Rookie Team of the Week: Bennett Rising

Bennett’s improved play of late earned him a spot on our rookie team of the week.

PG Nick Calathes – Memphis Grizzlies

After dropping three of their four games since Nick Calathes’ domination of the Milwaukee Bucks in Mike Conley’s absence, Calathes makes his return to the Lottery Mafia’s All-Rookie Team. Calathes averaged 15 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, a block, and only 2 turnovers in just over 36 minutes of action while posting a team high +18 while on the floor for the week as the Grizzlies beat the Washington Wizards and ended the Orlando Magic’s three-game winning streak despite Marc Gasol (knee) being limited to 23 minutes. They are now 29-23, a mere 1 ½ games behind the Golden State Warriors for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs. The week before last Calathes was averaging as many turnovers as assists, but his strong rebound this week puts the Grizzlies, who will get Mike Conley back following the All-Star break, in excellent position to work their way into the playoff picture. Calathes’ inspired play against John Wall, one of the better defensive point guards in the league, likely convinced the Grizzlies to err on the side of caution with Conley and not rush him back against Orlando, thus allowing him ample time to recover over the break.

PG, SG C.J. McCollum – Portland Trailblazers

After missing the first couple of months of the season due to injury, the 10^th overall pick of the draft from Lehigh University is starting to get a little bit comfortable on the NBA hardwood. He’s only played in 17 games, but his last few have been easily his best. After scoring a career-high 19 points against the putrid Minnesota Timberwolves defense last Saturday, McCollum showed he could do it against some of the top competition in the league, scoring 13 points while providing 2.5 assists a game in just over 20 minutes per contest against the Thunder and Clippers. While the Blazers’ vision of having Lillard and McCollum play alongside each other hasn’t exactly come to fruition thus far, McCollum is progressing nicely this year, and it will be interesting to see what kind of role he can etch out for himself for the remainder of the regular season, particularly on a Blazers team that has their first unit playing the highest percentage of minutes of all starting five’s in the NBA.

SG Tim Hardaway, Jr. – New York Knicks

Hardaway, Jr. struggled to find his shot against Sacramento in the Knicks’ lone game of the week (3-12 in a loss), but he and Dion Waiters stole the show in the second half of the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, with Hardaway, Jr. finishing with 36 points including 7 threes. He may not end up making the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and he’s unlikely to develop and master the killer crossover his father was famous for, but if he continues to improve his defense and mid-range game, and consistently knocks down outside shots, there’s a good chance he will be able to stick in the NBA and enjoy a similarly long career as his father. While the Knicks are only 2 ½ games behind Charlotte for the eighth and final playoff spot, the Knicks season has largely been a disappointment, with Carmelo’s 62-point performance and Tim Hardaway, Jr.’s emergence being far and away the two high points thus far.

SF, PF Anthony Bennett – Cleveland Cavaliers

Bennett, who many people (including myself at times) have already written off as a bust for Cleveland, had his best game as a pro this week in a rare Cavaliers win, albeit against Sacramento. In 30 minutes, the 1^st overall pick from UNLV contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds, and a steal while going 6-9 from the field and sinking three shots from distance. Recently fired Cavs GM Chris Grant has to be wondering why Bennett had to wait until he was fired to play his best game. Bennett won’t turn 21 for another month, meaning he has plenty of time to develop into the consistent, quality player the Cavs thought they were drafting, but it would be a lie to call the first half of his rookie season anything close to a success. There have been plenty of factors outside of Bennett’s control that have contributed to his less than inspiring play thus far, including limited playing time (not that his performance thus far indicated he should be playing big minutes), along with the logjam the Cavs have down low with Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson. However, with Andrew Bynum gone and the Cavs, despite being only three games behind Charlotte for 8th seed, not looking like much of a playoff team, Bennett may find a more consistent and definite role, especially if he can have a few more nights like he did vs. Sacramento. Getting tougher on the inside and become a better rebounder have to be his top priorities. The offense will come, but for now he has to carve out time for himself by playing tough defense and proving he is willing to do the dirty work that Cavs fans are accustomed to seeing in Varejao.

C Kelly Olynyk – Boston Celtics

After turning in his first career double-double on Monday night in a win vs. the Milwaukee Bucks (14 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists on 6-11 FG in 21 minutes), one could easily chalk it up as a fluke coming against the lowly Bucks. However, he followed that up with a 15 point, 10 rebound, 2 assists, 1 block night against the San Antonio Spurs on 6-11 field goals in 31 minutes heading into All-Star weekend, silencing critics who called his performance lucky. With Celtics’ GM Danny Ainge doing all he can to best position Boston for this year’s draft and contenders calling and inquiring about Brandon Bass, it may be only a matter of time before Olynyk is starting and/or seeing at least 30 minutes of action per night for the C’s. Like Bennett, he needs to get stronger and tougher on the interior defensively, but offensively Olynyk has shown flashes that suggest his game is as smooth and free-flowing as his hairdo.