NBA Rookies 2016-17: Youngsters Who Will Make Teams Regret Passing on Them
There's always talent lurking in the hidden depths of the NBA's pool of eligible players.
2015-16 saw Josh Richardson and Norman Powell become important players after they were drafted in the second round by the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors (via the Milwaukee Bucks), respectively. T.J. McConnell thrived for the Philadelphia 76ers after he went undrafted, and Jonathon Simmons excelled after the San Antonio Spurs gave him his first NBA minutes.
One season prior, Nikola Jokic, Jordan Clarkson, K.J. McDaniels, Jerami Grant, Markel Brown and Dwight Powell all came off the board in the second round. Tarik Black, Tyler Johnson, Sean Kilpatrick, Cristiano Felicio, Tim Frazier and Langston Galloway weren't selected at all, but they've subsequently made noise at the sport's highest level.
These six rookies will all reward their current squads for the confidence no other organization was willing to display. None of them were taken with a top-30 pick, but all will prove they have staying power in the Association.
Ron Baker
1 of 6
Team: New York Knicks
Position: SG
Age: 23
Drafted: Undrafted in 2016
Preseason Per-Game Stats: 5.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.7 steals
Even though Ron Baker went undrafted in 2016, he wasn't available for long. The New York Knicks immediately scooped him up as a free agent, and he's done nothing but impress ever since.
That won't be the end of his rise, especially because the New York backcourt is thin and filled with injury-prone contributors. An injury to rookie Chasson Randle opened up his initial opportunity, and if Courtney Lee or Justin Holiday goes down, Baker will be capable of bigger minutes.
The Wichita State product is quite comfortable filling an off-ball role and stepping into his jumpers. It's the role he often filled with the Shockers, where he shot 36.9 percent from beyond the arc throughout his four-year collegiate career. And he was even better during Knicks' preseason, knocking down 50 percent of his three-pointers.
Even if Baker's shot is off, he can provide value with his defensive intensity, disrupting passing lanes and poking the rock away from unsuspecting ball-handlers. NBA Math shows he was the nation's No. 33 defender during his senior season, at least in terms of defensive points saved.
This shooting guard will never compete for an All-Star berth, and he'll rarely post gaudy point totals. But he has value as a long-term backup and spot starter, which is more than teams typically get from their second-round selections.
Kay Felder
2 of 6
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Position: PG
Age: 21
Drafted: No. 54 in 2016
Preseason Per-Game Stats: 8.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.8 steals
Don't let Kay Felder's size fool you.
The 5'9" guard can score the basketball, whether he's throwing down slam dunks, raining triples or creating space off the dribble. Lest we forget, he tormented defenders during his career at Oakland, even scoring 24.4 points per game as a junior and winning Player of the Year in the Horizon League.
Felder's skills should still translate, as they did during a preseason so successful that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been perfectly content to leave him as Kyrie Irving's only true backup. He didn't just fall into the team's lap at No. 54; The organization actively wanted him, as Terry Pluto detailed for Cleveland.com:
"The Cavaliers had Oakland University point guard Kay Felder at No. 18 on their draft board. They really did. It's why owner Dan Gilbert gave the team the green light to spend $2.4 million to buy the No. 54 pick in the draft from the Atlanta Hawks. The Cavs had no picks in the 2016 draft because of previous trades.
As Felder kept dropping, the Cavs had to decide if they wanted to see if he went undrafted -- and then convince him to sign with the Cavs. Or they could buy their way into the second round and grab Felder. They didn't want to take any chances, so they purchased the rights to a player ranked as a middle first-rounder on their board.
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Felder's defense needs substantial work, even if he's already willing to press opposing guards. He's too undisciplined in the half court and can get caught behind screens set by much bigger players, failing to recover before his mark lofts up an uncontested shot. His passing also lags behind where it should be, though that will come around as he continues to gain comfort.
But Felder's natural quickness and innate scoring ability make him a valuable piece in the Cleveland puzzle, and a strong start to his rookie season should cement his place in the rotation.
Patrick McCaw
3 of 6
Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: SG/SF
Age: 21
Drafted: No. 38 in 2016
Preseason Per-Game Stats: 8.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks
The Golden State Warriors are already overstocked with talent after the offseason addition of Kevin Durant. But they may also have landed the steal of the 2016 NBA draft, as Patrick McCaw fell out of the first round and into their clutches at No. 38.
After a standout career at UNLV, this swingman immediately began making a substantial impact in preseason action. Those per-game numbers don't even come close to showcasing his true value, as McCaw averaged 15.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.5 blocks per 36 minutes while shooting 45.2 percent from the field, 40.9 percent from downtown and 92.3 percent at the stripe.
But perhaps most impressively, he didn't fade away in big moments.
On Oct. 14 against the Denver Nuggets, he knocked down shots that sent the game to overtime and then ended the extra period at the buzzer, prompting this reaction from head coach Steve Kerr, according to Anthony Slater of the Mercury News: "I don't know how many games I've ever seen in my life where a guy hits a game-tying three in regulation and a game-winner at the buzzer. That doesn't happen."
When McCaw's sprained ankle is fully healed, he should play a much bigger part in the Warriors' second unit. He's already earned a role as a primary backup capable of scoring, defending, setting up teammates and rebounding.
