After the jump, our impressions, and the 1st edition of the 2010-11 Rookie Power Rankings.
"Never Gonna Give You Up":
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings, Drafted 5th14.5 PPG, .333 FG%, 9.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 4.8 TO, 4.8 PF
DeMarcus Cousins stats represent a tale of two Summer Leagues for him: The 1st 3 games, where he was arguably the best rookie on the court, and the last 3 games, where he was arguably one of the worst rookies on the court. In his first 3 games, he posted averages of 18.3 PPG, .458 FG%, 11.3 RPG, 2 SPG, 3 APG, and 1 BPG, while his last 3 games he posted averages of 10.7 PPG, .200 FG% (including a 1-12 performance in his last game), .7 APG, and 8.3 RPG. In those 1st 3 games, Cousins showed a vast array of post-moves, mid-range jumpers, amazing passing (much better than what Greg Monroe showed), physical play, and leadership (talking a lot to his teammates, demanding the ball in crunch time, and nailing a game-winning hook shot). In the last 3 games, his biggest weakness came out of hiding: conditioning. DeMarcus was completely gassed. His passing became more sloppy, he became lazier on defense and more foul-prone, and his shot selection was terrible, as he opted out of banging in the post and instead shot flat-footed jumpers. DeMarcus (or Boogie as he is called) has all the talent in the world, and the biggest thing he needs to work on is conditioning. He's already lost quite a bit of weight, but he'll need to get in much better shape to fulfill his potential. -- A.Y.
Larry Sanders, Milwaukee Bucks, Drafted 15th14.0 PPG, .446 FG%, .333 3P%, 8.4 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 3.2 BPG, 3.0 TO, 4.8 PF
Sanders was one of the more surprising VSL rookies, and earned a bit of hype for himself as Summer League continued. His activity on both ends of the court is to be commended, and he was particularly active on the defensive end, where he led Summer League in Blocks with 3.2 a game, and using his quick hands to grab 1.4 SPG. His offense was a bit hit or miss, and inconsistent from game-to-game, but his hustle led to a lot of his opportunities even if his jumper was iffy. He did show some range from the NBA 3 pointer, shooting a decent clip of 33%. It remains to be seen if this is an anomaly or will translate into his NBA game. Sanders is the type of Rookie Scott Skiles will love, and he should definitely see some minutes for the Bucks this year and should provide an impact. -- A.Y.
Dominique Jones, Dallas Mavericks, Drafted 25th16.6 PPG, .424 FG%, 3.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, .8 SPG, 2.4 TO
Dominique Jones surprised a lot of people (okay, maybe just me) with a surprisingly solid all-around performance in Summer League. Picking his spots well, Jones showed off a diverse skillset that enabled him to take good shots, absorb contact, make smart passes, go for rebounds, and have a big impact on a game. Although his outside shot is still an achilles heel - he missed all eight of his attempted threes - Jones shot 49% from inside the arc and got to the line almost nine times per game. If he can continue his solid play into the NBA season, there's a good chance Jones will have a bigger impact than we anticipated.-- D.K.
Devin Ebanks, Los Angeles Lakers, Drafted 43rd15.0 PPG, .424 FG%, .455 3P%, 3.6 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 3.0 TO
Devin Ebanks, aside from having a great first name, put up a couple of monster scoring performances in the first two games before cooling off. It's night and day: Ebanks averaged 22.5 points, 2.5 steals, 2 assists, and 1.5 rebounds on 53% shooting from the field in the first two games, and averaged 10 points, .7 steals, 1 assist, and 5 rebounds on 32% shooting. Other than rebounding (which significantly rose in the final three games), Ebanks fell hard after beating up on Detroit and Denver. Still, he showed a nice stroke and drew comparisons to former Laker Trevor Ariza (and not just in looks, either - their playing styles and body types are eerily similar). -- D.K.
