2024-25 NBA Rookie Discussion Thread (Pt. 2)

[bisme37]

Ok so the people have spoken and are very dissatisfied with my original rookie poll haha. I kinda wanted to wait until December but here's a new thread/poll.

The poll is limited to 10 options, so everyone can't be in there. It is set up so you can change your votes as many times as you'd like as the rooks have their ups and downs throughout the year.

Go rookies yay!

(Continued from here: https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2409904 )

[KokoKaizer]

For the moment, Mc Cain is a clear leader

[bisme37]

Here's a bunch of McCain stuff from the email NBA.com sent me today.

Weeks before his first NBA game, 76ers rookie Jared McCain could only imagine the magnitude of the moment.

“The little things for me is what’s gonna get me, just driving up to go in the players' entrance, putting on my jersey, looking around and seeing all these players that I’ve watched, walking out and doing the warmup…

“When the ball gets tipped, it’s just going to be so surreal for me.”

One month into the season, McCain’s proven he’s more than ready for the bright lights.

Philadelphia’s No. 16 overall pick has scored 20+ points in seven straight games — the fifth-longest streak by a rookie in 76ers history — highlighted by his 30 points and six 3s on Friday to lead Philly to a win over Brooklyn in the Emirates NBA Cup.

Continues with gifs:

Spoiler:

Rookie Record-Breaker: Friday was McCain’s eighth straight game with at least three made 3s, marking the longest streak by a rookie in NBA history and the longest streak by any player in Sixers history

Legendary Company: Through 15 games, McCain has scored a team-best 248 points and has drained 38 triples, passing Allen Iverson for the most 3s by a Sixers rookie in their first 15 outings

Historic Hot Hand: In his last five games, McCain has 133 points while shooting 51.1% from the field, 48.0% from 3 and 93.8% from the line

The only other players to score more points over a five-game span on at least 50/45/90 shooting splits as a rookie? Larry Bird, Steph Curry and Coby White

As a smaller guard, McCain says he looks up to Curry and studies his game to find new ways to score, both on and off the ball.

“[Improving] playing on the ball is going to help. But Steph is elite at playing off the ball as well. Just having the stamina to run around screens and things like that … Being able to be effective on both as Steph is.”



McCain’s shown doses of Curry’s creativity throughout the season, including on this near mirror-image of a drive, dish and pop sequence leading to an open 3.



And once the catch-and-shoot 3s start to fall, the pump fake opens up driving lanes...



Both for the NBA’s all-time 3-point leader and the new kid on the block.




After burying his sixth triple of the game against Brooklyn on Friday, McCain let out a celebratory statement, yelling, “I’m the rookie of the year.”

“I’m in the flow state, so I don’t know what came to my mind at that moment,” recalled McCain with a smile. “It’s one of my goals for the season, obviously, but it’s just that competitiveness coming out of me…

“I respect every rookie in this league. But obviously, I believe in myself.”

https://www.nba.com/news/starting-5-nov-24-jokic-dazzles-in-l-a-wemby-returns-with-a-bang-bucks-win-4th-straight

[Pattycakes]

For the moment, Mc Cain is a clear leader

Depends what you value, I’ll take clingan setting rookie center records all day over another guard.

[KokoKaizer]

For the moment, Mc Cain is a clear leader

Depends what you value, I’ll take clingan setting rookie center records all day over another guard.

Clingan is impressive but the award goes (generally) for the man who gives you the most PPG no matter what !

Not that bad of a draft class I guess

[eyeatoma]

For the moment, Mc Cain is a clear leader

Depends what you value, I’ll take clingan setting rookie center records all day over another guard.

MCCaine has also set rookie records.

[Bornstellar]

McCain obviously deserves his flowers. Steph Castle has been making his case lately too

[FarBeyondDriven]

it always comes down to playing time. McCain (and some others) just happen to be getting minutes and touches. I think there's a half dozen guys either injured or barely getting minutes right now that could duplicate what McCain is doing. I'm not trying to take anything away from him it's just that this is a much stronger draft class than the "experts" are saying. When we look back in several years after everyone has had a chance to play it'll be clear.

[HotelVitale]

it always comes down to playing time. McCain (and some others) just happen to be getting minutes and touches. I think there's a half dozen guys either injured or barely getting minutes right now that could duplicate what McCain is doing. I'm not trying to take anything away from him it's just that this is a much stronger draft class than the "experts" are saying. When we look back in several years after everyone has had a chance to play it'll be clear.

I don't like when this is the McCain praise drivel thread (esp after he just had a weak game) but gotta cut out the weird takes like this so we can let things lie. McCain forced his way into PT and touches by being undeniably awesome, he's not just been some average dude getting PT, let alone some average rookie getting PT on a bad team, let alone some rook firing up bad shots cuz someone has to. He's averaging 25 pts per 36 on 61%+ TS and 46/40/93. If you don't like per 36, he's at 25/5 on even better efficiency since he became a starter. Those aren't just jacked up counting stats--he's #12 in the league in the OBPM (just behind Lebron and Tatum) and shows up like a legit all-star in other measures. That's probably nearly unprecedented for a player in McCain's situation.

And the only major 'opportunity' he had was Maxey missing a couple games (after McCain had already had multiple big games). Sure there are more touches now that Embiid isn't taking all of them for the team, but the rotation was set without him at his position (Maxey, Lowry, E Gordon, R Jackson) and McCain wasn't expected to play beyond spot minutes this year. He's just been very good and very consistent and pushed his way into those minutes. That almost never happens for a rookie.

I'm not even huge on him and many of my posts here have been about tempering expectations. But he's been pretty historically good, esp for a 20 year-old picked mid-1st, and the last thing we need to get a balanced grasp on him is 'meh, he's doing what lots of rookies could if they were in his shoes.'

