NBA Rookies Who Could Make Impact on Playoff-Bound Teams
Playoff-bound NBA teams aren't always above needing help from fledglings.
Some of them are, for the record. The day Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers entrusts pressing responsibility to a rookie is also the same day Boris Diaw stops walking his dogs while riding a Segway.
Other situations—sincere apologies to C.J. Wilcox—aren't as hopeless. Sometimes, teams with postseason and championship aspirations play rookies. Sometimes, they start rookies.
Our big reveals will rest heavily on the following logic: Certain rookies are just too good or promising to sit. There may not be an obvious need for them to log extensive minutes, but their skill sets complement their respective team's system and on-court culture, and subsequently they cannot be ignored.
To be flat-out honest, it's necessary in other instances. If a team—however prominent—is especially thin at one position or needs dire assistance on one end of the floor, it will be forced to experiment with combinations and players it wouldn't otherwise use. Think (spoiler alert) Chicago Bulls and their anemic offense.
Collegiate and overseas performances will matter as well, though not as much. It's all about immediacy here. Needs vs. possession. Supply vs. demand. All that good stuff.
Leave the lottery-pick-stalking gear at home, folks (unless you're Charlotte Hornets, Phoenix Suns or Bulls fans). It's high time we lay some dap upon neophytes who have stumbled into winning situations.
Shabazz Napier, PG, Miami Heat
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When it comes to having point guards with noteworthy and reliable playmaking abilities, the Miami Heat don't. They haven't needed a pass-first point guard over the last four years. Some guy named LeBron James shouldered the offense-creating responsibilities.
Incidentally, that same guy—who may or may not have included Shabazz Napier's name on his teammate bucket list—is also the reason the Heat no longer have a top-tier distributor. They have Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers, both of whom are valued for virtues other than passing.
And then they have Napier, the rookie out of Connecticut, who should see some playing time by default.
Napier poses an interesting fit as a point guard schooled in the art of breaking down defenses and kicking out to teammates. As a pick-and-roll partner for Chris Bosh, he's perfect. Summer-league struggles notwithstanding, he may also be Miami's most dangerous backcourt shooter.
Dwyane Wade and Josh McRoberts project as the primary playmakers in the interim. While that's a problem, the team has enough talent elsewhere to remain part of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Napier is the Heat's insurance policy, with the potential to become an immediate—which is to say necessary—rotational fixture.
Bojan Bogdanovic, SF, Brooklyn Nets
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Yes, this Bogdanovic.
Three years after drafting Bojan Bogdanovic, the Brooklyn Nets finally have him. Good thing, too. They need him.
Paul Pierce's decision to sign with the Washington Wizards has left a gaping hole in Kevin Garnett's heart and, more importantly, at small forward. Joe Johnson and Andrei Kirilenko will certainly see time at the 3, but Bogdanovic is one of Brooklyn's few true, healthy small forwards.
With so many offensive weapons—provided Deron Williams plays better than Jarrett Jack and Brook Lopez's ankles go five seconds without sabotaging his career—Bogdanovic fits in as a nice, unproven afterthought. He has three-point range and should see a lot of open looks while defenses are zeroing in on other threats. From what he's shown early in training camp—and what was also evident during the 2014 FIBA World Cup—he moves well without the ball, too.
It's fitting, then, that he's seeing time with the expected starting unit, according to the New York Post's Tim Bontemps. The Nets have apparently looked "very good" offensively with him on the floor, which is paving the way for him to receive valuable minutes from the jump.
Although Bogdanovic may not start—though he certainly could—he's one young weapon Nets coach Lionel Hollins can't soon ignore if his team wishes to remain in the postseason hunt. Pierce's exit and Kirilenko's geriatric back have made sure of it.
Doug McDermott, F, Chicago Bulls
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Improving on the offensive end was a must for the Bulls this summer. They ranked 28th in offensive efficiency and 24th in three-point shooting last season. They needed spacing. They needed someone with a confident jumper.
They needed Doug McDermott.
