The production of Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland off the bench has proven a huge influence in keeping the Denver Nuggets afloat this season. Photo: AP
The NBA regular season is in the books and the play-in race is in full swing. So let’s take one last look at this season’s impressive crop of rookies and see who has been the best performed over the past month.
One of the best/worst parts of the last days of the NBA regular season is seeing extended minutes given to the more unheralded freshmen.
The worst teams in the league, tanking with ping pong balls in mind, start to see what they have in that athletic mid-second round wing.
The best teams, assuming they’re not jousting for seeding, start to rest their stars lest they pick up a last-minute injury.
Sure, they’re not the cream of the rookie crop, but it’s fun nonetheless.
So, let’s see who sits atop the Vendetta Sports rookie rankings over the past month.
*For clarification, these rankings only take into account play since our last rankings in mid-March
1. Cade Cunningham – Detroit Pistons (Last Ranking: 1)
Cunningham’s slow and injury-interrupted start to his rookie year has long been forgotten. The back half of the No.1 overall pick’s season has been magnificent. It’s perhaps not enough to win him the Rookie of the Year award in a truly stacked field (this writer has him tabbed to finish thirrd in that race) but it does bode well for the future of the Pistons, who surely will get another choice lottery talent to put alongside Cunningham, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart.
Cunningham continues to post big numbers: 25 points and seven assists against Portland; 27 and six with four steals versus Philly; a gem of a 34-point performance against the Nets.
Through March, Cunningham posted a nightly 22.9 points, seven assists and 5.9 boards. He joined Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only rookies in NBA history to hit those heights over a calendar month.
The stats look great, the eye test looks even better.
As he gets more reps, Cunningham looks more and more comfortable as an NBA lead guard. Cade’s patience and subtle changes of pace, his manipulation of away-from-the-ball defences – it’s all occurring at a high level. A higher level than is appropriate for a young man who doesn’t turn 21 until late September.
He won’t be the Rookie of the Year, though multiple All-NBA appearances are definitely in Cunningham’s future. He’s the real deal.
2. Jalen Green – Houston Rockets (LR: 4)
The late, great Freddie Mercury – whose band this writer is absolutely certain Jalen Green does not listen to – once asked: Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Rocket fans might be asking themselves the exact same questions given Green’s play over the past seven weeks, compared to that of the first few months of the season. Is this uber athletic, efficient three-level scorer for real? Or does the real Green more resemble the wasteful chucker that we saw at the beginning of the season?
Since the All-Star break, the game appears to have slowed down for the Rockets rookie. Whereas he would once rush into a pick-and-roll set, Green is now taking a beat to survey what’s in front of him.
Combined with a handle that has tightened considerably from opening day to now, and Green’s command of the play is looking impressive. That new found confidence has carried over to Green’s jump shot, where his accuracy and fluency both off the catch and off the dribble have improved out of sight.
To be clear, Green is still an abomination defensively, despite the odd highlight play that comes with somebody of his remarkable athleticism. He will improve in that area, but by how much? And does it matter? This writer tabbed Green early as a player that might one day lead the NBA in scoring. If he reaches that level of offensive weapon, his defensive shortcomings will be easier to mask.
3. Scottie Barnes – Toronto Raptors (LR: 3)
This writer is still wavering on his (sadly, non-existent) vote for Rookie of the Year, but it is without doubt a race in two: Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes.
Barnes, lest we forget the surprise fifth pick in the draft (as always, trust in Masai), came into the league with expectations as a versatile and potentially stifling defensive presence. What wasn’t anticipated was Barnes’ well-rounded offensive skill set.
The 20-year-old out of Florida State averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks. Each of those figures – along with field goals made and minutes played – rank in the top five among rookies. That is a case for Rookie of the Year if there ever was one.
The only area Barnes struggles is his outside jump shot. Barnes had made less than a three per game, connecting at just 30.1 per cent from deep.
Barnes wasn’t expected to be a prolific shooter coming into the league but over the past month he is, at least, shooting the three with more regularity and confidence. He’s not knocking them down yet, but his confidence in taking them is a positive sign.
Barnes’ basketball IQ is off the charts and perhaps best demonstrated in his offensive rebounding. His elusiveness in avoiding a box-out is one of the primary reasons that the Raptors rank second in the league in second-chance points.
4. Nah’shon Hyland – Denver Nuggets (LR: re-entry)
For all the undoubted brilliance of Nikola Jokic, the production of Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland off the bench has proven a huge influence in keeping the Nuggets afloat.
Since our last check-in, Bones has upped his scoring to 14.3 points per game and assists to 4.3 a night, impressively only turning the ball over 1.6 times per contest. Hyland is absolutely fearless, somewhat in the mould of the absent Jamal Murray in his shot-making and ballhandling.
His ability to create a somewhat reasonable facsimile of Murray’s game has given Denver (read: Jokic) another weapon as they head into the playoffs.
The rookie was white hot from deep as this rankings period began before falling off. If he can find his stroke then Jokic and the Nuggets are capable of pulling a first-round upset.
PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE TO THRIVE BY BECOMING AN OFFICIAL FOOTYOLOGY PATRON. JUST CLICK THIS LINK.
5. Davion Mitchell – Sacramento Kings (LR: re-entry)
The Kings started the season with too many highly-touted young point guards and Mitchell was the clear loser, unable to get regular minutes with De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton ahead of him in the rotation.