[Klomp]

Dillingham is starting to bring Minnesota something they've been lacking on offense.

It's why I was so high on his upside before the season and why I think he's one of the best rookies in the class (even if he doesn't catch up to McCain).

Watch on YouTube

[jasonxxx102]

Dillingham is starting to bring Minnesota something they've been lacking on offense.

It's why I was so high on his upside before the season and why I think he's one of the best rookies in the class (even if he doesn't catch up to McCain).

Watch on YouTube

I'm sorry but Dillingham is way too small to stay on the floor for any real amount of time. He looks tiny standing next to Payton Pritchard. He's listed at 6'3 which is a straight up lie. If he was taller than 6'1 I would be surprised

He's a complete traffic cone defensively and unless he is prime Curry he could never make up offensively what he gives up on the other end.

[Klomp]

Dillingham is starting to bring Minnesota something they've been lacking on offense.

It's why I was so high on his upside before the season and why I think he's one of the best rookies in the class (even if he doesn't catch up to McCain).

Watch on YouTube

I'm sorry but Dillingham is way too small to stay on the floor for any real amount of time. He looks tiny standing next to Payton Pritchard. He's listed at 6'3 which is a straight up lie. If he was taller than 6'1 I would be surprised

He's a complete traffic cone defensively and unless he is prime Curry he could never make up offensively what he gives up on the other end.

So does that mean that Trae Young, Chris Paul, Mike Conley, Tyus Jones, etc. are all way too small to stay on the court as well?

[Bornstellar]

Watch on YouTube

Really wish I could find a cut of him playing defense on Curry in this game. He was incredible, especially for a rookie. Curry may have been having an off night but either way, Castle did not make it easy for him at all

[One_and_Done]

Castle looks like point Jimmy Butler right now. If his shot continues to develop he's going to be a star.

[zike_42]

I don't know if he had a shoutout in the first part of the thread, but Memphis' Jaylen Wells has been playing well (judging by his boxscores, I haven't seen MEM play this season). Seven games with 15+ points, second in rookies in PPG and shooting 40% from 3.

[jasonxxx102]

Dillingham is starting to bring Minnesota something they've been lacking on offense.

It's why I was so high on his upside before the season and why I think he's one of the best rookies in the class (even if he doesn't catch up to McCain).

Watch on YouTube

I'm sorry but Dillingham is way too small to stay on the floor for any real amount of time. He looks tiny standing next to Payton Pritchard. He's listed at 6'3 which is a straight up lie. If he was taller than 6'1 I would be surprised

He's a complete traffic cone defensively and unless he is prime Curry he could never make up offensively what he gives up on the other end.

So does that mean that Trae Young, Chris Paul, Mike Conley, Tyus Jones, etc. are all way too small to stay on the court as well?

I love how you just reply with 4 guys who aren't remotely similar. "ChatGPT find me successful NBA players who are 6'1"

Shocking, I know but Dillingham is not going to be Mike Conley lol. I mean, they have no similarities at all.

Chris Paul is an even worse comparison.

I mean 2 guys you listed are 99th percentile outcomes for 6'1 players (Trae and CP3 for different reasons). Conley was always known as an excellent defender who was a good playmaker in his own right.

Tyus Jones is a role player so ok?

[Klomp]

I love how you just reply with 4 guys who aren't remotely similar. "ChatGPT find me successful NBA players who are 6'1"

Size was the entire premise of you argument. As you said, they aren't similar. The only thing that they have in common is their size, meaning there are four different archetypes right there to show you that undersized guards still have a place in this league.

[wemby]

I love how you just reply with 4 guys who aren't remotely similar. "ChatGPT find me successful NBA players who are 6'1"

Size was the entire premise of you argument. As you said, they aren't similar. The only thing that they have in common is their size, meaning there are four different archetypes right there to show you that undersized guards still have a place in this league.

They're about the same HEIGHT, but not the same SIZE... Dillingham is not only 6'1" (at best) but he's also 164 lb with a slender frame and a neutral wingspan, most guys his height are much sturdier (VanVleet, Lowry, CP3, Conley) or have a freakish wingspan (like Rondo), also those guys put effort into defense and aren't clueless. The only one who could be comparable to Dillingham in physical terms and defensive ability is Trae Young, who is one of the worst defenders in the NBA and is only able to play because he's one of the best playmakers in the league. So it's possible for him to become a good player in the league, but the path is very narrow: he has to be absolutely outstanding offensively just to break even given his defensive limitations.

[jasonxxx102]

I love how you just reply with 4 guys who aren't remotely similar. "ChatGPT find me successful NBA players who are 6'1"

Size was the entire premise of you argument. As you said, they aren't similar. The only thing that they have in common is their size, meaning there are four different archetypes right there to show you that undersized guards still have a place in this league.

They're about the same HEIGHT, but not the same SIZE... Dillingham is not only 6'1" (at best) but he's also 164 lb with a slender frame and a neutral wingspan, most guys his height are much sturdier (VanVleet, Lowry, CP3, Conley) or have a freakish wingspan (like Rondo), also those guys put effort into defense and aren't clueless. The only one who could be comparable to Dillingham in physical terms and defensive ability is Trae Young, who is one of the worst defenders in the NBA and is only able to play because he's one of the best playmakers in the league. So it's possible for him to become a good player in the league, but the path is very narrow: he has to be absolutely outstanding offensively just to break even given his defensive limitations.

Thanks lol

It was such a ridiculous comparison to make between those 4 guys. I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't even 6'1. I have eyes, the guy is the smallest player on the court every game he's played.

[Klomp]

If only he had a vet who could mentor him on how to carve out a 17 year career despite being one of the smallest players in the league. Can anyone think of any ideas at all?

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