There wasn't a better, more proven scorer in the draft than McDermott, who averaged 26.7 points per game while shooting 44.9 percent from deep during his senior year at Creighton. Trading for him guaranteed the Bulls offensive help—assistance they may not only use immediately but start.
It sounds crazy for sure. Tom Thibodeau? Rookies? Minutes? Start? Stop confusing the Benadryl for purple Gatorade.
Like Sam Smith of Bulls.com writes, however, the idea of McDermott starting isn't as insane and inane as it seems:
"Most coaches don’t do that with good teams ready to compete, as the Bulls are...But as a four-year college player who plays a complementary game and probably is the best shooter on the Bulls roster, it’s hardly a ridiculous notion to have him start with a veteran group with Rose, Noah, Gasol and probably Jimmy Butler at shooting guard. Which probably would benefit someone like McDermott even more.
"
Desperate for offensive firepower, unsure of how Derrick Rose-y Derrick Rose will be next season and waging battle with the superstar-saturated Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bulls have to play McDermott. Likewise, the rookie must live up to his reputation, if only because Rose says so.
"When I was playing with him while we were back in Chicago, I had to tell him whenever he’s open, I’m passing him the ball and he better shoot or I’m going to yell at him every time," Rose said, via Smith. "If you can shoot, you can fit in."
McDermott can certainly shoot, so look for him to fit in as well.
Nikola Mirotic, F, Chicago Bulls
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Whoa, wait a minute. One rookie receiving playing time on the championship-chasing Bulls, fine. But two? Thibodeau won't. He couldn't. He can't.
He must.
Nikola Mirotic is finally coming stateside, and he'll be of value to the Bulls for the same reason as McDermott: shooting. And other stuff.
Much like McDermott, he does more than shoot. He can put the ball on the floor and even run end to end when the mood strikes.
The biggest hurdle he'll need to clear comes on the defensive end. Mirotic generally isn't quick enough to defend opposing small forwards and stretch 4s. The Bulls' defensive system—which ranked second in the league last season—is built to mask deficiencies of multiple players at once, but with Rose working his way back and Pau Gasol a situational sieve, Mirotic will need to defend well, if not excel, lest he perish on the bench.
Admittedly, that could be an empty threat. The Bulls, even with a presumably healthy Rose, aren't in position to bury someone who could realistically flirt with 50/40/90 shooting percentages.
Those rookies usually aren't pinned to the pine. Not even in Chicago. You can hopefully find them lurking in either corner, anxiously awaiting Rose's kick-out and preparing to rain three-point hell down upon opposing defenses deep into the playoffs.
T.J. Warren, SF, Phoenix Suns
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Come join me out here on this limb. It's wonderfully creaky.
Selecting T.J. Warren is risky business for a couple of reasons. First, it assumes the Suns are going to make the playoffs. Making such assumptions with regard to the Western Conference is always dangerous. Though the Suns tallied 48 victories and finished one game outside the postseason bubble last year, breaking down that barrier isn't going to be easy when each of last year's top eight teams seem primed for another playoff push.
This also presupposes that Warren is going to, you know, play. That's not as limb-worthy. The Suns aren't especially deep at small forward. P.J. Tucker is there, and that's basically it. Gerald Green is more of a shooting guard, and both Marcus and Markieff Morris are better suited for stretch-4 duty.
But the Suns run crazy lineups. There will be points when Isaiah Thomas, Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe share the floor. Head coach Jeff Hornacek is unafraid of lineup idiosyncrasies; the more wacky his rotation, the less minutes that will be available to Warren.
Should he play regular minutes, his offensive acumen fits into Phoenix's system. He needs to expand his range and ensure the ball doesn't stop with him, but his off-rock movements are tremendous.
"He's got a knack for scoring," Suns assistant coach Mike Longabardi said of Warren, via Bright Side of The Sun's Dave King. "A knack for cutting and moving without the ball. We want to utilize that. We want him to play to his strengths."
