Early Season NBA Rookie Grades

Across the entire league, the NBA has a vast amount of superstar talent occupying each conference. In the East you have guys like Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the Western Conference there are guys like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Curry. And although these players are great and extremely skilled, the NBA is always looking for the next best thing. 

Last season we had the battle between first year phenoms as Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant faced off with New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson in the Race for the Rookie of the Year. This season it is the rise of guys like No. 3 overall pick LaMelo Ball for the Charlotte Hornets and No. 12 overall pick Tyrese Haliburton of the Sacramento Kings. There have even been a few surprises as teams like the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics are getting unexpected production from late-round picks like Immanuel Quickley and Payton Pritchard. 

Throughout the early portion of this regular season, we have seen members of the 2020 NBA Draft Class show up and show out with some next level performances and that should not go unnoticed. So, with that being said, here are my grades for the performances of five intriguing standout rookie prospects thus far this season. These grades take into consideration things like impact on team success, individual performance and what their current game projects them to become. Let’s get right into it!

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Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

Grade: C/C-

Starting at the top of the draft, there is Anthony Edwards who may have been the most under hyped No. 1 overall pick in recent memory. Going into a situation in Minnesota where the organization seems to be trying to figure out what direction they want to go in, this more than likely was just not the right spot for a developmental project like Edwards. 

We have to remember that he is a late bloomer and despite having a freakish physical build at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, he still is raw overall as a basketball player. So obviously one of the biggest things hurting his production the most is that he is the third lead guard between D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley, two guys who desperately need the ball in their hands in order to be effective. 

On top of that he has not been able to lean on a trusty big man like Karl Anthony-Towns who has only played six games so far this season and just returned last Wednesday in a close loss to the LA Clippers. With the sum of all these wrong doings, it’s easy to just blame Minnesota for Edwards’ inability to burst on the scene early like other notable No. 1 overall picks that came before him. But there is definitely more to the story than just bad roster construction that is hurting Edwards so far this season. 

In 26 games played, Edwards has started in only nine games all season which is pretty common across the league as other top guards in his draft class like Lamelo Ball and Cole Anthony did not start right away either. In those 26 games he is averaging 14.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Although this stat line looks respectable, it is the shooting splits that is really hurting him. Edwards is shooting 38.2% from the floor and 32.4% from three which are both extremely poor for any player that is looking to become a solid starter guard at the NBA level. 

The other thing with this is that despite having such athletic prowess and the ability to man handle defenders with his physicality, he continues to settle for long twos and deep threes which just does not play to his strengths. He is taking nearly six three-pointers a game which is almost half of his 14 shots a game. Meaning half of the shots he takes every game are not efficient and in turn he is not maximizing possession where he gets to be the primary ball handler and shot creator. He would really benefit from playing more downhill and creating contact to get to the free throw line more as he is only getting 2.2 attempts per game. 

It is not all bad though. Edwards has had some solid performances like 26 points and four rebounds against Portland early in the season and had a solid back-and-forth with Lamelo Ball where he posted 21 points and six rebounds in a close loss to Charlotte. The flashes from Edwards are definitely there that shows you that he can be a legitimate starting two-guard in the NBA. But before he can even come close to realizing his full potential, he is going to have to get back to get back to the basics and take advantage of his physical tools. They are God given gifts Anthony Edwards, use them.

James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors

Grade: C+

Moving on to the 2nd overall pick in the Draft James Wiseman who has been an interesting prospect for Golden State thus far. Most recently Wiseman missed the last seven games due to a wrist injury and it was reported that he will have to miss 7-10 more days to continue nursing the injury. 

But before he went down, Wiseman showed some signs that he could have significant upside as a rim defender while also displaying  some real offensive ability at all three levels. In the 20 games he played he recorded at least two blocks in 11 of them including a three-block game in the second game of the season against the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Then on the offensive end he had some pretty solid performances with his best game coming in the Warriors’ second match up with Timberwolves on January 27th where they had a career high 25 points and six rebounds on 9-of-14 shooting including 3-of-3 from the three-point line. Wiseman has not taken many threes so far this season (averaging 1.1 attempts per game), but when he does, he makes them count as he is shooting 40.9% from behind the arc. Overall, he is averaging 12.2 points and 6.1 rebounds a game on 50.3% shooting from the floor. These are all great things to build on and they should make the Warriors feel grateful to land a talent with this kind of upside. Especially considering he entered last year as the No. 1 overall prospect on the board before foregoing college after the NCAA suspended him from play at Memphis for 12 games. 

