Best 2020-21 NBA Rookie

[Lipoli390]

Thought this was in interesting article by Mike Schmitz on some of the rookies, including Anthony Edwards:

"Real or not: Anthony Edwards is the best rookie this season

Mike Schmitz: Not totally real yet.

Will Edwards lead all rookies in scoring? Yes. As he showed against the Utah Jazz, when his jumper is falling, he's an incredibly tough cover given his handle and physicality to the rim. But for every stellar scoring night, he'll have outings like his 6-for-21 performance against the Lakers. I'd expect a season with some Rookie of the Year highs yet lingering questions about his efficiency and winning impact.

James Wiseman looks like he belongs in the conversation, and the fact that he is 5-for-6 from 3 is a huge development. But his defensive rust and lack of toughness showed against the Chicago Bulls. And although I'd still pick LaMelo Ball for ROY despite a slow start, he falls in the same category as Edwards and Wiseman. While the wow moments jump off the screen, Ball is still learning how to become a more efficient offensive player and disciplined defender, and I'm interested to see if he can eventually grab hold of the starting point guard job.

I think there's a possibility that one of Deni Avdija, Tyrese Haliburton and Isaac Okoro will have the greatest impact on winning. Avdija has looked like the steal of the draft so far as the Washington Wizards' starting wing, shooting 50% from 3, creating for others and showing glimpses defensively. Haliburton also has played like a top-five pick for stretches, shooting 42% from 3 and making high-level reads. Despite a recent injury, Okoro's defense, toughness and underrated offensive game are big reasons there's so much optimism in Cleveland.

If we're talking about the most highlights, Ball, Edwards and Wiseman sit atop the list. In terms of having the most well-rounded impact in Year 1, I'd go with Avdija, Haliburton and Okoro."

[FNG]

This will be fun to watch develop. Halliburton and Avdija have clearly been the most polished and effective rookies so far. Okoro has brought a lot of defensive intensity, but I don't think his offensive game will ever get to the level where he will be a ROY candidate. Schmitz mentions Ball, but I think his rookie stats will be horrible. And Patrick Williams has looked like a very unpolished rookie in his last couple games.

That leaves Wiseman and Edwards, the top 2 picks in the draft. While I see Edwards as the superior player, his minutes may be limited by the logjam of 2's and 3's while Wiseman has little serious competition for minutes. Wiseman's defense will remain a work in process, but I think he'll get 30+ MPG and make enough 3's and dunks to take the ROY honors.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I usually like and agree with Mike Schmitz's draft takes and evaluation, but he really lost me this year with his fawning over LaMelo Ball. I have never been able to see what he sees despite trying my best to.

James Wiseman shooting 5/6 from three isn't as surprising to me as I'm sure it is to others. As I've said all along, the kid can shoot and the motion is repeatable. He obviously won't maintain this level of efficiency from deep, but it is not difficult to imagine him shooting 36-percent or so on okay volume over a season in the future. The mechanics are there and he's confident in that part of his game.

One more rookie to watch is Cole Anthony. He's going to get plenty of run in Orlando off the bench and they're looking for him to score in bunches when he's on the floor. If things go right for him this year he could be another candidate in the ROY conversation.

[FNG]

I don't get the Ball love either, camden. Despite having played at a professional level last year, he looks totally unprepared, and his 33% shooting and 5.6 TO's per 36 makes it difficult to play him much. I will say he has rebounded and shot threes well, but the rest of his game has been a disaster so far.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Haliburton is not lighting it up offensively. I don't think anybody expected that. After all, he's only averaging 6 shots per game. And when you have two max guys with scoring being their best skill... that would have actually been ok, right?

After 3 games, he has 15 assists and 1 TO. His TS% is 70%. He seems to be exactly the type of player he was described as... and exactly the type of player I think the Wolves need(ed). We'll see if he pans out for many years and not only 3 games... but the "He's so much better than the boxscore" has officially become his mantra already.

Here's a 90-second video of Haliburton making steals in the preseason that's pretty fun... https://streamable.com/k1naou

[FNG]

Camden, good addition to the ROY watch in Cole Anthony. I don't know if many recognize how talented he is because of his forgettable freshman year, but he has a lot of potential. NO turnovers in 36 minutes in his past two games.

[FNG]

Way too early hot take: I think the top 3 teams in the draft will be satisfied with their pick, but I think every team that passed on Haliburton except the Wizards have to be kicking themselves with every minute of new video that features him. I recognized how NBA-ready he was offensively, but his lockdown defense has been a surprise to me. This kid is off to an incredible start to his career.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I don't get the Ball love either, camden. Despite having played at a professional level last year, he looks totally unprepared, and his 33% shooting and 5.6 TO's per 36 makes it difficult to play him much. I will say he has rebounded and shot threes well, but the rest of his game has been a disaster so far.

Ball has come around recently. He's looked the best of the top 3 picks so far. Wiseman on the other hand has sort of faded after his first couple of solid outings. Edwards is somewhere in the middle. We're still super early, so lots can still change.

I guess the good news to me given my very low expectations is that Edwards has done nothing to really detract from his original value as a prospect. And even if he wouldn't be valued as a #1 pick in past drafts, he'd probably still be a top 3 or 4 prospect. Any front office or scout that really loved Edwards would still love Edwards based on the flashes he's shown with the Wolves - and may be even more so in some cases. I guess my main point is that he is still a very valuable trade asset, second only to KAT.

[FNG]

Q, I agree that Ball has performed the best of the top 3 and Wiseman the worst. I still think Wiseman has the best chance of the 3 of becoming ROY because he is almost guaranteed to start, and he won't get as much defensive attention with every team essentially playing a box and one against the Warriors.

All that said, Haliburton is still head and shoulders above every other rookie so far. I'd have a hard time coming up with who is second right now. Maybe Ball?

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Q, I agree that Ball has performed the best of the top 3 and Wiseman the worst. I still think Wiseman has the best chance of the 3 of becoming ROY because he is almost guaranteed to start, and he won't get as much defensive attention with every team essentially playing a box and one against the Warriors.

All that said, Haliburton is still head and shoulders above every other rookie so far. I'd have a hard time coming up with who is second right now. Maybe Ball?

Yeah, no surprise on Haliburton as a lot of us (Abe mostly I think) were really excited about potentially trading down for him. He just had such a high floor and has certainly demonstrated that so far.

But before I get depressed about Haliburton, I need to remind myself that he's 18 months older than Ant and had one extra year of college play. That probably just means it will be NEXT year I get depressed when Ant shows little to no progress while Haliburton keeps improving upon an already high floor. For now, nothing to be concerned about!