After pumping in 17.8 points per game during the summer league, Warren has earned the opportunity to play. What he brings offensively should only help the Suns in their quest for playoff life.
Noah Vonleh, PF, Charlotte Hornets
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Stupid sports hernia.
The Hornets announced at the beginning of September that Noah Vonleh underwent surgery to "repair a sports hernia suffered in a recent workout." He was expected to miss six to eight weeks at the time.
While not ideal, Vonleh still has the chance to come in and contribute right away.
Charlotte's depth at power forward could be called embarrassing, but that would imply it has any. After losing Josh McRoberts to the Heat, the Hornets' most viable weapon there is the floor-spacing Marvin Williams—behind Vonleh, of course.
Having already drawn comparisons to Chris Bosh, Vonleh perfectly complements Al Jefferson. He can stretch the floor with his jumper, rebounds well and can even make an impact on the defensive end. His summer-league showing was less than watchable—28.7 percent shooting—but he still managed to average double-figure rebounds and adequately protect the rim.
Playing time won't be an issue for Vonleh once he's game-ready. The Hornets have no choice but to use him. It's not unreasonable to believe he'll start.
Whatever becomes of the Hornets this season, Vonleh's play—assuming health—will have a significant say in where they're going. Charlotte can only hope that's back to the playoffs.
Kyle Anderson, F, San Antonio Spurs
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Kyle Anderson was the most Spurs rookie available in this year's draft.
Standing at 6'9", he can do everything—shoot, drive, defend, fit into Tim Duncan's Costco hand-me-downs, run point, rebound, travel coast to coast and recite obscure monologues from West Wing. At least six of those eight things are true. That makes him a Spur. He's been a Spur before he was actually a Spur.
Earning the necessary playing time is the only caveat standing between Anderson and his ability to help the reigning NBA champions.
"Unlike Kawhi Leonard in 2011, the Spurs did not draft Anderson to be a key contributor as a rookie," the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald writes. "It is possible he spends much of his first season wearing out Interstate-35 between San Antonio and the Spurs' Development League affiliate in Austin."
With the rotation shored up—Anderson figures as the only new addition to San Antonio's title-toting core—minutes could be scarce. Or they could be easier to come by than we think.
Gregg Popovich only coaches for the privilege of snarkily eviscerating sideline reporters and for the playoffs. Off-days are pivotal parts of the Spurs' continued success. Rest will be given to Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Tiago Splitter, Boris Diaw and many others. Some of that rest may come all at once.
When it does, Anderson will have the chance to join Popovich's legion of second- and third-stringers who play far more than most in their positions normally would. And here's the thing: Sometimes, those opportunities matter. Popovich isn't above benching his regular rotation early and often.
All of which means Anderson could have ample opportunity to learn the Spurs way while helping them, in one form or another, contend for another title.
Cleanthony Early, SF, New York Knicks
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Trading into the draft was out of character for the New York Knicks, but it easily remains one of Phil Jackson's finest offseason moves.
Cleanthony Early is a pure scorer who can, in theory, thrive within the famed triangle thanks to his progression as a catch-and-shoot gunner. He drilled 39 percent of his standalone shots at Wichita State last year, up 8 percent from the season before, per DraftExpress.com.
Snagging a spot in the everyday rotation largely depends on the lineups New York runs. The Knicks play host to a bevy of wing talent, from Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway to J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony. Time at shooting guard and small forward can easily be covered by those four.
But the Knicks' frontcourt situation is weird. Aside from Amar'e Stoudemire, no one player should be guaranteed minutes at power forward or center—unless Jackson and head coach Derek Fisher inexplicably see greatness in Andrea Bargnani.
Thin on actual talent up front, the Knicks will have to run small for some stretches. That opens the door for Early to be used when Anthony is reprising his role as one of the NBA's premier stretch 4s.
Minutes presumably not being the issue, this comes down to whether or not the Knicks make the playoffs. Last season's disaster leaves room for doubt. Just not enough.
New York will be a playoff team, and Early will be part of the reason why.
*Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference unless otherwise cited.
