New Orleans’ Herb Jones is on his way to being the poster child for being a ‘superstar in your role’ as a lockdown defender with range and ‘switchability’. Photo: USA Today

As the All-Star game approaches, let’s again check in on this season’s NBA freshman class, with our rookie rankings.

The trade deadline is in the rear view and the league’s biannual roster reshuffle has impacted some of our regulars in this column.

Pacers guard Chris Duarte now has a potential All-Star point guard in Tyrese Haliburton next to him, but he also – for the time being, at least – has Buddy Hield to split time with at off guard. At the other end of that Indiana/Sacramento trade, Haliburton’s departure opens up time for the defensive vice that is Davion Mitchell. What will he do with the increased opportunity?

The last month of action has again solidified this class as one of the best in both high-end talent and depth in recent memory. In terms of both depth and top-end talent, this set of rookies has made quite the impression. Let’s take a look at who has moved up our rankings over the last month of NBA action.

*For clarification, these rankings only take into account play since our last rankings in mid-January.

1. Josh Giddey – Oklahoma City Thunder (Last Ranking: 4)

Sam Presti has made some rather perplexing decisions in the draft (hi, Poku!), but he is also the man who drafted three future league MVPs in three consecutive years.

When Presti selected Australian point guard Josh Giddey with the sixth overall pick in 2021, many wondered if Presti was losing his touch (this writer included, who thought he went about six picks too early). Fair to say, we’ve been proven wrong.

With backcourt mate and resident star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out with injury since late January, Giddey has stepped in up in a major way, with 16.4 points (career high 47 per cent shooting), 8.5 boards and 7.6 assists over that span.

His most recent performances have both been triple-doubles, including a masterpiece against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Giddey’s last month has thrust him squarely into the Rookie of the Year race with Evan Mobley and Franz Wagner.

2. Evan Mobley – Cleveland Cavaliers (LR: 1)

The best rookies are generally those who are able to make a relatively outsized impact on the scoreboard. Whilst he does put up 14.9 points and 2.6 assists, it’s defence where Mobley excels.

An indication of that impact is that after a 17-game streak of double-digit scoring, Mobley went cold, with four single-digit games in his next six – the Cavaliers won all four of them. In that stretch, Mobley put up 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks.

Mobley leads all rookies in rebounding, blocked shots, field goal percentage and contested shots. He’s a future Defensive Player of the Year in the making.

3. Scottie Barnes – Toronto Raptors (LR: 5)

An interrupted December and January saw Barnes’ red-hot early form start to taper off. In February a solid run of games has seen Barnes start to find his rhythm once again just as his Raptors found theirs.

Over Toronto’s recently broken eight-game winning streak, Barnes gave the Raptors a nightly 14.8 points (on 49/38/85 shooting splits), 8.1 boards and 3.3 assists, despite taking on less offensive responsibility as Pascal Siakam has gotten up to speed after a long injury layoff.

Even as a rookie, Barnes is becoming a linchpin of Toronto’s whirring buzzsaw of a defence.

4. Franz Wagner – Orlando Magic (LR: 2)

Wagner’s last month has seen the German present some poor performances by has standards, suggesting that perhaps he’s starting to hit the fabled ‘rookie wall’, or that the constant losing experienced by his Magic might be taking a toll.

Then he goes and produces 21 points and nine assists against the Clippers, or a near triple-double in a rare win versus Portland, or hangs 26/8/4 on the Nuggets and you breathe easy again.

Wagner is such a delight to watch. He’s an excellent complimentary scorer as both a shooter and cutter, he’s proven better than advertised as a lead ball handler and playmaker and, measuring at 6’9” and 225 pounds with quick feet and a mean streak, he’s shown some serious defensive chops. It’s a testament to this year’s rookie class that Wagner isn’t the runaway leader for Rookie of the Year.

5. Cade Cunningham – Detroit Pistons (LR: 3)

Like Barnes’ slide to fifth in January’s rookie rankings, Cunningham’s drop to fifth is more a result of the sheer quality of those above him, rather than through anything the No.1 pick has done or not done on the court. That phrase ‘on the court’ is the main reason that Cunningham has slipped, as he’s missed five games with a hip pointer complaint.

