lot on its mind.

Well, sometimes it has a lot on its mind. Sometimes it's just letting you know the most mundane details of day-to-day life on an hourly basis. Either way, there's no better way to get your voyeuristic thrills than by keeping up with the lives of the league's newest up-and-comers.

With Twitter becoming something of a lifestyle for the technologically inclined, this crop of rookies isn't disappointing anyone so far. They tweet often, and they tweet about everything.

Here's a look at 15 rookies you should starting following immediately. 

Anthony Davis—F/C, New Orleans Hornets

Where better to start than with the guy we all knew would be selected with the first overall pick in this summer's draft (even before we knew who would be making that pick)?

Anthony Davis isn't a chronic Tweeter, and that's a good thing. He lets his fans know he's alive and kicking every few days, engages in the occasional small talk and seems to already have a pretty good grasp of how to say the right thing at the right time: 

"

As a proud new member of the Hornets & New Orleans family, my thoughts & prayers are focused on Hurricane Isaac. May God keep every1 safe.

— Anthony Davis (@AntDavis23) August 29, 2012"

On the other hand, you have to be a little concerned if this is what Davis comes up with when he's just sitting around and thinking (is this guy a philosopher now?): 

"

Sitting here thinking and this is what I've came up with. Nat'l Champion....Gold Medalist....all I need is a NBA championship to be complete

— Anthony Davis (@AntDavis23) August 14, 2012"

And, you have to be even more concerned if he's still confused about the weather in NOLA:

"

Why is it so humid in N.O?

— Anthony Davis (@AntDavis23) September 5, 2012"

Ultimately, though, Davis' tweets really aren't that annoying. That's all you can ask for.

Bradley Beal—SG, Washington Wizards

Bradley Beal might be a darkhorse candidate for Rookie of the Year honors, but he isn't taking anything for granted. Here's how he starts every day (no, really... every day):

"

Good morning tweeps, let's thank God for all of His blessings and for allowing us to see another day !

— Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) September 5, 2012"

We'll see if he still feels that way after playing a few games for the Washington Wizards. In all seriousness, though, Beal could be key to this team turning things around. It's added some defensively-minded veterans, and John Wall is set to get even better.

Beal could find himself becoming a star. The good news is it sounds like he'll stay pretty grounded:

"

I will never forget where I'm from....it's been real STL ! I'm outtie ! Wheels up ✈

— Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) August 29, 2012"

Always good to hear.

Dion Waiters—SG, Cleveland Cavaliers

Dion Waiters seems like a nice guy.

His twitter feed reveals constant interaction with his fans, which either means he cares a lot about them or is spending way too much time on Twitter. If you have a question for Dion, he just might answer it:

"

Eagles of course RT @the_jvale: What's your favorite NFL team? RT"@dionwaiters3: I'm glad the NFL season is here."

— Dion waiters (@dionwaiters3) September 6, 2012"

That might happen a bit less once the season actually starts.

Also, expect to see plenty of updates about Waiters' alma mater:

"

Wow I thought we had it. But good job fighting back. We will get the next one. #cusenation.

— Dion waiters (@dionwaiters3) September 1, 2012"

You'd think most rookies would have plenty to say about their schools, but not so. That just might be the latest symptom of a one-and-done culture. It's nice to see Dion showing some school pride.

Thomas Robinson—PF, Sacramento Kings

How can you not like Thomas Robinson? His Twitter updates aren't necessarily enthralling, but they're totally endearing.

There are times when he says whatever comes to mind, for better or worse:

"

Good morning

— thomas robinson (@Trobinson0) August 21, 2012"

And, then there are "aw shucks" moments like this one that remind you why you were so happy to see this guy drafted:

"

Kinda wish I was on campus today miss y'all Ku

— thomas robinson (@Trobinson0) August 21, 2012"

Like Dion Waiters, Robinson also does a nice job staying in touch with fans, answering questions and serving as the kind of role model we all expected him to be. We shouldn't be at all surprised to see these kind of shout outs:

"

I told my varsity coach, if @trobinson0 can follow his dreams and still make it through the hardtimes. Then So can I.

