8 NBA Rookies Already Looking Like Steals from the 2015 Class
Even though it's early, summer league has already helped a few first-year players boost their NBA stocks.
Granted, all of the typical caveats apply.
These members of the 2015 rookie class have only suited up a few times in either Orlando or Utah, and there's always some inherent risk when working with such a limited sample size. They've also been playing against relatively low-level competition, as no true stars are going to be taking the court this time of year in regulated action. Summer league action must always be taken with a grain of salt.
But we have to work with what we're given, and that's a handful of summer league contests that have allowed a few upcoming rookies to stand out in a big way. Some are second-round picks (and even an undrafted player) who have proved themselves rather nicely thus far, while others are first-round selections who may still turn out to be gems.
A lot can change between now and the start of the 2015-16 campaign, but these are the early overperformers who could very well turn into long-term steals.
Branden Dawson, Los Angeles Clippers
1 of 8Drafted: No. 56
Age: 22
Position: SF/PF
"I just try to bring energy on the boards and get to every loose ball," Branden Dawson said after his standout showing against the Oklahoma City Thunder, per Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. “My teammates got me the ball on a couple breaks and I was able to score pretty easily. My job every night is to bring energy, and if the points come, too, I’ll be OK with that.”
That performance, one highlighted by the windmill slam you can see above, was the best outing of this Michigan State product's young career at the professional level, but not by much. After all, here's his game log through his first four appearances with the Los Angeles Clippers:
| 1 | @ ORB | 14 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6-13 |
| 2 | vs DET | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4-6 |
| 3 | @ OKC | 14 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7-14 |
| 4 | @ MIA | 15 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7-13 |
That's quite the impressive set of lines for someone so close to going undrafted back on June 25.
Dawson has been a standout energy guy for the Clippers, and that lends hope that he might actually make the big league roster. After all, LAC doesn't boast much depth at this point in the offseason, and his type of nonstop hustle could quickly endear him to head coach Doc Rivers.
With a little development, the Clippers could have found a Draymond Green of their own—a comparison made even easier by the Spartan connection.
Aaron Harrison, Charlotte Hornets
2 of 8
Drafted: Undrafted
Age: 20
Position: PG/SG
Last year, Langston Galloway was an undrafted prospect who landed with the New York Knicks. Then, he went on to make the All-Rookie Second Team as a versatile young player who could reasonably line up at either point guard or shooting guard.
Is Aaron Harrison going to follow in his footsteps?
Despite the plethora of Kentucky prospects who heard their names called out on draft night, this Harrison twin was not among them. He was left to fend for himself as a free agent, latching on with the Charlotte Hornets for the summer league festivities.
Thus far, he's given them no reason to regret handing him a spot in the lineup. While his brother has struggled to make a positive impact for the Memphis Grizzlies, Aaron has suited up in four games and scored in double digits during each of them. Through those contests, he's averaging 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks.
Perhaps even more impressively, he's coughed the ball up just twice per outing and is shooting 43.2 percent from the field, struggling from outside the arc but finding success when he's able to put the rock on the floor and attack the hoop.
If he's going to win over someone, Patrick Ewing would be a good choice. Per Dennis Varney of KentuckySports.com, he's already currying favor with Charlotte's associate head coach:
"I think he's doing a fantastic job. He's running the ball club, he's taking his shots when he has to and he's also sharing it with other guys on the team. He's playing a little bit out of position because he's more of a two guard, but I think in order for him to make an NBA roster that's the position he's going to have to play—the point.
"
Harrison will have to keep shining throughout the summer if he hopes to join Charlotte during the Association's official season. But he's done all he can thus far, and even emerging into that type of position is a rather positive achievement for an undrafted guard.
Richaun Holmes, Philadelphia 76ers
3 of 8
Drafted: No. 37
Age: 21
Position: PF
After averaging 14.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 2.7 blocks with a player efficiency rating of 30.4 during his final season at Bowling Green, per Sports-Reference.com, Richaun Holmes' stock was soaring before the NBA draft—relatively, of course, because he was a second-round pick. He still drew significantly more attention than most anyone could have anticipated.
