The 2009 NBA Draft has produced some expected stars, but also several pleasant surprises. Not only have these youngsters played their way onto a roster, some of them have become starters and major reasons for the success of their team.
The current battle for Rookie of the Year is a two horse race between stellar point guards Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings and Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Evans’s impact is clearly shown by the fact that the Kings are 15–25 midway through the season. Perhaps the 15 wins is not overly impressive, but remember, the Kings only won a total of 17 games last season.
He is averaging 20.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists a game in 37.3 minutes of play. ESPN Scouts Inc.’s analyst David Thorpe called Evans “arguably the best rookie we’ve seen in a few years.”
Jennings is not far behind. Scout.com and ESPNU ranked him as the No. 1 recruit coming out of high school. Instead of playing one year in college before declaring for the NBA Draft, Jennings chose to play in Italy for Lottomatica Roma.
Limited playing time contributed to a rocky and unimpressive year in Rome, making NBA teams wary about selecting him early. The New York Knicks are widely criticized for taking Jordan Hill instead of Jennings with the No. 8 pick.
Jennings is averaging 17.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 34.2 minutes of play, which includes a 55-point performance against the Golden State Warriors in November. He became the youngest player to score 50 points or more, beating LeBron James by 28 days.
Top pick Blake Griffin should be battling Evans and Jennings for the Rookie of the Year award, but a preseason stress fracture on his left kneecap forced him to undergo season-ending surgery, a big hit for a guy that many believed to be the most talented rookie.
Some of the biggest impact rookies this year were drafted in the second round or even undrafted.
DeJuan Blair was a first-team All-American forward at Pittsburgh, but durability concerns from two previous reconstructive knee surgeries and whispers about being too short to play power forward at 6’7” dropped his stock value into the second round, where the San Antonio Spurs drafted him.
After the draft, Blair said, “All the teams that didn’t pick me, I’m with the Spurs now. I’m going to make them regret it.” Blair moved into the starting lineup in December and has consistently been posting double-doubles against the teams that passed up on him.
It is safe to say that the Spurs made an incredible steal in the draft when Blair fell into their laps.
Blair’s college teammate, Sam Young, has contributed more than expected this season. Drafted one spot ahead of Blair in the second round, he has been credited with being a big reason for the Memphis Grizzlies’ recent surge. Twice this month, he has scored 22 points.
The Rockets’ Chase Budinger had all of the tools to be a lottery pick. He’s an athletic small forward with size at 6’7” and the ability to shoot it consistently from 3-point range.
However, he slipped to the second round because of a perceived lack of toughness. So far this season, he has proven the critics wrong.
Second round draft pick Jonas Jerebko stepped into the starting lineup in November for the injured Tayshaun Prince with the Detroit Pistons. With Prince currently still unable to play, Jerebko has made the most of his playing time.
He is averaging 8.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 27.6 minutes of play.
Perhaps the most unexpected starter in the NBA is Wesley Matthews. Undrafted and unknown, Matthews starts for a 23–18 Utah Jazz team that is solidly in playoff contention. He is the role player on a team with talented veteran players, but he is playing his role well.
While Evans and Jennings are clearly the cream of the crop in this year’s rookie class, the surprising contributors have come from second round picks or undrafted players who weren’t guaranteed contracts and had to play their way onto NBA rosters.
The current battle for Rookie of the Year is a two horse race between stellar point guards Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings and Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Evans’s impact is clearly shown by the fact that the Kings are 15–25 midway through the season. Perhaps the 15 wins is not overly impressive, but remember, the Kings only won a total of 17 games last season.
He is averaging 20.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists a game in 37.3 minutes of play. ESPN Scouts Inc.’s analyst David Thorpe called Evans “arguably the best rookie we’ve seen in a few years.”
Jennings is not far behind. Scout.com and ESPNU ranked him as the No. 1 recruit coming out of high school. Instead of playing one year in college before declaring for the NBA Draft, Jennings chose to play in Italy for Lottomatica Roma.
Limited playing time contributed to a rocky and unimpressive year in Rome, making NBA teams wary about selecting him early. The New York Knicks are widely criticized for taking Jordan Hill instead of Jennings with the No. 8 pick.
Jennings is averaging 17.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 34.2 minutes of play, which includes a 55-point performance against the Golden State Warriors in November. He became the youngest player to score 50 points or more, beating LeBron James by 28 days.
Top pick Blake Griffin should be battling Evans and Jennings for the Rookie of the Year award, but a preseason stress fracture on his left kneecap forced him to undergo season-ending surgery, a big hit for a guy that many believed to be the most talented rookie.
After the First Round
Some of the biggest impact rookies this year were drafted in the second round or even undrafted.
DeJuan Blair was a first-team All-American forward at Pittsburgh, but durability concerns from two previous reconstructive knee surgeries and whispers about being too short to play power forward at 6’7” dropped his stock value into the second round, where the San Antonio Spurs drafted him.
After the draft, Blair said, “All the teams that didn’t pick me, I’m with the Spurs now. I’m going to make them regret it.” Blair moved into the starting lineup in December and has consistently been posting double-doubles against the teams that passed up on him.
It is safe to say that the Spurs made an incredible steal in the draft when Blair fell into their laps.
Blair’s college teammate, Sam Young, has contributed more than expected this season. Drafted one spot ahead of Blair in the second round, he has been credited with being a big reason for the Memphis Grizzlies’ recent surge. Twice this month, he has scored 22 points.
The Rockets’ Chase Budinger had all of the tools to be a lottery pick. He’s an athletic small forward with size at 6’7” and the ability to shoot it consistently from 3-point range.
However, he slipped to the second round because of a perceived lack of toughness. So far this season, he has proven the critics wrong.
Second round draft pick Jonas Jerebko stepped into the starting lineup in November for the injured Tayshaun Prince with the Detroit Pistons. With Prince currently still unable to play, Jerebko has made the most of his playing time.
He is averaging 8.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 27.6 minutes of play.
Perhaps the most unexpected starter in the NBA is Wesley Matthews. Undrafted and unknown, Matthews starts for a 23–18 Utah Jazz team that is solidly in playoff contention. He is the role player on a team with talented veteran players, but he is playing his role well.
While Evans and Jennings are clearly the cream of the crop in this year’s rookie class, the surprising contributors have come from second round picks or undrafted players who weren’t guaranteed contracts and had to play their way onto NBA rosters.
