NBA Rookie Watch…
I love the start of NBA preseason. Filled with hope for almost every team and the fans love to watch the new rookies that come in and try to strut their stuff. I wanted to go over some rookies I think will have very successful campaigns this season. This doesn’t mean that I don’t believe others will have successful careers, but this season is what I’m writing about.
5. Acie Law- Yes, he’s an Atlanta Hawk and that’s why he made the list. The Hawks haven’t had a solid point guard for years and Law will get every chance to prove he’s the man. The starter for now is Speedy Claxton and that isn’t saying much for the Hawks. When the season starts to go downhill, and it will quickly, the Hawks will turn to Law to let him develop in a non pressure environment. Point is, he’ll get playing time and put up some decent numbers this season.
4. Marco Belinelli-Golden St. Warriors. Golden St. traded Jason Richardson and that paved the road for Belinelli to come in and get playing time. This guy was coveted by a lot of teams and we know how much Don Nelson loves tall euros that can shoot. I see him getting some time and having the green light to shoot and score. He’s a great fit in Golden st.’s system and will do very well this season. I also predict him to be the sleeper of this draft and expect a great career. We know Matt Barnes had a good season there last year and Belinelli is better.
#3…Corey Brewer Minnesota. Twolves have a decent young nucleus and Brewer fits in nicely. Showed he could shoot last year and his defense has never been questioned. He has a Scottie Pippen feel to his game because of his ability to defend 3 positions and handle the ball. He’s in a good situation because he’ll be able to play 20-30 minutes a game and he’ll fill up a stat sheet. He is unselfish and willing to do the little things.
#2…Julian Wright-New Orleans-This is a tough guy to keep off the court. He has a sketchy jumper but is an incredible athlete who works very hard on the court. Fearless. Much better passer than people think. Same as Brewer in a lot of ways except Brewer is a little more versatile because of his shooting ability. Julian Wright will be on the court because he brings energy to the game and will get a bunch of offensive rebounds playing with Peja and Chris Paul. I expect him to be a serious contender for rookie of the year. It doesn’t hurt that David West is playing ahead of him right now and he can’t seem to stay healthy. If the door gets cracked at all, Wright will step in and not open it for anyone for years.
#1…Kevin Durant-Sonics- No brainer here. The Sonics are a young team with two top 5 selections and they did great with them. Durant will play a lot and be asked to put up some numbers. He will. Yes, he will have games where he fouls out and gets beat on defense constantly. Players want to go at this kid and prove he isn’t all that. But I expect that to last for 2-3 weeks into the season and Durant will settle down. I see him having games of 30 plus throughout the season. I love this kid and barring injury he’s the rookie of the year in the NBA.
Disagree…Let me know.