— #BallIsLife Sept.17 (@LilBlaze317) August 25, 2012"

Don't just follow this kid on Twitter. Follow his career closely. It could be a special one.

Damian Lillard—PG, Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard's Twitter feed will make you like him, but you might not know why. For example, what does this mean?

"

Now my crib got Muchrooms portobello . . .

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) September 5, 2012"

Am I missing something? I assume he didn't just tweet about purchasing some mushrooms. Please help me understand!

The best thing about Lillard, though, is that he apparently took the time to watch some of the Republican National Convention. He even supplied some commentary:

"

Romney promised 12 million jobs! That's a hell of a promise.

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) August 31, 2012"

Indeed it is.

Harrison Barnes—SF, Golden State Warriors

Well, leave it to Harrison Barnes to start contemplating life after basketball before he's even played an NBA game:

"

Life after basketball for me may be being a tv show critic

— Harrison Barnes (@HBarnes) September 4, 2012"

Why the career choice? You can blame HBO for that:

"

I'm hooked to boardwalk empire...I give it 4.5 stars

— Harrison Barnes (@HBarnes) September 3, 2012"

If the Golden State Warriors actually threaten for a playoff spot this year, expect Barnes' tweeting and TV viewing to both go on hiatus. Barnes could have a lot of pressure on his shoulders this season.

Terrence Ross—SG, Toronto Raptors

Harrison Barnes isn't the only rookie busy watching TV:

"

My new favorite tv show is Wilfred... Funniest show to me lol

— Terrence Ross (@T_DotFlight31) September 5, 2012"

Who knew Terrence Ross had such a quirky sense of humor? When he's not watching TV, he's playing video games:

"

time for some 2k12.... whose trying to catch a L???

— Terrence Ross (@T_DotFlight31) August 30, 2012"

You could be fooled into thinking Ross is something of a couch potato, but as a matter of fact he's just awesome. He could very well become the best player in this draft when all is said and done, and all that practice on NBA2k12 will pay off.

Did he play as the Raptors? He kind of has to now...

Andre Drummond—C, Detroit Pistons

Well, here's a subtle way to brag about a new endorsement deal with Adidas:

"

Who wears size 17 that wants all my pairs of Nike, Jordan's, converse, ext..... 85 percent of them haven't left the box!?

— Andre Drummond (@DRE_DRUMMOND_) September 6, 2012"

We can only assume countless giants and mythical titans got in line to get their hands on Dre's buckets and buckets of unused shoes. Oh, correction: Only 85 percent of them were unused—this guy's precise.

In general, Drummond offers plenty of inspirational quotes and the occasional references to a Tigers game.

Given the endless speculation about Drummond's motor, whether he'll reach his potential and so on, you have to hope he turns into a big-time star. The Detroit Pistons could use it.

John Henson—PF, Milwaukee Bucks

Here's all you really need to know about John Henson. He's a Cowboys fan:

"

Cowboys … let’s gooooo …!!

— John Henson(@_John_Henson_) September 6, 2012"

Good man.

As for the his background, which appears to be an animation in which some guy is lighting a joint, we'll just assume said animated guy is a medicinal user (don't the Milwaukee Bucks have someone vetting these kind of things?).

The rest of Henson's tweets are relatively interesting daily musings. Admittedly, a few of them will leave you baffled:

"

I always see the TOUGHEST chicks at the grocery store lol

— John Henson(@_John_Henson_) August 30, 2012"

What?

Royce White—F, Houston Rockets

The jury is still out on what Royce White brings to the floor, but you have to like a guy who keeps things in perspective:

"

To everyone out there who suffers from mental illness, my objective is not gain sympathy, but raise awareness and break stigma for *others.

— Royce White (@Highway_30) September 5, 2012"

Well said.

White is also nothing short of thought-provoking, and that's hardly run of the mill among young players (or veterans, for that matter). He dishes on politics:

"

I love #politics, i'm disappointed in politicians :-/...not that* my opinion counts #itdoesn't

— Royce White (@Highway_30) September 4, 2012"

What music really means:

"

Nobody writes their own music, all music already exists. Musicians use existing music to solve their creative equations, just like math.

