2016-17 Rookie Watch thread

[Pachinko_]

To be honest I don't see anyone playing particularly bad, at least not from the lottery.

A couple like Thon and Papagiannis were never meant to contribute from year 1, and Ben got injured, but everybody else has shown flashes... just nothing spectacular so far. Maybe just a slow start, the talent is definitely there.

About Brogdon, everybody is curious to see what his ceiling is. The incredible thing is that the transition to the NBA has left his game pretty much unaffected, just a few more assists and few less shots because he switched from SP to PG. Other than that it's like he still plays against colleges instead of NBA teams, which is pretty effin unbelievable in its own right:



The other thing to remember is that this is his first true year of full time basketball, the guy was a real student up to last year.

[treefi]

Yeah, Brogdon has been very impressive. How's he looked defensively?

[GimmeDat]

I would honestly like to see Maker get more of a run. Obviously he's behind some good players in the rotation, but I hope Kidd has no hesitations in giving him a go when injuries or form call for it. Every time he's stepped on the floor in garbage time he's looked very good.

[bobbeaver]

To be honest here im surprised you guys are not so hyped about Bender and singling him out more. Although he hasnt got stellar points made but the kid is only just turned 19 and he is already impacting the Suns games when he gets major minutes (like Spurs game) defensively and in the flow of the game and when has minutes fills up the stats.
Ofc D is not as fun or excting, but for the youngest guy in the draft and thin as a straw he rebounds well, he rarely gets defensive lapses in 1v1 or in group system, changes shots and is not the focal point of other teams offense. Not to mention his shot pct is pretty good with 39%FG and 34% 3pt. Whats more he plays determined. I mean D is usually the thing most young players have to work on by far the most.
Sure for taking it to the basket more he needs some more muscle and being sure of him self, but he still does it against stronger opponents.
I think the whole package what he brings is amazing personally and impressive looking at his age despite his lack of muscles.

[JoeyOtis]

Caris Levert is looking good for Brooklyn. His playmaking in particular is impressive.

That was a great pick by the Nets. The injury factor, while a clear risk, allowed them to get a lotto talent at pick #20.

From the little I've seen him play he's been one of the most impressive rookies I've watched. He is fearless taking it to the rack.

[Turk Nowitzki]

Caris Levert is looking good for Brooklyn. His playmaking in particular is impressive.

That was a great pick by the Nets. The injury factor, while a clear risk, allowed them to get a lotto talent at pick #20.

From the little I've seen him play he's been one of the most impressive rookies I've watched. He is fearless taking it to the rack.

He's probably a top 10 talent, especially in this weak rookie class. He carried and still carries some injury risk but the Nets did very well to get him. I'm a fan.

[Veyron]

To be honest here im surprised you guys are not so hyped about Bender and singling him out more. Although he hasnt got stellar points made but the kid is only just turned 19 and he is already impacting the Suns games when he gets major minutes (like Spurs game) defensively and in the flow of the game and when has minutes fills up the stats.
Ofc D is not as fun or excting, but for the youngest guy in the draft and thin as a straw he rebounds well, he rarely gets defensive lapses in 1v1 or in group system, changes shots and is not the focal point of other teams offense. Not to mention his shot pct is pretty good with 39%FG and 34% 3pt. Whats more he plays determined. I mean D is usually the thing most young players have to work on by far the most.
Sure for taking it to the basket more he needs some more muscle and being sure of him self, but he still does it against stronger opponents.
I think the whole package what he brings is amazing personally and impressive looking at his age despite his lack of muscles.

Quality of his defense at 19yrs is amazing.

[bobbeaver]

To be honest here im surprised you guys are not so hyped about Bender and singling him out more. Although he hasnt got stellar points made but the kid is only just turned 19 and he is already impacting the Suns games when he gets major minutes (like Spurs game) defensively and in the flow of the game and when has minutes fills up the stats.
Ofc D is not as fun or excting, but for the youngest guy in the draft and thin as a straw he rebounds well, he rarely gets defensive lapses in 1v1 or in group system, changes shots and is not the focal point of other teams offense. Not to mention his shot pct is pretty good with 39%FG and 34% 3pt. Whats more he plays determined. I mean D is usually the thing most young players have to work on by far the most.
Sure for taking it to the basket more he needs some more muscle and being sure of him self, but he still does it against stronger opponents.
I think the whole package what he brings is amazing personally and impressive looking at his age despite his lack of muscles.