When he has played, Cunningham has been very good, with 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.3 steals and a block. He’s had a couple of outings that indicate just how good he could be with a triple-double against the Cavs and this astonishing line in a narrow loss to Denver: 34 points, 6-9 from three, eight boards, eight assists, two steals and four blocks (watch for his move on Nikola Jokic 47 seconds into the below clip)

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6. Herbert Jones – New Orleans Pelicans (LR: 6)

Jones, the 35th pick in the draft, is well on his way to being the poster child for being a ‘superstar in your role’.

The Alabama born and bred forward is already a lockdown defender with range and ‘switchability’. He’s currently leading all rookies in steals and trails only Mobley in blocks.

Where Jones has proven a surprise is at the other end of the floor. His off-ball movement is excellent and combines with his athleticism to create more than his share of ‘garbage’ baskets.

But it’s Jones’ shooting that has surprised, connecting on 36.2 per cent of his attempts beyond the arc whilst hitting over 50 per cent from the floor overall and 85 per cent from the free throw line.

Impressively, he poured in 18 points in the final quarter in a win over Denver in early February.
With CJ McCollum now on board and Zion Williamson (allegedly) soon to return, Jones’ usage will drop, but he’ll stay on the floor as an ideal role player.

7. Ayo Dosunmu – Chicago Bulls (LR: 10)

Thrust into an increased role through the Bulls’ myriad of injury concerns, Dosunmu is the challenger for Jones’ status as the steal of the draft.

Since stepping in for Lonzo Ball, the 6’5” local lad has averaged 11.8 points (54/41/78 splits), 4.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.3 steals.

As expected, Dosunmu has proven a viable replacement for Ball and Alex Caruso on the defensive end of the floor, but it’s his shooting and especially his playmaking that has amazed. In the past month, Dosunmu has posted double-figure assist numbers on four occasions, hitting nine on three other occasions.

Even a concussion couldn’t stop him. After missing one game he’s averaged 12.7 points and 7.7 assists.

8. Chris Duarte – Indiana Pacers (re-entry)

As touched upon at the beginning of the column, Duarte is in an interesting spot right now.

He has seen the high usage Caris LeVert shipped out of town and he’s gone from partnering with an excellent veteran point guard in Malcolm Brogdon to a precocious young talent in Tyrese Haliburton, but also has to contend for minutes with one of the greatest shooters on the planet in Hield who came over from the Kings with Haliburton.

Being an older rookie, let’s hope that Duarte takes the changes in his stride, knowing that Hield is likely not long for Indiana.

Duarte isn’t the shooter that Hield is – not many are – but he is better than the Bahamian in just about every other facet of the sport.

Haliburton’s superlative court vision will open up better shots for Duarte and in turn Duarte’s own underrated playmaking should dovetail nicely with Haliburton, who is just as comfortable playing off the ball.

Three guard line-ups with any of Duarte, Haliburton, Hield and Brogdon will be a nightmare to guard.

9. Cam Thomas – Brooklyn Nets (LR: 8)

Before a drought-relieving win against Sacramento, Brooklyn were on an 11-game losing streak that was at least partly created through a raft of injuries and, of course, Kyrie Irving’s part-time superstar status and the issues that come along with that.

That streak and those injuries have created opportunities for others to step up and Cam Thomas has again delivered. In just his past six contests, the Japanese-born guard has averaged 21.9 points on 50 per cent shooting, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a steal.

Thomas is already a solid three-level scorer, able to get a good shot off moving left or right. Thomas doesn’t lack for confidence and is prepared to take shots with the degree of difficulty ramped all the way up. His playmaking is a work in progress, though he’s developing a nice pick-and-roll chemistry with fellow rookie Day’Ron Sharpe.

10. Jonathon Kuminga – Golden State Warriors (new entry)

A debut appearance in our rookie rankings for the highly touted Kuminga, the not-so-proud owner of the worst nickname in basketball.

Understandably on a title-chasing team like the Warriors, Kuminga has had to patiently bide his time but if his recent burst of court time means anything, he has earned the trust of the coaching staff.

Over his past seven appearances the hyper athletic Congolese wing has averaged 15.7 points and 4.6 boards whilst providing some tantalising glimpses …

of his immense …

athletic potential.

He still has quite a way to go as an all-round player, but if he puts it all together the Warriors have a hell of a player on their hands. The rest of the league will have a problem on theirs.

Dropping out: Jalen Green, Omer Yurtseven