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| Rubio (right) is edging out Irving (center) for this year's ROY. |
Six. That’s how many point guards cracked this weeks Top Ten Rookie Rankings. Last week’s rankings praised the first impressions of Ricky Rubio, but neglected to highlight the overall play of all of the point guards in this year’s rookie class. That’s why I am declaring this year’s class as The Year of the Point Guard. But as of right now, despite the overall dominance of these rookie point guards, the Rookie of the Year award has clearly become a two-man race between Ricky Rubio and Kyrie Irving.
Rubio has been nothing short of sensational; averaging 11 points, 4.1 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 2 steals per game. He has logged five double-doubles and on Saturday had arguably his best game of the season, going for 18 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds and 5 steals in a two-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Rubio is showing an elite ability to control the floor. His court vision and passing abilities are rare talents that look to be ingrained in his soul. His level of play has earned him more playing time and as the season rolls on I expect those minutes to translate into more wins for the Wolves.
As for Kyrie Irving, my apologies for not showing you more love. I still have Rubio ranked above Irving at this point, but Irving has gone on a tear scoring 20-plus points in his last four games. He leads rookies in scoring, averaging 17 points per game, coupled with 3.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per contest. More than that, he has singlehandedly turned the lowlife Cavs (5-6) into a respectable team. If the season were to end today the Cavs would be an eight seed in the East. Considering the city of Cleveland is only a year and a half removed from LeBron’s “Decision,” the fan base should be grateful to have had such a swift turnaround for a team that looked destined to hang in the East’s cellar for the next couple of years.
Rookie Rankings
1. Ricky Rubio- Five double-doubles, season highs of 14 assists, 18 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. Rubio is showing he has it all and is the front runner for ROY. LW: 1
2. Kyrie Irving- The number one pick is so far proving his worth, turning the dismal Cavs into a respectable team. After scoring 20-plus four games in a row, he is really a 1b to Rubio. LW: 2
3. Iman Shumpert- Off all the rookies, Shumpert has perhaps the most pressure on him. He is playing in New York City, was forced into a starting role early due to the Knick’s lack of depth at the point guard position and has already bounced back from his first minor injury. Despite being placed on such a grand stage, Shumpert has proven he can handle being an NBA point guard. Thus far he is averaging 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game. LW: 5
4. Kawhi Leonard- The Spurs were slow unleashing Kawhi and giving him minutes. Then Manu Ginobili broke his hand and Kawhi was given the starting role. Since last Sunday at Oklahoma City Kawhi has been getting 30-plus minutes per game. This has translated into him logging his first double-double and scoring eleven points or more in every game since. Once again, the Spurs scouts have found what looks to be another draft day steal. LW: UR
5. MarShon Brooks- Brooks is showing he can shoot, but that’s about it. He did have his first double-double last Monday against Atlanta, going for 19 points and 10 rebounds, but as for now that looks like an aberration. In time I expect Brooks to become more of an all-around player, but his shooting alone will give him a lengthy NBA career. LW: 3
6. Brandon Knight- Unfortunately for Brandon Knight he is playing for the Detroit Pistons. Fortunately though, he is proving that the Pistons can build around him. Knight has slowly earned more minutes and has become more consistent with the playing time. On the season he is averaging 11.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3 assists per game. LW: UR
7. Kemba Walker- Walker logged his season high of 23 points in a win against Golden State on Saturday. The problem is, he is so inconsistent he is only averaging 11 per game. Which, still isn’t that bad. His ceiling is going to be determined by how consistent he can become. LW: 6
8. Markieff Morris- Morris got his first double-double of the season last Sunday against the Bucks going for 13 points and 10 rebounds. He is proving to be more consistent as the season moves on and could be a double-double candidate by the end of the season. LW: 7
9. Norris Cole- Cole started off the season on fire and has since cooled off. He is still filling a major need for the Heat and averaging 9.8 points, 3.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game. He will be the starter next season at the latest. LW: 4
10. Tristan Thompson- The fourth pick in the draft has yet to record his first double-double, but has slowly become more consistent on the boards. If Thompson can gel with Kyrie Irving, the Cavs will have something brewing for years to come. LW: 9
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