Quality of his defense at 19yrs is amazing.

Not to mention how well he shoots. Once he gets more touches, more muscle (slowly), and there for more secure in him self (more offensively aggressive especially on the drive) and a couple post moves he will be an all around beast. His shot is improving daily with a higher arch. Every night offensively he has decent allaround numbers looking at how many touches he gets.

[GimmeDat]

Bulls have been looking to start Paul Zipser the last few games, over guys like McDermott and Portis. That's not to say he's a better player, but it's one of those moves to have some stability in the starting lineup and keep the 2nd unit guys consistent in their roles.

Still, good to see a 2nd rounder getting a good run. He's solid.

[LoveTheNBA23]

Ingram had a pretty good game today with the start.
15-5-4-3stls

However, The guy I wanted to bring up is the Lakers 2nd round rookie Ivica Zubac. His per 36 numbers since joining the rotation are 17-15-5blocks. He looks better than Moz already. Such a soft touch and looks better as a paint protector.


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[Duke4life831]

Ingram had a pretty good game today with the start.
15-5-4-3stls

However, The guy I wanted to bring up is the Lakers 2nd round rookie Ivica Zubac. His per 36 numbers since joining the rotation are 17-15-5blocks. He looks better than Moz already. Such a soft touch and looks better as a paint protector.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Almost feel bad for Ingram playing with those guards. The combination of Young/Williams/Clarkson/Russell love to shoot. The first 3 are maybe some of the most selfish guards in the league right now and Russell can be a great passer but can get some massive tunnel vision as well.

Zubac looked great tonight. He really caught my eye in the summer league and it's great seeing him finally get some time. That dude looks like he's going to be a huge steal.

[Pachinko_]

To be honest here im surprised you guys are not so hyped about Bender and singling him out more. Although he hasnt got stellar points made but the kid is only just turned 19 and he is already impacting the Suns games when he gets major minutes (like Spurs game) defensively and in the flow of the game and when has minutes fills up the stats.
Ofc D is not as fun or excting, but for the youngest guy in the draft and thin as a straw he rebounds well, he rarely gets defensive lapses in 1v1 or in group system, changes shots and is not the focal point of other teams offense. Not to mention his shot pct is pretty good with 39%FG and 34% 3pt. Whats more he plays determined. I mean D is usually the thing most young players have to work on by far the most.
Sure for taking it to the basket more he needs some more muscle and being sure of him self, but he still does it against stronger opponents.
I think the whole package what he brings is amazing personally and impressive looking at his age despite his lack of muscles.

Quality of his defense at 19yrs is amazing.

he's not american

[Veyron]

Ivica Zubac: 11pts, 13 boards, steal, assist and 3 blocks in 26min.

He is improving and doing very well.

[bobbeaver]

Ivica Zubac: 11pts, 13 boards, steal, assist and 3 blocks in 26min.

He is improving and doing very well.

Very impressive in ways he shot and fearless. I love the variety of ways he scored. Double double in his first real meaninful game aka not in garbage time. But he needs to get used to the NBA players defence still and length since he only shot 45% as a C. But despite that he didnt back down or get emotional which is impressive of its own. For a first real game its excellent. %will go up for sure as games continue and he gets used to everything.

[islanders11040]

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

[UcanUwill]

Kuzminskas been a pleasant surprise. As an Euroleague fan, always pleased to see these former EL players do well in the league. Willy is also good.

[treefi]

Brogdon and Zubac look like major steals right now.

And Kuzminskas looks like an NBA player!

[PerkinsFor3]

How about Dejounte!

[Chuck Everett]

I was down on Bender, but he absolutely looks like he will be able to defend the rim and shoot the 3 consistently, so that's a valuable player for 10+ years if he improves on both. Star potential depends on how much he rounds out the rest of his game.

[Kabookalu]

Haven't been watching the Suns, but are they playing Bender at C or PF? Reason I ask is because it seems like every team thinks that every mobile 7fter needs to automatically be a C, but he can more than hold his own against PF's too. Hell, he can defend guards. I mean imagine him defending the perimeter and interior alongside another mobile C.