Somehow, he may still have gone too low.
Not only does Holmes have the strength (6'8", 245 lbs) and motor necessary to contribute on defense and while crashing the boards, but he's developing a face-up game with a jumper that now extends out beyond the three-point arc. Though he's connected on only two of his first nine attempts in Orlando Summer League, it's encouraging that he's even attempting them in live-action scenarios.
Holmes' numbers aren't going to blow anyone away thus far, but his versatility, well-rounded nature and feel for the game should.
"I'm an activity guy," the young power forward told CBS Philly's Matt Leon after his last outing. "I'll bring energy playing defense, doing little things, making hustle plays to just help my team win. I think that's something me and Philadelphia can kind of have in common, we work hard, blue-collar guys, most definitely."
At this point, offensive production is just gravy. Delicious gravy, but gravy nonetheless.
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Dakari Johnson, Oklahoma City Thunder
4 of 8
Drafted: No. 48
Age: 19
Position: C
As of Wednesday afternoon, only Aaron Gordon (11.7) and Branden Dawson (10.3) had averaged more rebounds per game at the Orlando Summer League than Dakari Johnson (9.0). Even if those participating in Utah Summer League are brought into the mix, Johnson only slips behind three more players: Furkan Aldemir (12.5), Jack Cooley (10.5) and Jahlil Okafor (9.5).
That's not too shabby for a center taken halfway through the second round of the 2015 NBA draft, especially when he's also contributing in other areas.
This 6'11" center was a potential first-round pick heading into the draft-day proceedings, but he slipped down the boards and now has to prove himself with a non-guaranteed contract. Making matters even tougher for him, the Oklahoma City Thunder already have a glut of NBA-ready bigs, counting Steven Adams, Enes Kanter (if OKC re-signs him from restricted free agency) and Mitch McGary.
Still, FiveThirtyEight.com's Neil Paine and Zach Bradshaw had Johnson ranked No. 6 among members of this rookie class based on projected RPM, and they had the following to say about his potential:
"Kentucky center Dakari Johnson, for example, ranks 30th according to the scouts (using the same version of Ford’s top 100 that we used in the model, from late May) and has barely any chance of becoming a superstar (2 percent), but he ranks sixth overall in the model because he has a 37 percent probability of turning into a starting-caliber player and only a 19 percent chance of becoming an outright bust.
"
The Thunder don't need him to emerge as a superstar; finding a player capable of starting in a pinch will be just fine from the No. 48 pick.
Though it's still early, Johnson is validating those sentiments with his defensive presence, rebounding prowess and developing offensive skills.
Stanley Johnson, Detroit Pistons
5 of 8
Drafted: No. 8
Age: 19
Position: SF
Remember when Stanley Johnson, per MassLive.com's Jay King, told NBA teams they should draft him because he was the top talent in the draft?
So far, we have no reason to doubt him. Even though he only heard seven names called out before receiving his chance to stroll across the stage at the Barclays Center, he's already emerging as a big-time steal by virtue of playing better than anyone else participating in the Orlando Summer League.
Debuting against the Orlando Magic, the new Detroit Pistons small forward posted 13 points (on 5-of-8 shooting), four rebounds and three assists. Three games later, that's rather easily his worst outing.
After all, Johnson put up 24 points, nine rebounds, an assist and three steals in his follow-up performance against the Los Angeles Clippers then recorded 14 points, seven boards, two dimes and a pair of swipes in a marquee matchup against Justise Winslow and the Miami Heat.
On Wednesday, he just kept rolling, stuffing the stat sheet against the Indiana Pacers to the tune of 20 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks.
Don't bother getting out your calculators. We'll run the numbers for you.
Through four appearances, he's now averaging 17.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks. On top of that, Johnson has only turned the ball over seven times and is shooting 64.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.
He's been absolutely phenomenal, and we haven't even touched upon his impressive work on the defensive end, save for the mentions of his steal and block numbers.
