Orlando Magic guard Mario Hezonja has certainly stepped up, but it seems the entire rookie crop has in actuality.
It is time for the second edition of the NBA Rookie Rankings here at Orlando Magic Daily. Several rookies have really started to break out of their respective shells. It seems there has been an epidemic of rookie takeovers, so much so that it was hard not to make this top-10 a top-20.
Four of these top-10 rookies are in the rotation on playoff contending or actual playoff (Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat) teams. For a first year player to crack the rotation on a good team is an overwhelming sign he has worked hard and is not so mistake prone as to disrupt the team. Especially if that team is playing for something.
As the season goes on, the players become more mature, but it is counter-balanced by the fact some hit the “rookie wall.”
Well, we are now arriving on the juncture of the season at which some of these rookies would be hitting the wall, but most of these guys are only playing better of late. The “rookie wall” may be something of a myth, it seems.
Let’s dive into this top-10 and see how it has changed since the first iteration of this slideshow as the rookies gather for the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge in Toronto.
Next: A Mature Rookie
1. Karl-Anthony Towns
Last Rank: 1
Karl-Anthony Towns retains the top spot in the rookie rankings. Towns continues to post big numbers and is averaging a double-double with 16.7 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game entering Wednesday’s games. Towns is highly efficient and does not have a problem with turnovers (just 2.1 per game).
The Minnesota Timberwolves have one of the best young cores in basketball when Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine are factored in.
One thing that could hurt Towns in Rookie of the Year voting though is Kristaps Porzingis and the New York Knicks are in contention for the playoffs, while Minnesota lingers near the cellar of the West.
But Towns was not expected to change Minnesota’s fate radically this season. Seldom do rookies even play as well as Towns, but the Wolves lack of perimeter shooting dooms them regularly.
Towns should likely attempt more triples as a 37.5 percent shooter who averages just 0.9 attempts per game. The opportunity to be a great passing stretch-5 is there for him. He has the skills to make it work.
Next: The Latvian Sensation
2. Kristaps Porzingis
Last Rank: 2
We said the New York Knicks are in the playoff chase, but their current chances are worse than Orlando’s as the Knicks trail the No. 8 Detroit Pistons by five games entering Wednesday’s games.
But Kristaps Porzingis is looking more and more like a franchise cornerstone.
New York is currently riding a six-game losing streak and the last four games have all been decided by six points or less. Even in this Knicks team-wide slump, Porzingis is still putting up numbers.
In his last 10 games he has averaged 13.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 2.7 steals/blocks per game. Porzingis has scored 41 points in the last two games while attempting 23 field goals in the 101-96 loss to Denver on Feb. 7.
It is clear Porzingis is going to be a huge part of the offense the remainder of the way. He is averaging 13.8 field goal attempts in the Knicks’ last five games. Rookies typically do not receive that kind of usage.
Next: Cool Heads Prevail
3. Jahlil Okafor
Last Rank: 4
Jahlil Okafor seems to have settled down following his off-court problems earlier in the season. He has played very well in the Philadelphia 76ers’ last eight games entering Wednesday’s games, averaging 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks/steals per game. Okafor has been slightly better protecting the rim than most expected he would, and he seems to be maturing and learning from his mistakes.
It is hard to ignore the raw results, 17 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting 49 percent from the floor. And he is doing that on a Sixers team pretty devoid of playmakers.
Okafor will only be better when the Sixers provide him with a premiere floor general to set him up. In the Sixers’ 103-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 6, Okafor had 22 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks.
Those type of nights may become regular for a guy whose offensive skill-set and back to the basket repertoire is tops in his class.
Next: Serious Southpaw
4. Julius Randle
Last Rank: 3
Julius Randle has only played even better as time has gone on. In the Los Angeles Lakers’ last 10 games, he is averaging 14.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.8 blocks/steals while playing 31.1 minutes per game. His typically poor field goal percentage has been more than respectable, hitting 49.1 percent of his attempts.
Randle was NBA ready, and he is showing it as he takes more initiative in turning to his playmaking abilities. He is unafraid to put the ball on the floor, and he is not overly turnover prone while doing so.
The Anthony Mason comparison continues to remain valid, and the fact both are southpaws kind of makes it all the more appropriate.
Randle said he would average a double-double this season and many balked at him. Well, to date he is averaging 11 points and 10 rebounds on the season.
Next: Playmaking Sans Jumpers
5. Emmanuel Mudiay
Last Rank: 5
The Denver Nuggets have won three of their past five games, and Emmanuel Mudiay really seems to know how to pass a basketball.
The rookie point guard has averaged 7.2 assists and just 2.0 turnovers per game in the Nuggets’ last five game. On the season, his shooting percentage is fairly horrible at 33.6 percent, but Mudiay is a guy who can take the keys to the engine and get a team going.