But there are a few concerns that Wiseman will need to address if he ever wants to come within reach of his pre-draft comparisons to Joel Embiid. The first thing is that he does not come off as a strong rebounder for a guy who stands at 7-feet tall. He has 16 games with at least five rebounds, but he has only had one single game in which he had double-digit rebounds that came early in the season against the Trailblazers where he had 11 boards. To put it even more in perspective, Stephen Curry is 6-foot-3 and has 5.4 rebounds which is not even one full rebound less than what Wiseman averages. With the kind of athletic ability that he has around the rim and the fact that he is by far the Warriors’ tallest rotational player, you would like to see him be a bit more aggressive on the boards. Wiseman is a really skilled big man who has the ability to handle the ball a bit on the break. So, the best way for him to maximize that is by taking the ball off of the glass himself and pushing the pace which would be really beneficial to Golden State’s offense that currently is 2nd in the league in pace of play. 

The other big issue is obviously the injury. There is a high likelihood that we will not see Wiseman until after the All-Star break so the big question will be whether or not he will be 100% when he gets back on the floor. A healthy James Wiseman has the chance to be the Warriors second best player behind Curry as they pursue a potential spot in the NBA Playoffs. The Warriors could really use him, but his health and his aggressiveness on the court will be telling factors as to just how impactful he can be this season.

Lamelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets

Grade: A

Next, we have what looks like the Rookie of the Year award frontrunner in the 3rd overall pick, Lamelo Ball. As easily the most hyped prospect coming out of this draft class, most believed that Ball was hands down the best overall player on the board before the draft even began. So far, those people look like geniuses because he has really been lighting it up for the Charlotte Hornets so far this season. 

Currently Ball is averaging 14.6 points, six rebounds and six assists on 44.2% from the field and 35.3% from three. He leads all rookies in points, assists and rebounds all while showing up on the defensive end with a 1.5 blocks per game despite being a 6th man for the Hornets for the majority of the season. But then after starting the first 20 games coming off the bench, he was elevated to the starting lineup at the beginning of February against the Miami Heat after Terry Rozier was ruled out due to a right ankle sprain suffered the game before against the Milwaukee Bucks. 

In his first game as a starter, he came out a bit lackluster but still played relatively well with 14 points, five rebounds and seven assists on 3-of-11 shooting from the floor in a good win. But since then, the has really taken his game to another level. Since that first start, he has had 15+ points in all six games (only had five games with 15+ points in the first 20 games). The two games that stand out the most in this stretch is his career-high 34 points against the Utah Jazz and his near triple-double against the Houston Rockets where he had 24 points, seven rebounds and ten assists. 

He is as flashy of a passer as you would expect considering he is the younger brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball and his overall play style is infectious throughout the team. Lobs, full court passes, behind the back dimes; you name it, he is doing it. Now sometimes this flashy, finesse play style can cause him to be a bit trigger happy and turn the ball over or take ill-advised deep threes early in the shot clock. But you can see that his game is growing by the dribble and things are starting to slow down for him sooner than expected. 

The biggest hit to Lamelo may have been that he was not starting sooner so we only have a small sample size of him in this row, but it is possible that seeing his progression may have been really valuable for his developmental process. Out of the prospects being discussed in this article, this may be the one guy who has shown the most development and feel for the game in such a short period of time. 

Now the Hornets are the most exciting team in basketball to watch and Ball is at the forefront of their youth movement as he has them in 6th place in the East with a good chance of making the Playoffs right out the gate.

Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings

Grade: B

Here is the prospect who was deemed by most as the most NBA ready player coming out of college and so far, he is looking like just that. It is still a bit of a mystery as to how a talent like Haliburton fell to the Sacramento Kings with the 12th overall pick. But nonetheless, he is making the Kings look good for not letting him slip away as they currently sit in 9th place in the West with a record of 12-13. 

Haliburton has pretty much been exactly as advertised coming out of Iowa State. A pro ready prospect who can step in and provide respectable production right out of the gate. His intangibles as a facilitating guard really stand out as he looks comfortable playing alongside high volume scorers like De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield. He really just does all the little things well like reading passing lanes on defense, making the smart passes and picking his spots for when he is willing to be aggressive. He just makes winning plays and really flexes his basketball IQ every night

Haliburton is averaging 12.1 points, 5.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds on 49.5% shooting from the floor and 44.9% shooting from three. Those kinds of shooting splits are extremely efficient for any NBA player, but especially for a rookie playing nearly 30 minutes a game. His most impressive performance of the season so far may have been against the Denver Nuggets where he had a career high 23 points, six assists and four rebounds along with two steals in a block to help the Kings win the game 119-114 in spite of Nikola Jokic going for 50 points of his own. He has been the kind slow, controlled guard next to speedy, athletic De’Aaron Fox to create the perfect Ying & Yang backcourt for the Kings. 