"We'll find time for Patrick," Kerr told Slater, and that should remain true even if McCaw trends in the wrong direction and becomes little more than a spot-up marksman during his rookie season.
The list of second-round and undrafted gems Golden State has fostered is already impressive: Gilbert Arenas, Monta Ellis, Draymond Green, CJ Watson, Anthony Tolliver, Kelenna Azubuike and Justin Holiday were all developed there. Don't be surprised if there's another name before too long.
Sheldon McClellan
4 of 6
Team: Washington Wizards
Position: SG
Age: 23
Drafted: Undrafted in 2016
Preseason Per-Game Stats: 7.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 steals
Let's turn to a lengthy excerpt from Mike Knapp's article about Sheldon McClellan for Bullets Forever, because it does a perfect job summing up what allowed this undrafted free agent to make the Washington Wizards' final roster:
"He was one of the most efficient scorers in the country last season and was rewarded with second team All-ACC honors for his contributions to the Hurricanes. McClellan scored over 16 points a game while shooting over 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three.
McClellan finished top five in the ACC in true shooting percentage, offensive rating, and win shares. What made his game particularly impressive is that he was able to be effective without a high usage rate. He only used 22.4 percent of Miami’s possessions when he was on the floor. That’s not just a low rate for elite players, it wasn’t even the highest on the team. He only had the fourth-highest usage rate at Miami last season.
That low usage rate is why McClellan has a chance to be so valuable for the Wizards. He has proven that he can be a consistent offensive threat without dominating the ball. This is an incredibly rare skill for rookies, but, then again, McClellan isn’t your typical teenage, NBA project seeing as how he played his final collegiate season as a fifth-year senior and will turn 24 this December.
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If the Wizards put him with John Wall and Bradley Beal in a smaller lineup, he'll pick his spots, but he could also take on a larger role if needed.
The rookie's court time has been minimal so far, but he'll earn trust during practice and garbage time. He has far more upside than Marcus Thornton, which should become readily apparent if the veteran struggles to shoot efficiently yet again. He should just do enough to stick and prove he deserves more action in Year 2, which will stand in stark contrast to the many second-round picks who are looking for work in the summer of 2017.
Rodney McGruder
5 of 6
Team: Miami Heat
Position: SG
Age: 25
Drafted: Undrafted in 2013
Preseason Per-Game Stats: 7.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.1 blocks
It's not just that 30 teams missed on Rodney McGruder when he finished up his Kansas State career in 2013. He never even got a chance, forcing the shooting guard to labor away for Atomeromu SE in Hungary's Nemzeti Bajnoksag I/A, then play for the NBA Developmental League's Maine Red Claws and Sioux Falls Skyforce.
But McGruder received an opportunity to stick with the revamped Miami Heat, and he played well enough during preseason to stake his claim as a member of the active roster. Udonis Haslem had great things to say about his new teammate, per the Miami Herald's Manny Navarro:
"He worked for it. He earned it. Nobody gave him anything from Day 1. He saw a crack in the door and he kind of kicked the door down. It took everything that he’s got. It just reminded me of my situation when I came in, how everything kind of played out for me and how I had to come in and take it.
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McGruder should be more than a footnote for Miami's 2016-17 campaign, though.
The 25-year-old has developed into an ace defender and a capable marksman, becoming a true three-and-D wing who could score 15.8 points per game while shooting 51.3 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from downtown and 73.9 percent at the stripe with Sioux Falls.
McGruder must play well to cement his spot in the rotation, because he'll be pushed further down the depth chart once Josh Richardson's knee has healed. But he should never again be a mere afterthought. Through three regular season games, he's one of just 47 players to log at least 50 minutes and post positive offensive and defensive box plus/minuses.
Paul Zipser
6 of 6
Team: Chicago Bulls
Position: SG/SF
Age: 22
Drafted: No. 48 in 2016
Preseason Per-Game Stats: 5.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.3 blocks
We should've known.
Paul Zipser was fantastic during his final season across the pond, averaging 13.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.9 blocks per 36 minutes for FC Bayern Munich while shooting 49.5 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from downtown and 83.9 percent at the stripe, per RealGM.com. But he slipped to No. 48 in the 2016 NBA draft, where the Chicago Bulls greedily snatched him up and then watched him develop ahead of schedule.
"The 22-year-old German had a solid preseason, showing a well-rounded skill set," Kelly Scaletta wrote for Bleacher Report. "He has a smooth-looking shot, defends the 2, 3 and 4 and has surprising skills with the ball. He has a chance to move up on the depth chart."
Zipser hasn't yet received a chance to shine during the regular season. He's only worked his way onto the court against the Indiana Pacers, where he played just over three minutes and recorded nothing more than a single rebound.
But it's only a matter of time before he gets a chance to show off his stellar spot-up jumper, especially as the shooting in Chicago's backcourt inevitably regresses and necessitates more spacing from other positions. Expect him to get run in smaller lineups because of his ability to switch on defense, making it more likely he can coexist next to an offense-only threat such as Doug McDermott.
By the All-Star break, Googling his name should lead to more English-language results than German ones.
Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @fromal09.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from Basketball-Reference.com, NBA.com or NBA Math and are current heading into games on Oct. 31.