— Royce White (@Highway_30) September 3, 2012"

And how about some online media criticism:

"

Seriously though, we need to get some checks & balances on *the blogosphere... a place without a filter is always dangerous. (Correction)

— Royce White (@Highway_30) September 3, 2012"

White may be a tad too emo for some tastes, but you won't find a more well-rounded and stimulating series of thoughts coming out of the NBA. This guy does things a little differently, and the league will be much better off for it. 

Perry Jones III—PF, Oklahoma City Thunder

Perry Jones III might have been the steal of the draft if he can stay healthy, and he might be tweeting about a championship before too long.

For now, though, he's letting us in on life's great challenges:

"

1 of the top 5 hardest things in the world to do: keep from bouncing around while riding in a taxi

— Perry Jones III (@Perry_Jones1) August 22, 2012"

It sort of makes you wonder what the other four are. I have a feeling his list might change after spending some time guarding the post in the NBA. In other news, Jones ponders one of life's great mysteries:

"

If someone goes to sleep in the day time, do you say goodnight or good day??

— Perry Jones III (@Perry_Jones1) August 1, 2012"

Third option: tell them to wake up! Who has time for naps anymore?

Jared Sullinger—PF, Boston Celtics

If you aren't rooting for Jared Sullinger to have a great career, you should start. The guy could have been a lottery pick were teams not scared off by potentially chronic back issues. Hopefully, their loss will be the Boston Celtics' gain.

Either way, we'll apparently be in store for some wild and "crazy" tweets:

"

I love my followers they put up with my crazy tweets

— Jared Sullinger (@Jared_Sully0) September 6, 2012"

That better be a promise. Any completely normal tweets will henceforth be considered a disappointment.

Starting with this one:

"

Just woke up from the best nap. Lord knows I needed that.

— Jared Sullinger (@Jared_Sully0) September 5, 2012"

Not nearly crazy enough. He won me back with this insight, though:

"

I'm officially done going out. It's the same thing every time.....

— Jared Sullinger (@Jared_Sully0) September 3, 2012"

Seriously.

Kendall Marshall—PG, Phoenix Suns

Words of wisdom?

"

Don't always turn ya other cheek, cuz they might try n make you turn ya other cheek. ha! think about it

— Kendall Marshall (@KButter5) September 5, 2012"

Still thinking about it...still thinking. Hmm.

Well, at least Kendall Marshall is an amazing passer. And, he's right about this much:

"

I just lost two hours in my life that i will never get back. Tropic Thunder was terrible.

— Kendall Marshall (@KButter5) September 5, 2012"

The only real complaint you can have about Marshall is that he never stops tweeting. He graced us with 23 tweets on Sept. 4, which is just way too many by any measure.

Terrence Jones—F, Houston Rockets

Terrence Jones had me at:

"

Don't lie to yourself

— Terrence Jones (@TerrenceJones1) August 30, 2012"

Not sure who, if anyone, that was directed at, but it's good advice all the same! And, if you don't like him already, you will after this:

"

Great day with the fam today bowling dinner and movie much love with moms and aunt ava

— Terrence Jones (@TerrenceJones1) August 27, 2012"

Bowling? A movie? Aunt Ava? You've got to love the wholesome family time.

Keep an eye on Jones. He might not have been a lottery pick, but there's a lot of upside here, and there will be plenty of opportunity for it to develop on the Houston Rockets' young roster. In a few years, he could be one of those guys who makes us wonder how and why he wasn't a top-10 draft pick.

Meyers Leonard—C, Portland Trail Blazers

Even if it takes Meyers Leonard some time to develop into a viable starting center for the Portland Trail Blazers, at least we know he'll be entertaining:

"

Chillin in the U Haul place...Guy "man, you outta play basketball!" then goes on to say "yeah, we've had some Blazers in here before.." #Oh

— Meyers Leonard (@MeyersLeonard11) September 6, 2012"

Leave it to Leonard to spend his days hanging out at U Haul places.

Even more endearing?

Meyers thinks playing in the NBA qualifies as "the real world":

"

Officially heading off to the real world.Going to miss my family and friends so much.Not worried though, they'll always be a part of my life

— Meyers Leonard (@MeyersLeonard11) September 4, 2012"

If only.