"We Know the Game and We're Gonna Play it":
Ed Davis, Toronto Raptors, Drafted 9th12.6 PPG, .632 FG%, 6.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.8 BPG, 3.8 PF
Davis was one of the lower key lottery picks this season, not generating too much attention or hype, especially after missing most of his last college season with an injury. But he did show enough to get Toronto fans excited, shooting very efficiently from the field (mostly off put-backs and dunks), and demonstrating a knack for playing defense and blocking shots. His relatively low rebounding for a big man is a bit worrisome, and his offensive game away from the basket is a bit iffy. Davis is definitely a project, but one with high potential, and he'll have plenty of opportunity in Toronto with the recent loss of Chris Bosh. -- A.Y.
Quincy Pondexter, New Orleans Hornets, Drafted 26th15.2 PPG, .407 FG%, .333 3P%, 4.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 3.6 TO, 5.2 PF
Pondexter really impressed the Hornets with his all-around game on both ends of the court. He was likely the best defensive rookie in all of Summer League, even managing to slow down a red hot John Wall (in a game the Hornets still lost, albeit by 1). He drove the lane hard, and got to the line a lot (37 times in 5 games), and his defense was impeccable. His shooting mechanics need some work, as his outside shot was very inconsistent and not very reliable. He also needs to work on his ball handling and foul habit, but Pondexter could end up being the version of James Posey that they wanted when they signed him 2 years ago, and younger to boot. -- A.Y.
Trevor Booker, Washington Wizards, Drafted 23rd8.2 PPG, .516 FG%, 4.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 2.6 PF
Many thought the Wizards reached for Booker at 23, and its easy to see why. He's a 6'7 Power Forward who gets by mainly on athleticism and hustle. He seemed a bit lost on the court, taking a step back to John Wall and Javale McGee, and didn't look for his offense much. His rebounding is a bit worrisome for such a small big man, as most undersized big men that succeed tend to be really good at either rebounding (DeJuan Blair, Jon Brockman), low post scoring (Carl Landry), or both (Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap). Right now Booker looks like a physical role player, one that needs to work on his mechanical jumpshot and play aggressive defense to maintain his place in the league, because he is worthy of a spot, its just up to him and how much effort he puts in. -- A.Y.
Jordan Crawford, Atlanta Hawks, Drafted 27th16.2 PPG, .417 FG%, .304 3P%, 3.4 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.8 SPG, 3.4 TO
Sir DunkOnLeBron, otherwise known as Jordan Crawford, was one of the few guys in Summer League who was mostly solid throughout. Although never really spectacular, and inconsistent from beyond the arc (7-16 in the first two games, 0-7 in the final 3) Crawford did what we all knew he could do: find a way to score, every single game. He got to the line often and showed off his all-around game all week. Outside of a nine-turnover anomaly in the final game, Crawford displayed a skillset that's going to make a fair amount of noise with Atlanta next season. -- D.K.
"Don't Tell Me You're Too Blind to See":
Andy Rautins, New York Knicks, Drafted 38th5.8 PPG, .324 FG%, .269 3P%, 1.8 RPG, 1.4 APG, .8 SPG
No one expected the Knicks to take Andy Rautins when the Knicks had their name called, and he didn't do anything to dispel his boobirds. Never quite looking comfortable on offense, Rautins hit at least one three in all five games but shot under 27% from beyond the arc overall. If there's one thing Rautins is going to have to make his calling card to make it in the NBA, it's his outside shot - and a 7-26 performance from 3 in Summer League just isn't going to cut it. Rautins may end up making a lot of Knicks fans upset that they took him when guys like Lance Stephenson, Devin Ebanks, and Derrick Caracter were still on the board. -- D.K.
Willie Warren, Los Angeles Clippers, Drafted 54th7.0 PPG, .444 FG%, .625 3P%, 1.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 TO
No one saw their stock fall further than Willie Warren, who started the year as a potential top-10 pick only to be picked 54th by the Los Angeles Clippers. I've always been a fan of Warren's game, despite all his exterior issues - he's got the rare combination of a sound shooting touch and a great slashing game. In Summer League, Warren didn't really do much of anything - he looked timid in limited time, and although he shot very well (5-8 from beyond the arc in five games) was a non-factor in almost every other area. For a 54th pick, not too surprising, but you always hope a guy with his talent will put it together at some point. -- D.K.