Cady Lalanne, San Antonio Spurs
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Drafted: No. 55
Age: 23
Position: C
To be clear, Cady Lalanne is not going to emerge as a key player for the San Antonio Spurs during his rookie season. He'll likely spend much of the year playing in the NBA Developmental League, though he could certainly fill a bench role with the real squad and earn garbage-time minutes.
But already, the 23-year-old is providing hope that he could eventually be something more.
Through two games, the UMass product has been an aggressive defender, taking advantage of the extra fouls players are granted during summer league action and attempting to contest just about everything. Sure, he's been whistled for illegal contact quite often, but he's also dealt with tough matchups—including Jahlil Okafor of the Philadelphia 76ers—and come away with six blocks.
He's also attempted to take some triples. Though none have fallen, it's already encouraging that he's trying to stretch out the floor and fit in with the modern-day NBA.
Players drafted within the final six picks of the night aren't expected to be immediate contributors, and few ever make a significant impact at the NBA level. The very fact that Lalanne is offering hope he could be an exception makes him an early-steal candidate, even if he doesn't have the numbers or current impact of many other players who are handed that sought-after tag.
Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers
7 of 8
Drafted: No. 11
Age: 19
Position: C
At Texas, Myles Turner never really strutted his stuff with any sort of consistency. Though he flashed the shot-blocking and floor-spacing tools that made him such an intriguing prospect, he was unable to make a massive positive impact and routinely posted lackluster shooting percentages or worse.
Apparently, the Longhorn offense was holding him back.
Turner has been an absolute force during the early stages of his Indiana Pacers career, presumably making the front office rather glad it can hand him plenty of minutes during his inaugural campaign. After his latest performance—23 points, eight rebounds and four blocks on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons—he's now averaging some rather impressive figures.
Through three outings, the big man is posting 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks during his typical contest. He's coughed the ball up just three times total, and he has yet to miss more shots than he makes in any appearance. On top of that, Turner drilled a pair of triples in only three attempts, and his work at the charity stripe has been quite solid.
"It's early still, and obviously he's off to a great start in the summer league..." Indiana head coach Frank Vogel said on an NBA TV broadcast, per Manny Randhawa of IndyStar.com. "He's got such a unique combination of skills with the ability to shoot with range, but also you've seen him dominate the game on the defensive end with his shot-blocking. ... We're really high on him."
At this point, who isn't really high on him?
As CBSSports.com's Sam Vecenie wrote, "Another player that has succeeded beyond expectations has been Myles Turner, the rookie out of Texas. I've written at length about why this 7-foot shot-blocking, three-point-shooting center fell on draft night. Already, he's looking to make teams regret on passing on him."
Joseph Young, Indiana Pacers
8 of 8
Drafted: No. 43
Age: 23
Position: PG/SG
Why stick with one Indiana Pacers when you can have two?
"We liked Joe [Young] all year, so we were surprised he'd be there but he's there and we got him," Larry Bird, the team's president of basketball operations, explained the night of the draft, per IndyStar.com's Candace Buckner. "We got to get him integrated with what we're going to do and hopefully, he can get the ball up and down the court a little bit faster."
Thus far, he's done exactly that.
Following his 25-point showing against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday afternoon, Joseph Young has now stood out in different ways during each of his first two appearances.
During his first showing, he was still a bit limited by a stomach illness, and his shot didn't always find the bottom of the net. Still, he pushed the pace and seemed to gain comfort running pick-and-roll sets, which resulted in four dimes to go along with his nine points.
That's not exactly a gaudy figure, but assists are naturally hard to come by during summer league, given the prominence of isolation plays and the complete absence of established chemistry between teammates.
Two days later, Young remembered how to score. Those 25 points came on just 15 shots, thanks in part to a 3-of-3 outing from downtown and a perfect 4-of-4 performance at the stripe. Oh, and he also recorded another five dimes for the Pacers' summer league squad.
If Indiana was hoping to find a dynamic spark plug to come off its bench, it appears that's exactly what it has in this second-round pick from Oregon.
Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @fromal09.
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