Mudiay’s effect can be seen most profoundly on Danilo Gallinari who has averaged 22.6 points per game during the Nuggets’ streak. He is helping Denver get into transition which is where Gallinari excels. The Denver Nuggets may implode their roster, but Mudiay is likely off limits for suitors.
The Nuggets know getting him at No. 7 in the draft was a steal, and Nuggets fans can live with his shooting until he gains a reliable jumper. For now, his maturity and defensive talents alone justify him.
Next: Certified Gunner
6. Devin Booker
Last Rank: Unranked
Devin Booker is now looking like he may have star potential. Or at least be more of a sure rotation player than when we last did these rankings.
In the Phoenix Suns’ last 10 games he has averaged 17.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists while playing 35.9 minutes per game. That is the stuff of veterans. Booker is knocking down 40.7 percent from 3-point range, earning him a trip to Toronto to be in the 3-point shootout.
Booker’s late run of play included a 27-point performance in a 104-97 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 2. Booker’s increased production may be because of the vast increase in playing time from Eric Bledsoe’s injury, but it is clear by his play he has now earned a permanent spot in the rotation.
Booker has averaged 36.4 minutes per game in the last five games, and the Suns will hope he does not hit the rookie wall.
Phoenix is now 14-39 on the season, and so developing Booker is one of the few things the Suns can accomplish this season.
Next: The Changing of the Guards
7. D’Angelo Russell
Last Ranked: 7
D’Angelo Russell has picked up more steam.
In the Los Angeles Lakers’ last 10 games he is averaging 13.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Most importantly with Russell, he passes the eye test.
Russell’s court vision is top notch, and no one on the Lakers is really shooting all that well so his 41.5 percent field goal percentage is a little excusable at this point. Russell can improve that and his 32 percent 3-point shooting as yet another young player whose basketball skills are just lacking a jumper.
Russell had 16 points, five assists and five rebounds in Los Angeles’ loss to the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. He was just 6 of 18 from the floor in that game.
Russell is getting his chances with a 27 minutes per game and 11.4 field goal attempts per game.
Really, though, watching Russell one can tell he is going to be a special talent when this all unfolds. It is a comfort for the Lakers, as Kobe Bryant departs, he leaves a guy like Russell to blossom.
Next: Liberty and Justise for All
8. Justise Winslow
Last Ranked: 6
Justise Winslow has received an even bigger role with the Miami Heat, and he is one of the few rookies contributing to a playoff-bound team.
Winslow has seen 32.5 minutes per game in the Heat’s last 10 games. Over that span, he is averaging 7.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
But numbers really do not do Winslow the homage he deserves. His defensive efforts are strong enough to warrant an All-NBA Defensive Team nod, likely sooner rather than later.
Winslow scored in double figures in just one of Miami’s last five contests, but he did have double-digit rebounds twice. Eventually, Winslow will take on a scoring role much like Avery Bradley has done in Boston. The talent is there, and certainly he can finish at the rim.
It is just a matter of taking on a bigger role because he is not going to put up huge numbers without more field goal attempts (just 5.3 per game on the season).
Winslow will be a lot like Tony Allen, Andre Iguodala and Bradley — his defense will always overshadow the offensive skills.
Next: Turn(er) Down for What?
9. Myles Turner
Last Ranked: Unranked
Myles Turner has arrived.
If he sustains his current level of play, he will fly up the rankings. Turner is now starting and has posted 15.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. The rim protection is a huge boost to the Pacers, and he even had a nasty swat on LeBron James, pinning a dunk attempt firmly on the glass.
Turner has stayed away from lurking around the arc so much, and it has only benefited his game. His mid-range jumper may someday rival LaMarcus Aldridge.
And in the Pacers’ last five games, he is seeing 30 minutes per game and shooting 52.5 percent from the floor. Turner has star potential, and that was even clear during Summer League games in Orlando.
Expect Turner to be a fixture at the 4-spot for the Pacers, because it is clear he is already primed for the role.
Next: Let the Croatian Light It Up
10 Mario Hezonja
Last Ranked: 10
Mario Hezonja has now come on, but so have many other rookies, which is why he remains No. 10 in the rankings. We have now seen Hezonja start to unravel the tricks that lurked up his sleeve early this season.
Hezonja’s best antics have come in the long triple, as he has displayed that he has the range to pull up four and five feet behind the line at times.
Hezonja has become a fixture in the rotation of a team in contention for the playoffs. He is now taking on the role we expected he might when preseason stat projections were hammered out here at Orlando Magic Daily.
Hezonja has averaged 23.4 minutes per game in Orlando’s last five games and he saw 32 minutes in the 117-110 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 8. The rookie has been somewhat inconsistent, but that is a bit expected.
Hezonja took a lot of tough looks in both games against the Hawks, but against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 3 he hit 6 of 10 from the floor while scoring 16 points, one shy of his career high of 17.
He is coming around.
Next: Orlando Magic Daily Podcast: All-Star Break
If he helps Orlando sneak into the playoffs his ascent up the rankings here will most certainly happen.