Get on the Hype Train: Rookies in form

These rookies are impressing early in the season (note: I’ve not chosen the obvious ones).

Nemanja Bjelica

An older rookie, but nonetheless a rookie, the Serbian has performed relatively well in his first dozen or so NBA games. A stretch four who has the agility and creativity to play at the three, the former EuroLeague MVP has given Sam Mitchell an awful lot of flexibility on the offensive end. He has utilized him as a power forward alongside Karl Towns but on occasion as a small forward alongside Gorgui Dieng and the legendary ‘KAT’. His nickname is ‘professor big shots’- his 50% field goal percentage is proof that he can live up to this name and he has made a series of big shots in close games for this young team.

Something Minnesota were supposed to struggle with this year was defensive rebounding as they don’t really have an awful lot of height or power, but Bjelica has rebounded really well and it has been rather surprising. Seven boards per game puts him in the higher region of the Minnesota statistical rankings and he has been a welcome addition. His defence could be an issue in the short term, the opponent’s offensive rating is 107 when he is on the court but a measly 92 when he is sitting on the bench. There is some context to this, Bjelica has often played with the bench whose defence is frankly abysmal, however it is clear that his one downfall could be his defending. Minnesota are only paying him four million dollars per seasn, they are getting an awful lot of production for their output.

Randae Hollis-Jefferson 

The Brooklyn Nets are a totally dreadful franchise, but RHJ has been the shining beacon of hope for this team since entering the league. He didn’t come in as a scorer or a basic stats guy so his 3.3 ppg will not surprise many people in the slightest. His defense however is out of this world and he could become a top five defender within the next couple of years. Brooklyn are bottom five in defensive efficiency at the moment but this isn’t down to Jefferson, with him on the court the opponent average 97 points per 100 possessions, when he is on the wafer thin Nets bench the team are shipping 114 points per 100 possessions.

His work ethic and positioning mean that he is the guy guarding the star player of their opponents, I”m not too sure whether this says more about him or the Brooklyn Nets at this point in time. This team has no draft picks, but at least they have a franchise building block in Randae Hollis-Jefferson who could be their future defensive stopper.

Willie Cauley-Stein

I wasn’t sold when the Sacramento Kings selected WCS, but ten games in and it’s hard to disagree with the decision Divac made, as he fits Karl’s system very well. Karl runs a fast paced system based on high screens and quick passes up to the post, and Cauley-Stein has slotted into this system at an impressive rate. Small sample sizes are always to be utilized with a deal of caution, but Cauley-Stein’s 71 percent field goal percentage shows that he can finish at the rim with authority and he doesn’t take shots out of his comfort zone, something which guys like Cousins and Gay will be happy with. The Kings’ offensive sets are relatively complicated, but he has shown real intelligence in getting to grips with the style pretty quickly. The offensive efficiency is at 111 when he is on the court for his 20 minutes, it drops to 97 when he hits the bench.

His defense is also excellent, he came into the League as a guy able to guard all five positions and he has shown that in Sacramento. The defensive efficiency drops by 12 when he goes to the bench and his brilliant mobility allows him to cover for double teams and just good ball movement.