2011 NBA Draft Grades: 5 Rookies Who Will Turn Their Teams into Contenders

There are many teams in the NBA who seem to be a player or two away from becoming a contender. Five such teams brought in rookies who may be able to push them over the top.

Young players can have a huge impact early on in their careers. No rookie in this class will likely join his respective team and be the catalyst behind a 15-plus-win increase. Even so, he may be able to provide just enough to a team to allow it to get over the hump.

Here are five rookies who will turn their teams into contenders.

Reggie Jackson, Oklahoma City Thunder

Reggie Jackson joins Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in the best young lineup in the entire NBA. The Thunder are riddled with young talent. Jackson joins an elite group of youngsters and will be able to contribute off the bench immediately.

Assuming James Harden remains in OKC, the tandem of Harden and Jackson coming off the bench is going to be lethal. Depth matters in the NBA, and a series of stellar drafts has left the Thunder jam-packed with talent.

The Spurs and Mavericks are old, and the Lakers are falling apart. The Thunder could reign supreme over the next decade.

JaJuan Johnson, Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are aging rapidly. The Big Three aren't the trio they once were, and it seems as though an era is on the verge of ending.

Before Boston enters the Rajon Rondo era, it may be able to muster up one more championship. Injecting JaJuan Howard into their front line will help. Having that sort of player be able to run up and down the court gives the Celtics a different sort of energy.

The Celtics have a chance to expose the Heat's shortcomings next season before the team implodes.

Darius Morris, LA Lakers

It's safe to say pretty much everyone but Kobe Bryant could vacate the Lakers roster if the right deal came around. Their meltdown in the playoffs exposed their lack of continuity. They have the star power—they just need some cohesion.

For years, Derek Fisher was that cohesion. Darius Morris is a pure point guard who makes everyone around him better. It's unclear at this point what the roster is going to look like and how much the second-round pick will contribute, but he's exactly what they needed with their first pick in the draft.

Josh Selby, Memphis Grizzlies

Josh Selby has been arguably the most scrutinized player in the entire draft. He had a disappointing freshman year at Kansas after being one of the most sought-after high school players in the nation.

The Grizzlies got him in the second round, so the risk/reward ratio is off the charts. They may have landed a potential superstar and hit this one out of the park. Memphis is grossly underrated, and the West is wide open next season.

Norris Cole, Miami Heat

The Heat fell short this year in the Finals because they have zero players worth mentioning outside of Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade—and James went MIA when his team needed him the most.

Norris Cole may be able to start right away. Mario Chalmers isn't the answer, and Cole may be a better asset to the offense. He's a decent all-around basketball player. He also played at Cleveland State, which has to make you wonder what his take is on James.

The good news is Cole is entering a Miami Heat team that has "multiple championships" in its near future. Fancy that.

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