Even when he did take the court he was marginalised as those two (deservedly) dominated the basketball. Now, with Fox injured and Haliburton a Pacer, Mitchell is showing exactly why the Kings drafted him.
Mitchell’s defence remains as rock solid as ever as his minutes and responsibilities have increased. What has been a pleasant surprise is his scoring and especially his playmaking. In 11 games since stepping into the starting line-up on a regular basis, Mitchell is posting 18.8 points and 9.3 assists.
Mitchell had a five-game streak of 20+ points, including a 28-point effort (with four treys) against the Suns. His assist numbers have been occasionally Stockton-esque, with 17 against the Pelicans and 15 in another Suns match-up. That 17-assist effort passed Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith for the Kings rookie record.
6. Evan Mobley – Cleveland Cavaliers (LR: 2)
It took an injury to All-Star centre Jarrett Allen, but the Cavs star freshman finally ran headlong into the ‘rookie wall’.
Since our last rankings Mobley’s production has dipped to 10.9 points as his efficiency has cratered. Given Mobley’s slight build, having the security of Allen taken away from him has clearly worn the rookie down.
That said, he’s still produced in flashes with 12 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks against the Pistons and 18/10/4 versus the Bucks reserves on the final day of the regular season.
As mentioned earlier, Mobley is still – alongside Barnes – the other side of a coin flip for this writer’s Rookie of the Year vote, such is the impact he’s had on the Cavaliers over the course of the season.
With Allen a possibility to return in the play-in and a certainty to return for the playoffs, should the Cavaliers qualify, Mobley might be re-energised by a move back to the four as he enters his first post-season.
7. Herbert Jones – New Orleans Pelicans (LR: 6)
The rise and rise of ‘Not On Herb’ Jones is just so impressive.
The second-round pick was a major factor in the free-falling Pelicans stabilising their season, his otherworldly defence allowing Brandon Ingram – a very good defender in his own right – to become an offensive focal point in the absence of Zion Williamson.
As New Orleans have made their push into the play-in post the CJ McCollum acquisition, Jones’ offence has fallen away a little, though his defensive effort continues to excel. That said, he’s still thrown up some big offensive games over the last month, including a 22-point effort against the Suns.
Jones has proven such a prolific thief that after swiping your basketball, there’s a chance he’ll have your wallet and car keys too before you even realise what’s happened.
Since our last rankings, the Pelicans wing has averaged 2.5 steals, a figure that, were it extrapolated over the full season, would lead the league by half a steal – the same margin between the current first- (Dejounte Murray) and 14th-ranked (Robert Covington) players.
8. Franz Wagner – Orlando Magic (LR: 5)
Evan Mobley hit the rookie wall; Franz Wagner ran headlong into it at 100 miles an hour over the last couple of weeks.
Frankly, if this was a weekly rankings column, Franz would have fallen out of the top 10. Alas, we do these rankings monthly and his stellar play in the first week of this rankings period was enough for him to keep his place.
The younger Wagner hung 26 points on Detroit, 28 on the Wizards and a 19/9 effort on the Kings in amongst some otherwise uninspiring play (at least by the otherwise high standards he’s set as a rookie).
Wagner’s defensive intensity has taken a noticeable dip since the All-Star break, his usual physicality and nastiness waning as the season took its toll.
The upside is that despite what has been the worst month of his career, Wagner is still a top-10 rookie and is practically a lock for All-Rookie first-team honours.
9. Jonathan Kuminga – Golden State Warriors (LR: 8)
Still aged just 19, Kuminga’s greatest feat as a rookie might be his likely claiming of a playoff rotation place amongst the tried-and-tested Warriors line-up.
The last month of the season has been a reflection of Kuminga’s game since the turn of the calendar year: some games with minimal minutes or negligible impact, punctuated with LOUD thunderclaps that demonstrate what a fully-formed Kuminga might become.
At this stage, Kuminga is more devastating finisher than craft playmaker, but when he gets it going, he’s tough to slow down. Encouragingly for the Warriors, Kuminga – shooting just 33 per cent from deep on the season – went 7-for-9 from downtown in his last four regular season games.
He’s going to be a special player.
10. Jose Alvarado – New Orleans Pelicans (LR: new entry)
A confession: this writer has a serious man-crush on Jose Alvarado. It’s nothing to do with hulking muscles or a classic jawline. With the greatest of respect, these are not Alvarado’s traits.
What makes the 24-year-old rookie so easy to love is the impish, almost whimsical, way in which he plays the game.
Alvarado’s calling card is his defence. He’s always in his man’s jersey, guarding him each and every inch of the 94 feet. He possesses quick feet, even quicker hands and is deceptively strong for a guy that is surely smaller than his listed 6’0” and 179 pounds suggests.
But let’s stop burying the lead, here. The joy in watching Alvarado comes from what has rapidly become his signature move: the Grand Theft Alvarado. Rather than explaining it, just sit back and enjoy this chicanery:
The best of these are clearly when, after a made bucket, Alvarado hides in the corner and waits for the point guard to walk the ball up the court before soft-shoe shuffling into the frame to nick the ball from behind. It’s a delight!
Alvarado is also a clever playmaker who, if he can improve his shaky jumper, will craft out a long career as a pace-changing reserve point guard.
The Pelicans clearly understand what they have in Alvarado, recently converting his two-way deal into a multi-year contract.
Dropping out: Ayo Dosunmu, Brandon Williams, Jalen Suggs.
To find more of Jarrod Prosser’s content visit vendettasportsmedia.com
