Let’s take our weekly trip to the “Queen City” where LaMelo Ball continues to show why he’s the front runner for NBA Rookie Of The Year.
The Uber talented lead guard is capable of playing off the ball and nightly exhibiting the star power that makes him such a coveted player.
The kid has confidence in himself to the point he was asked to pick his Dream Team, and he chose LBJ, MJ, KD, Shaq and get this himself.
The NBL release teaser trailer of “Next Stars documentary” starring LaMelo Ball & RJ Hampton.
👀 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/9rngP875w9
— DKM 🏀⚽️ (@DKM_Sports) February 24, 2021
He’s averaging 15/6/6 on the season, and lately, we’ve seen the Hornets playing a three-guard lineup but soon they’ll revert back to the traditional two-guard set, and believe me he won’t be sitting.
Next up we have Timberwolves rookie Anthony Edwards who’s continuing to play better and especially on the defensive end. He’s averaging 15/4/3 for the season and has shown flashes of the elite athleticism that made him so well regarded after one season at Georgia.
The Timberwolves fired head coach Ryan Saunders on Sunday and I believe that may help in his development. Getting a coach like Chris Finch who comes from the Nick Nurse coaching tree is good for Edwards as he’ll demand that he get fundamentally better in all areas.
His recent dunk on Watanabe was the possible dunk of the year. A good starting point is Edwards possesses a 4/1 assist to turnover ratio as a starter.
Third, we descend upon “SacTown” where Tyrese Haliburton continues to impress for the Kings. His cerebral play on both ends has been very solid.
His ability to play the lead guard and take the pressure off DeAaron Fox is a huge deal for them. I think many teams missed out on him and will regret it, He’s averaging 12/5/5 off the bench. Luke Walton needs to figure out how to get more minutes for him.
James Wiseman is still doing his thing in Golden State, overcoming growing pains and becoming an impact contributor.
For comparison:
Anthony Davis is averaging 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per 36
KAT is averaging 24.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per 36
Sabonis is averaging 21.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per 36 https://t.co/VtnQ8ENmCS
— Brian Witt (@Wittnessed) February 24, 2021
Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley has continued to show why he was possibly the steal of the draft. The former Kentucky guard has seen his usage increase and that’s a good thing for the Knicks. The acquisition of Derrick Rose had folks believing that the playing time of Quickley would change, but that hasn’t happened.
In fact, his usage rate has increased a bit. He’s been teamed with Rose often and it’s been a solid tandem thus far. He’s averaging 13/3/3 on the season.
Lastly, we have Rockets rookie swingman Jae’Sean Tate, who’s been a pleasant surprise for them especially minus Christian Wood. His shooting efficiency, rebounding has been a surprise, but it’s his defensive prowess that’s taking notice around the league. Not many folks at Ohio St, Belgium or Australia could’ve seen this coming from the rookie.
Honorable Mention:
Saadiq Bey – (Pistons) Still continues to shoot it well for the giant-slaying guys from “Motor City.”
Patrick Williams – (Bulls) Defensive prowess is his calling card but he has so much more he can do in “ChiTown.”
Payton Pritchard – (Celtics) Providing a spark off the bench and actually has been picking up some of the scoring punch the guys from “Beantown” are missing at times with the inconsistent play of Kemba Walker.
