We’ve just hit the halfway point in the NBA schedule. Time for a progress report on the young guys who will either hit a wall or hit their stride in the second half of the season. As always, some rookies have been blowin’ up, far exceeding their draft day value. Then there are others who have only raised question marks. This week, The Geek plays professor and grades the first half for the NBA’s newbies. (Players appear in order they were drafted.)
Blake Griffin, A+

I can’t keep count of how many times I’ve seen one of Griffin’s athletically marvelous dunks featured on the Yahoo! homepage. Many owners were a bit unsure of drafting him, given the knee injury that cost him the 2009-2010 season. Griff eased his way into his role as the go-to low-post scorer for the Clippers. He had modest double-double numbers the first month and a half of the season. Then, on November 20, something clicked. Blake went off with a 44-15-7 game and he hasn’t taken his foot off the gas since. He has only one game with under 20 points or under a dozen rebounds this month. I’d say the sky’s the limit for this first-year phenom, but he may just be able to leap out of the earth’s atmosphere. Griffin may not sport eagle wings, like his mythological namesake, but the guy can soar.

John Wall, B+

The Wizards’ top pick wowed us right off the bat with 6- and 9-steal games. He’s a blur on the court, but a shaky handle and high turnover totals give him room to improve. Wall has also missed games with tendonitis and a bone bruise. In January, he’s been feeling fine and putting up healthy numbers, averaging 13.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 10.7 assists and a league-leading 4.3 steals. He’ll get this grade up in the “A” range if he can bump up his low shooting percentage and take care of the ball better.
Evan Turner, C-

The #2 pick in last year’s draft has flashed signs of stardom, but his minutes have fluctuated more than Carmelo Anthony’s trade rumors. For where he was drafted, Turner’s been a bust for one-year leaguers, only topping 20 points once and shooting under 40%. The second half of the season doesn’t look like it will be out of this world for E.T., but I still have plenty of confidence he’ll find his way and be a solid fantasy contributor a year or two down the road.
Derrick Favors, INCOMPLETE

No one drafted Favors thinking he’d be an immediate stud. After all, the kid’s just 19 years old. His minutes have been up and down, partially due to some heavy foul trouble. Favors has shown some promise, going for 12 points and 6 boards a few times, but he’s not going to be doing fantasy owners any favors in the 2010-2011 season.
Wesley Johnson, D+

The college basketball season consists of about roughly 35 games. So this is the point of the NBA campaign in which some first-time players may start to hit a wall. Wesley Johnson seems to be one of them. He’s averaged 27 minutes a game, so getting clock isn’t an issue for him in the thin Minnesota rotation. But his stats, which were nothing special to begin with, are really starting to tail off lately. Coach Kurt Rambis slapped a “DNP-Coach’s Decision” on Johnson last week, when his shooting and defensive struggles hit an apex. The second half of this season doesn’t look great for Wes. He has value in deeper and keeper leagues, but you’ll need to be patient and park him on your bench right now.

Cousins is starting to make some noise for fantasy squads.

DeMarcus Cousins, B

Like most rookies, Cousins has struggled with consistency. He’s getting a great opportunity to grow in Sacto, though, and it’s starting to pay dividends, for owners who have stuck with the former Wildcat. After bottoming out in a three-game stretch around Christmas, Cousins has taken his game to new heights in recent weeks, averaging 15.6 points, 7.5 boards, 2.1 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. It’s been a game of musical chairs in the middle for the Kings, with Carl Landry, Sam Dalembert and Jason Thompson all shuffling around for spots in the rotation. But there’s one guy who ain’t goin’ anywhere, and that’s Cousins.
Greg Monroe, B+

Monroe grades out a little higher than Cousins because his perceived value was a good deal lower to start the season. The G’town big man has shown a ton of potential and he’s being rewarded with big playing time. A recent spike in stats suggest Monroe is ready to turn the corner and become a double-double guy. He’s averaged 10.8 points and 8.9 rebounds so far in 2011. He’s also been helping out category leaguers with nearly 2 steals a game and a terrific FG% of 58.5. Look for Monroe’s game to keep improving down the stretch this spring.
Landry Fields, B

Landry surprised everyone when he landed in the starting lineup for the Knicks, which gave him an instant boost. He’s the only rookie on this list who wasn’t a top 10 pick, falling to New York at #39. Fields was a real find on the waiver wire, and he’s been delivering a little bit of everything in his stat lines, highlighted by solid 3-point and FG% production. Plus, he qualifies at both guard and forward, which makes him a nice hole-plugger when injuries arise. It hasn’t been all roses for Fields. In the Knicks’ current slide, the swingman’s numbers have taken a small hit. Still, I expect him to rebound and be a solid player off the bench in fantasy leagues.

Most of the other rookies aren’t ready to show up on the fantasy radar just yet. Give them a little seasoning and there could be a few more surprises that emerge from the class of 2010. Read Post | 0 Comments

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