2010-2011 Rookie Power Rankings
Version 1.0
Version 1.0
For our first ever Power Rankings, let me explain how I'm going to be doing them. This will be a top 10 list of rookies, ranked in order from the player I feel is the best rookie, to the 10th best rookie. Obviously since these players haven't played an NBA game yet, and some not even Summer League, this is going to be a little bit of guess work for now. This is the preliminary set of Power Rankings until the Pre-Season ends, and then when the Season starts, the Power Rankings will be weekly with each edition of Rook-Roll'd.
1. John Wall, Washington Wizards
Wall didn't win the T-Mobile Rookie of the Month (Cousins did. I'm a Kings fan, and even I think it's silly Wall didn't win, or the fact that a Rookie of the Month is awarded for non-NBA games), but he was the most outstanding player in Vegas, and he'll have relatively free reign to do whatever he wants to in Washington. The ball will be in his hands and I would not be surprised to see him in the top 10 players in assists in his rookie year. This kid is the real deal.
2. DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
Cousins showed how talented he is in Vegas, and also that he needs to get in shape. He'll have plenty of time to do that in the 3 months before the season starts, and with the Kings newfound depth in the frontcourt, Cousins won't wear down as much.
3. Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs
Splitter was drafted back in 2007, but will be coming over for the first time this year. He's the most NBA ready rookie in my opinion, since he's been playing professional basketball for years. Splitter was the Spanish League MVP last year, and is widely regarded as the most talented International Player not to be in the NBA. We'll get to see him stateside this year, and I would be surprised if he's not San Antonio's starting center from Day 1.
4. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
Griffin, the #1 pick last year, missed all of last season with a knee injury suffered in the pre-season. He's been healthy for most of the off-season and is expected to be ready to go for this season. I would rank Griffin higher, because he's going to get plenty of opportunity to shine in Los Angeles, but I want to see how a year off from playing basketball and that knee injury have affected his play first.
5. Greg Monroe, Detroit Pistons
Monroe showed that he has an NBA ready offensive game in Vegas, and his rebounding isn't bad either. He did just have foot surgery, but he should be ready to go by the time pre-season starts. With a lack of big men on Detroit's roster, Monroe will see plenty of playing time, although he might be forced to play out of position as a Center, which could hurt his overall stats.
6. Evan Turner, Philadelphia 76ers
Turner definitely was a big disappointment in Summer League, but he's still talented enough in my opinion that I think that while he might get off to a slow start in the NBA, he'll quickly adjust and adapt and could make a late run for Rookie of the Year.
7. Ed Davis, Toronto Raptors
With Bosh gone, the Raptors now have Amir Johnson and Ed Davis as the resident Power Forwards. While Johnson was locked up to an inexplicably lucrative contract, Davis should still see plenty of opportunities.
8. Wesley Johnson, Minnesota Timberwolves
Johnson played in only one game in Summer League before sitting with an injury, but he is one of the more NBA ready players in this draft, and I'll be surprised if he's not starting for Minnesota most of the season (Then again this is the Timberwolves we're talking about). Johnson could be one of the better scorers of the rookies, but he'll have to learn to adjust to NBA defenses.
9. Derrick Favors, New Jersey Nets
Favors, although a project, is going to be given the starting Power Forward spot simply out of necessity for the Nets, so it'll be a little bit of a trial by fire for him. I think we'll see a lot of flashes of his potential this year, with a few stellar games, and a few more not so stellar games. He'll be a good complement to Brook Lopez though and in a few years, that tandem could be among the best frontcourts in the league.
10. Damion James, New Jersey Nets
James looked very good in Summer League, like an instant impact player. With the Nets needing impact players, James could see plenty of time, especially with the absence of Chris Douglas-Roberts.
Dominique Jones = Tyreke Evans in Rodney Stuckey's body.
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