5 NBA Rookies Who Will Be Under Fire from Day 1

Drafting a solid player in the NBA is never easy. Becoming one after being drafted is even harder. That is the task facing these young athletes.

Being a high draft pick comes with many expectations. You are not just expected to be a contributor in your first season but also expected to become the superstar that the franchise will build around for seasons to come. That is a ton of pressure to place on the shoulders of a young man who has barely reached adulthood.

These rookies will be under fire from day one of their NBA careers. In fact, they probably already are. Many of them are expected to be superstars immediately and change the fortune of the fortune-less franchises that drafted them. Others will be asked to perform key roles for potential contenders, likely off the bench.

Needless to say, watching how they react to these situations will be fascinating for NBA fans.

The rookies will be listed in reverse draft order as we analyze how and why they will be under fire from the very beginning in the NBA.

Marquis Teague

No. 29 Overall

2011-12 Stats: 10 points, 4.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds

It made sense when the Chicago Bulls drafted Marquis Teague in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft. Derrick Rose had suffered a serious knee injury, and he is not expected to be back until well into the season. Teague was drafted to help shore up the point guard position in Rose’s absence. That is where the fire for Teague will come from.

Rose is an MVP and one of the best point guards in the NBA. He is a game-changer of the highest caliber. Expecting Teague to even help fill that role is quite a lot to ask. He does have help in newly-acquired Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson, but he is by far the most athletic of the three. That will fuel the expectation for Teague to supply the missing athleticism that Rose has.

Whether he will be able to do that remains to be seen. Teague is one of the fastest guards in this rookie class. The raw ability to be a dynamic player is there. If he can learn control, he could be a great asset for the Bulls. But if he cannot, you can bet that he’ll be under fire in a major way.

Austin Rivers

No. 10 Overall

2011-12 Stats: 15.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists

The good thing for Austin Rivers is that he was the second pick the New Orleans Hornets had to make in the first round. While that does take some of the pressure off him, he will still be looked to to help turn around the franchise almost immediately.

Rivers has star potential. Although he never seemed to fit in at Duke, it seemed to be because he was a star player playing in a star-less system. He is an isolation guard who can shoot lights out from long range and score with the ball in his hands. He will be expected to do those things almost immediately for New Orleans, and those are never easy things for a rookie to do.

Another potential problem for Rivers is the fact that he will probably be playing the point guard position instead of his more natural position of shooting guard. The Hornets spent a ton of money retaining Eric Gordon, so the point is really the only place for Rivers to go other than the bench. He has not shown the ability to play the point and set others up all that well, so the burden of having to do that will add even more scrutiny to his game.

Damian Lillard

No. 6 Overall

2011-12 Stats: 24.5 points, five rebounds, four assists

The Portland Trail Blazers desperately needed a dynamic point guard to complement the game of star big man LaMarcus Aldridge. Damian Lillard is the man they drafted to do that job.

Lillard's scoring in college was gaudy, so one would think that he has a legit shot at becoming the scoring point that the Blazers are hoping he will be. However, he did score those points against somewhat lesser competition while playing for Weber State. He did look good in summer league, but those games can be extremely misleading as well.

Lillard is really the only player on Portland’s team that can fill the role the Blazers need filled. Nicolas Batum is a very good player, but he is not the forceful scorer that will be necessary. Jamal Crawford and Raymond Felton are gone, so the job will fall to Lillard.

That is a tough assignment for a rookie point guard, who will not only have to make the normal adjustments a rookie makes to the NBA, but will also have to learn to play the toughest position on the floor. His play will be a large part of how good this team is immediately. Naturally, he will be watched very closely.

Thomas Robinson

No. 5 Overall

2011-12 Stats: 17.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists

Thomas Robinson is a great guy to have both on and off the court, and that is the primary reason why he will be under so much pressure his first NBA season.

He was a leader in college for Kansas, and that is what he is being drafted to be for the Sacramento Kings. This Kings team has been talented for a  long time. However, it has been unable to put wins together consistently. That problem has stemmed from a lack of defensive effort and work ethic, which has stemmed from a lack of leadership. That is where Mr. Robinson comes in.

He will be expected to be the leader by example that this young team needs. He is an extremely hard worker who gives full-out effort every time he steps on a basketball court. This team needs that type of mentality, but getting veterans to listen to a rookie is never as easy as all that.

Robinson will have to win the trust of his teammates, continue to be a very hard worker and lead the team to wins if he wants to truly be successful in Sacramento. Asking that of a rookie in his first year is rarely a request that can be fulfilled.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

No. 2 Overall

2011-12 Stats: 11.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists

Anyone who has even marginally followed the NBA the last few seasons knows how bad the Charlotte Bobcats have been. Michael Jordan’s team set a record for the worst win percentage in NBA history during the 2011-12 campaign. Obviously, the Bobcats’ pick in the 2012 draft would be a player under immense pressure. That is the position Michael Kidd-Gilchrist finds himself in.

MKG is a high-energy player who excelled on the defensive end in college. His offense will not be there in the beginning, but he should have the motor and athleticism to be a game-changer on defense immediately. Whether that translates into a better season for the Bobcats is a big question mark. Locking down just one player will not be enough to make much of a difference.

What they really need is for MKG to ignite a culture change in their organization. This is a player who works tremendously hard and plays hard as well. That is a good foundation for a winning culture. However, it takes more than just one player for it to really get going. If he cannot light that fire within his teammates, he will have a tough time in the early going.