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| The Spurs knew what they were doing when they traded with the Pacers to get Kawhi Leonard. |
We’re
not even halfway through the season and we know the Rookie of the Year award is
going to Kyrie Irving or Ricky Rubio. I don’t say that to make the ROY race
sound bland. Up to this point it hasn’t been and I expect Irving and Rubio to
continue to entertain fans with their elite talents and the prospect of leading
their teams to a playoff spot in their respective conferences. But this week I
am more intrigued by a different grouping of players. These aren’t players who
have a shot at winning the ROY. They most likely will not win an MVP down the
road. At best they might wind up with a couple of All-Star selections, a
Most-Improved Player or 6th-man award. Injuries aside, they will be
guaranteed a lengthy NBA career. These are the players that help teams win
championships; these are role players.
A
couple of rankings ago I touched on Chandler Parsons of the Houston Rockets. You
may not have heard of him, but he certainly fits the description of a role
player. Currently, he is averaging 7 points, 1.6 assists and 5 rebounds per
game. Those stats may seem middle of the road to you, but on a night of
back-to-backs, Parsons went for 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in
a win against the Suns and for 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 2 steals
in a close loss to the upstart Timberwolves. Not too bad for player who sees
his minutes and touches fluctuate from game to game. And in this class of
rookies, he isn’t the only one.
Down
in San Antonio there is Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi has very similar stats to Parsons,
averaging 7.2 points, 1.0 assist and 5.0 rebounds per game. At the start of the
season, Kawhi was seeing limited minutes and touches. Then, when Manu Ginobili
went down with an injury, he was awarded more minutes and touches, a change that
translated to Kawhi scoring 11-plus points in a span of six games. Since that
stretch, Kawhi’s minutes and touches have again begun to fluctuate as Coach
Gregg Popovich searches for a rotation that suits his aging core of Ginobili,
Parker and Duncan. But when his number is called upon, Kawhi always delivers. In
fact in games where he plays at least 30 minutes he is averaging 12.1 points,
7.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. And last night, in a win against the
league leading Oklahoma City Thunder, he had perhaps his best game of the year,
going for 15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
If
you turn your attention to South Beach and the Miami Heat you will find Norris
Cole, another rookie who fits the role player mold. Cole started off the season
with a bang, singlehandedly defending a Heat lead against the Boston Celtics in
the second game of the season by going for 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
In his first seven games he breeched 10 points on five occasions and also
logged his season high of 9 assists. But since that initial outburst Cole has
cooled off. On some nights this is due to his playing time, on others he just
isn’t as “on” as he was earlier in the season, but more importantly, the Heat
have begun to find their stride and haven’t needed Cole to be as much of a
sparkplug as he was earlier in the year. But that is precisely why the rookie
out of Cleveland State has so much value. Down the road they will trust Norris
Cole to deliver. When nothing else is working, he is their go-to guy.
When
I look at these three players what I see is the next James Harden, Lamar Odom
or Robert Horry. Players who will never lead the league in any statistical
category or be the number one option on their team, but when their teams need
them most, they can take the rock and make something happen.
Rookie Rankings
1.
Ricky
Rubio- I moved Rubio above Irving this week for two reasons. First, the
Wolves have two wins, one loss since the last set of rankings, the Cavs, one
win, two losses. Second, he logged his 10th and 11th
double-doubles of the seasons and is now averaging 11.4 points, 4.4 rebounds
and 8.9 assists per game. I won’t be surprised to see him average a 10 and 10
buy the end of the season. LW: 1b
2.
Kyrie
Irving- On Saturday Kyrie moved the Cavs to within a half game of the
eighth seed in the East by beating the defending Champion Mavs. He went for 20
points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. On the season he is averaging 18.1 points,
3.4 rebounds and 5 assists. LW: 1a
3.
Kawhi
Leonard- He does what his team asks of him and can be productive when
needed. More importantly, his production translates to wins. LW: 5
4.
Chandler
Parsons- He has scored in double figures in back-to-back games and is partially
responsible for Houston being within half a game of the playoffs. LW: 10
5.
Brandon
Knight- Knight went off on the Bucks on Friday, going for 26 points, 3
rebounds and 7 assists. That production translated into a rare win for the
Pistons. Then on Saturday, he broke his nose. No worries, he is getting fitted
for a mask and should return shortly. LW:
7
6.
Kemba
Walker- The Bobcats haven’t won in a long time, which has made Kemba’s
production seem rather futile. The thing is, the kid can produce. On Saturday
against the Suns he went for 22 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists and on the
season he is averaging 12.3 points, 4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. LW: 3
7.
Norris
Cole- Even though his numbers have gone down, he has become more efficient
as the season has gone on. Currently he is averaging 8.6 points, 1.7 rebounds
and 2.5 assists. LW: 8
8.
MarShon
Brooks- MarShon is averaging 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per
game. The only problem is he is injured and has played in one game over his
last eight. LW: 4
9.
Iman
Shumpert- The Knicks are still struggling, but that isn’t the fault of Iman
Shumpert. His stock might take a major hit though thanks to the performance of
second year player Jeremey Lin. Regardless, Shump is averaging 10 points, 3.6
rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
10. Markieff Morris- His production has been up and down, but
the Suns haven’t been afraid to give him touches. In a win against the Bobcats Saturday
Morris went for 11 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. If he can become more
offensively polished, he will be a beast. LW:
UR
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