The biggest concern regarding Haliburton as a prospect is that the ceiling for his potential is very close to his floor. At 6-foot-5, 185 pounds he is not really the most athletic guy and his slight frame limits how versatile he can be as a defender. So unfortunately, what we are seeing now, might be what we see from Haliburton moving forward in his career barring some career altering weight training program to help him build out frame. 

Meaning despite being a Lottery pick level guard, he may never become a dynamic playmaker and shot creator like some of the best guards in the Western Conference like Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard. Even a younger guy like Ja Morant who has passing intangibles that are comparable to Haliburton’s has unnatural athletic ability to pair with his high basketball IQ. But, even if what we are seeing now is the sum of who he will be as a player, Haliburton still will project to have a 10–15-year career as a serviceable starting point guard for a championship caliber team. He definitely has the intangibles of a winning player in the NBA and Kings could really use some winning players considering the franchise has not been to the NBA Playoffs since the 2005-06 season.

Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks

Grade: B+

Who would have ever thought that we would say that the New York Knickerbockers got a steal late in the NBA Draft? What a time to be alive. But in all seriousness, former Kentucky guard Immanuel Quickley has been a gem draft pick for New York since being taken 25th overall. 

In 24 games played, Quickley is playing 19.3 minutes off the bench and is giving them 12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 41.2% shooting from the floor and 37.0% from three on nearly five three-point attempts a game. And his efficiency shows up on the floor in more ways than just the shooting stats. The first thing to be noted is that Quickley has the second highest Player Efficiency Rating on the team only behind potential All-Star forward Julius Randle while actually having a nearly identical Usage Percentage as Randle (27.3% for Randle, 27.4 for Quickley). The other thing that should be taken into consideration is how he stepped up in the absence of Knicks’s No. 8 overall pick Obi Toppin early on in the season and his lack of productivity since returning from injury. 

Toppin does deserve a bit of a pass for missing ten straight games with a strained calf after appearing in New York’s season opener against the Indiana Pacers. But since then, the lottery pick has not really had any standout games worth applauding. In 18 games played, Toppin has had only two double-digit scoring games and only one game with at least five rebounds despite being an athletic 6-foot-9, 220-pound power forward. Did I forget to mention that his career high for the season is 12 points against the Boston Celtics? While Immanuel Quickley has been putting on an offensive clinic as the has had five 20+ point performances including a career-high 31 points in 24 minutes against Portland while shooting 5-of-8 from three. The guy just knows how to play. He plays hard, he plays aggressive and he takes advantage of every second that he is on the floor by making the most every touch the gets. 

My biggest concern for Quickley is his inconsistency as a microwave scorer off the bench. Quickley has 12 games where he has scored in the double figures, but the 11 games this season where he could not crack at least ten points. So, the ratio shows that for every high game there is potential for a really low game to follow. Like the night after scoring 31 points in 24 minutes, he went on the next night against the Utah Jazz to score only six points in two minutes less. Then spring boarded back with two straight 25-point performances against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the LA Clippers. 

He is still only a rookie so he is still trying to find his footing in the league and that can be especially hard when you have to share the floor with guys like RJ Barrett, Elfrid Payton, and now Derrick Rose. The touches are limited, and he has not really been given the same opportunities to make mistakes and play free, green lights given basketball like how Charlotte or the Orlando Magic have given free reigns Lamelo Ball or even Cole Antony for that matter. 

Quickley, similar to Haliburton, has been a guy that New York has been able to step in as a lead guard for the second unit and make things happen and properly run a pro-offense in ways that most evaluators did not believe he had the ability to do at this level. 

It is hard not to reward a guy who is outperforming expectations and it is even harder to guard a guy with a knack for scoring like Immanuel Quickley so the league needs to watch out for this guy because he might have a second half of the season surge post-All-Star break the way Chicago Bulls second year point guard Coby White had last season. Definitely looks like there is something brewing in New York with the ascension of Julius Randle, the improvement of RJ Barrett in Year Two, and now the rise of Immanuel Quickley who could be a Top-3 finalist for the 6th Man of the Year award come season’s end.

All five of these guys have shown tremendous upside for their respective teams and have stood out in their own ways. With the All-Star break right around the corner, these young guys will get a chance to recover, reflect and regroup as they prepare for the second half of this grueling 72-game season. The race for Rookie of the Year is looking quite interesting thus far and it has the chance of coming down to the wire if guys continue to improve throughout the season and shine in their roles as the next generation of potential NBA superstars.