NBA Rookie Of The Year Watch: Parker Still On Top

With the second week of the NBA season in the books, Jabari Parker holds onto the number one spot in Basketball Insiders’ weekly Rookie of the Year Watch.

There are some notable shifts from last week’s rankings.  One main reason for that is injuries to Nerlens Noel and Marcus Smart, who have both been sidelined for several games after suffering ankle sprains last week.   Another reason is inconsistent playing time.  One such example of this is Nikola Mirotic, who has seen a significant drop in his minutes and consequently has fallen out of the top-10 for this week.

With that said, let’s jump into this week’s rankings:

10.  Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics:

Smart suffered what looked like a severe ankle injury last Friday against the Indiana Pacers.  Fortunately, the injury was diagnosed as just a sprain and bone bruise, which will keep Smart out of action for at least another week.

For now, Smart remains in the top-10 of the rookie rankings, but will surely drop out before he is able to return.  But after seeing Smart play gritty defense against opposing point guards for five games, and make some impressive passes, he should be back in the top-10 in no time.

9.  Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic:

Gordon has at times looked NBA-ready, and at other times looked very much like a raw rookie.  Gordon’s biggest problem right now, however, is playing time.  Gordon only played 16 and 10 minutes in his last two games, and is now down to just 15.2 minutes per game on average through eight games.

On the season, Gordon is averaging 5.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists on 51.4 percent shooting from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range.  Gordon is known as a hard worker, and it looks as though his hard work is paying off, at least when he manages to get onto the floor.  Last Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves Gordon scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds, registered one assist, blocked two shots and made his two shots from three-point range in 22 minutes of action.  It’s unfortunate that Gordon’s minutes dropped after this impressive performance, but that is part of the usual struggle for NBA rookies.

8.  Dante Exum, Utah Jazz:

Exum had one of his best performances of the season against the Dallas Mavericks last Friday.  Exum scored 11 points, grabbed two rebounds, registered five assists, and knocked down 2-4 of his three-point attempts.  Exum played 27 minutes against the Mavericks, which was his most minutes played in any game this season.  He showed an ability to make accurate passes in crowded spaces, and looked very comfortable shooting the ball from deep.

Through eight games, Exum is averaging 6.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three-point range.  Exum has huge potential moving forward, but will struggle to climb the rookie rankings until he starts playing more than 20 minutes a game.

7.  Kostas Papanikolaou, Houston Rockets:

Papanikolaou continues to find ways to impact games through his rebounding, passing, and playmaking.  However, Papanikolaou needs to start hitting his shots, or he will continue to fall down the rookie rankings.

Through seven games, Papanikolaou is averaging 4.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 28.6 percent from the field and 27.6 percent from beyond the arc.  There was a temptation to drop Papanikolaou down the rankings even more because of his shooting percentages, but his overall impact on games, most notably his passing, holds him steady at seven for now.

6.  Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers:

After spraining his ankle last Wednesday and being held out of action since, Noel slides to six after finishing second overall last week.

Noel could have dropped more, but his per game averages of 7.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.8 blocks through five games mitigates the damage from missing these last few games.  Noel is expected to be back on Thursday (along with the reigning Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams) and should pick up right where he left off.

5.  Bojan Bogdanovic, Brooklyn Nets:

Bojan Bogdanovic comes in at fifth this week after being left off the list last week.  Bogdanovic had his best performance of the season against the Orlando Magic on Sunday, scoring 22 points and hauling in six rebounds.

Through six games, Bogdanovic is averaging 10 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 48 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.  He looks very confident shooting from the perimeter, and has shown a knack for scoring at and around the rim.  His perimeter defense has been fairly good overall as well.

As long as Bogdanovic continues to play confidently and play heavy minutes, he should be a regular in the weekly Rookie of the Year Watch.

4.  K.J. McDaniels, Philadelphia 76ers:

The more McDaniels plays, the more teams must wonder how they let him slip into the second round of this year’s draft.  McDaniels may not ultimately win Rookie of the Year, but he looks like a lock to win the biggest steal of the draft award (okay, that’s not a real award, but you get the point).

Through seven games, McDaniels is averaging 9.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.7 blocks per game on 48.1 percent shooting from the field and 42.1 percent from three-point range.  He is third among all rookies in per game scoring, second in blocks and fourth in three-point shooting percentage (though first among rookies that shoot more than two three-pointer per game).

There are at least a few teams that are kicking themselves for passing on McDaniels on draft night.  However, because of his unique contract situation, those teams will have a shot at acquiring him after this season.  If he keep playing the way he has been, he is sure to get a lot of attention next offseason.

3.  Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves:

Through six games, Andrew Wiggins is averaging 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, one assist and 1.2 steals, while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond-the-arc in 27.3 minutes per game.

Wiggins is fourth in per game scoring among all rookies and at times looks like he could average closer to 16 points per game.  His best game in the last week came against the Brooklyn Nets, where he scored 17 points, made his only three-point attempt and hauled in four rebounds.  In that game, Wiggins showed an ability to finish at the rim through contact and to knock down shots from the perimeter.

While Wiggins’ offensive production will fluctuate throughout the season, his commitment to playing tough perimeter defense seems like a constant, which is a major reason why he takes the number three spot in the rankings this week.

2.  Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic:

Payton takes hold of the number two spot this week despite scoring just four points total in his last two games.

Through eight games, Payton is averaging 7.2 points, six assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals, while shooting 34.8 percent from the field.  Most notable is Payton’s six assists per game, which is far and away the best among all rookies (Kostas Papanikolaou is second at 3.1 assists per game) and 1.4 steals per game, second best to Nerlens Noel.  However, Payton’s shooting has been shaky as he is shooting just 34.8 from the field and has attempted just one three-pointer so far.

1.  Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks:

We all knew Parker would be able to score the ball at the pro level, and so far he is one of just two rookies to average double-digits in scoring (the other being Bojan Bogdanovic).  Through eight games, Parkier is averaging 10.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, one assist and 1.1 steals, while shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 25 percent from beyond-the-arc in 28.8 minutes per game.

Parker’s rebounding numbers have declined somewhat, and he hasn’t registered a double-double since November 1, but he continues to make an impact each night.  He looked particularly good against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, scoring 18 points on a combination of athletics dunks, points in transition, and mid-range jumpers.

Particularly encouraging is Parker’s ability to grab rebounds and push the ball in transition.  The only other power forward in the league who does this regularly is Blake Griffin, which is one of the things that makes him such a unique and effective big man.  Parker doesn’t have Griffin’s size or strength, but he is showing a well-rounded game that keeps him on top of the Rookie rankings for a second consecutive week.