6 Under-the-Radar 2015 NBA Rookies on the Rise
Familiarity with some of the NBA's most notable rookies like Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Mirotic and Nerlens Noel is becoming ubiquitous.
However, some lesser known second-round and undrafted talents are making quite a ruckus on a few of the league's underachieving big-market squads.
Not only do these first-year players offer potential glimpses of the future, but they also could come to represent some of the league's biggest bargains as they latch onto desperate franchises that have been scraping the clearance bin in hopes of uncovering hidden gems.
One housekeeping note to keep in mind before we get started: Lottery picks were excluded from the equation entirely in order to provide a focus on second-round picks and undrafted free agents. That said, one mid-first-round selection has had an impact too profound to ignore and wound up slipping through the cracks.
Jerami Grant, F, Philadelphia 76ers
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Selected: No. 39 overall
So the Philadelphia 76ers may be onto something with regard to the whole hoarding second-round picks thing.
First, there was early season sensation K.J. McDaniels. Now, there's Jerami Grant, who was selected at No. 39 overall in the 2014 draft.
Suffering an ankle injury in training camp prohibited Grant from making his professional debut until November, but he's grown increasingly more comfortable in the months since. After logging 15.1 minutes per game in December, Grant is over the 20-minute-per-game threshold in January.
A tweener who didn't flash much range at Syracuse or during his early minutes with the Sixers, Grant has grown into a surprising non-liability from beyond the three-point line.
He is nailing 45.5 percent of his triples since Jan. 1, nudging his season-long average up to 35.6 percent.
"We know when this gym sleeps, we have people here all the time," head coach Brett Brown said, per NBA.com's Max Rappaport. "And for Jerami to come back after a game, at midnight, is not uncommon. He invests time, and he, right now, is my poster child for what hard work can produce."
Grant's also a vicious shot-blocker, ranking No. 2 overall among rookies in rejections per 36 minutes (2.2) behind only Jusuf Nurkic, according to NBA.com. He had eight against the New York Knicks on Jan. 21 and became the eighth player in the last two decades to do so in under 25 minutes, according to Rappaport.
“He’s one of these guys, for me, that makes me want to hug Sam [Hinkie], because he nailed it," Brown said, per Rappaport.
Oh, and the kid can absolutely fly.
Jordan Clarkson, G, Los Angeles Lakers
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Selected: No. 49 overall
The Los Angeles Lakers are in search of silver linings with Kobe Bryant sidelined for the remainder of the season, and Jordan Clarkson is here to ease the pain.
Clarkson has logged at least 17 minutes per contest over his last five appearances, while Jeremy Lin has been relegated to the role of DNP-CD disappointment and streaky scorer.
Logging the first three starts of his career in January, Clarkson's inching closer to filling a massive ancillary scoring void. And while the results haven't been thoroughly encouraging, the 2014 draft's 46th pick has the physical tools necessary to become a rotational staple, according to Bleacher Report's Josh Martin:
"Unlike Bryant and Young—and unlike the other ball-dominant guards on L.A.'s roster—Clarkson is at an age (22) where his potential is far more a matter of projection than something that can be quantified concretely. The rookie out of Missouri is still in the primordial stages of his pro career and, as such, is due for rapid growth in his game.
The raw materials are certainly there for Clarkson to become a quality rotation player. At 6'5, Clarkson has the requisite size and ball-handling ability to man either guard spot. He's quick and athletic, enough so to slice to the rim for himself.
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Shooting better than 60 percent inside of three feet and already flashing a relatively deft mid-range stroke—40.9 percent between 16 feet and the three-point line—Clarkson has the makings of a useful bench contributor should he continue honing his off-the-dribble skills.
Jusuf Nurkic, C, Denver Nuggets
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Selected: No. 16 overall
Ranked No. 2 overall in player efficiency rating (16.54) among rookies, according to ESPN.com, Denver Nuggets rookie center Jusuf Nurkic is starting to blossom in the post-Timofey Mozgov era.
Sliding in as Denver's starting man in the middle, Nurkic has produced some steady per-36-minute numbers that point to sizable future offerings. To date, he is totaling 11.4 points, 13.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes.
However, examining advanced numbers reveals just how substantial the 280-pound behemoth's impact has been. According to NBA.com, the Nuggets have been 11.2 points better per 100 defensive possessions with Nurkic on the floor, limiting opponents to 96.8 points per 100 possessions. Comparatively, the Nuggets rank No. 23 overall with a defensive rating of 105.3 through 45 games.
"He's good, tough, skilled, more skilled than you think," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said, per Bleacher Report's Josh Martin. "He really knows how to play, can really pass. He's a good player. That's probably why they made one of the moves they made with Mozgov, so they could get this kid more playing time, I guess."
With a defensive rebound rate of 29.7 that ranks tops among all rookies and No. 5 overall among centers, per ESPN.com, Nurkic is establishing himself as a low-post banging monster with the potential to evolve into one of the league's more versatile centers.
Tarik Black, C, Los Angeles Lakers
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Undrafted
This year's undrafted rookie free-agent crop hasn't disappointed, with Los Angeles Lakers center Tarik Black rising toward the top of a surprisingly strong group.
Waived by the Houston Rockets on Dec. 26, Black was scooped up by the Purple and Gold just two days later as a way to help remedy the team's lack of toughness on the blocks.
Although an ankle sprain has forced Black to miss three of L.A.'s last four games, the eight-game sample he's provided us with is nothing to sneer at. Specifically, the Lakers have been 11.2 points better per 100 possessions with Black on the floor, per NBA.com.
Additionally, Black ranks No. 4 overall among rookies in player efficiency rating (13.65), according to ESPN.com, with his offensive rebound rate of 16.0 besting Jusuf Nurkic's by a solid 4.4 points.
And as Bleacher Report's David Murphy discussed, Black's game is starting to resemble that of Lakers big man Jordan Hill:
"Although they have very different body types, Black’s game is somewhat reminiscent of Hill’s not long ago, in that both provide energy and athleticism under the basket. However, Black already has a more disciplined style, while Hill’s newfound love for mid-range jumpers can sometimes sublimate his propensity for crashing the offensive boards.
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While he's rarely ventured out beyond 10 feet on offense, Black has been living in the restricted area and along the baseline, making good on 21 of his 29 attempts from point-blank range.
An efficient scorer who doesn't require many touches, Black is under contract at a paltry $845,059 next season, per BasketballInsiders.com. That means the Lakers will have plenty of opportunities to cultivate his most valuable skills on both ends before he's due a qualifying offer worth roughly $1.2 million the following summer.
Langston Galloway, G, New York Knicks
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Undrafted
Reasons for optimism have been few and far between in the Big Apple this season, but Saint Joseph's product Langston Galloway is providing one as he attempts to prop up the New York Knicks' 26th-ranked offense.
In fact, Galloway's contributions have been such a pleasant surprise that New York recently signed him to a minimum deal that runs through the 2015-16 season, according to ESPN New York's Ian Begley.
Signed and subsequently waived by the Knicks prior to the start of the season, Galloway was brought aboard via a 10-day contract on Jan. 7 before re-upping for another 10 days on Jan. 17.
Now, he's helping lift the Knicks offense out of the cellar.
Since Galloway's arrival, Derek Fisher's club has been a massive 17 points better per 100 offensive possessions with the 23-year-old on the floor, according to NBA.com. As a contextual note, the Knicks' offensive rating (105.5) with Galloway on the floor would rank tied for No. 9 overall if it spanned the course of the regular season.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman explained what Galloway has brought to New York's offense during his early days at Madison Square Garden:
"A sniper out of Saint Joseph's, having shot a career 42.6 percent from downtown on a whopping 343 three-point makes in four seasons, Galloway has hit 12 of 31 threes (38.7 percent) for the Knicks through eight games.
As someone who projects more as an off-ball player once the Knicks eventually add talent to the roster, it's encouraging to see that Galloway has hit a strong 52 percent of his catch-and-shoot jumpers outside 10 feet, per NBA.com.
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Converting 50 percent of his mid-range jumpers while serving as an effective off-ball roamer beyond the three-point line, Galloway's starting to look like the real deal as a future provider of instant offense.
Joe Ingles, SF, Utah Jazz
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Undrafted
Following the Tarik Black model, Joe Ingles has made the most of a second opportunity in the span of a few short months.
Shortly after being waived by the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 25, the Utah Jazz jumped at the chance to add the Australian swingman Oct. 27.
Appearing in all 45 of Utah's games to date, Ingles has only recently found his stride from beyond the arc. In January, the 27-year-old rookie has knocked down 37.5 percent of his three-point attempts—a 17.5 percent month-over-month improvement.
And after attempting just 25 triples in December, Ingles has been urged by his teammates to let the rock fly at a higher clip.
"When every guy on the team and the coaching staff is telling you, 'shoot it, shoot it,' obviously I’ve always known I could shoot it, but it was more of a trying to get the guys involved and being that middle man," Ingles said, per the Deseret News' Ryan Miller. "I don’t mind doing it, and I’m not out there to get my own stats or anything like that."
As Grantland's Zach Lowe noted in December, "He Rondo’d a fast break in that same game, passing up an uncontested layup to dump the ball back to Dante Exum — even though Exum had three defenders, including chase-down expert K.J. McDaniels, bearing down on him.
Becoming more selfish isn't a conventional way to improve, but in Ingles' case it might represent a road to more consistent results.
All statistics current through games completed Jan. 27 and courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
