NBA: 10 impact rookies of 2014-15
By Bryce Olin
One of my favorite aspects of the NBA is the mix of young and old players sharing the court.
It sounds stupid, I know, but think back to a younger LeBron James sharing the court with Ricky Davis and the rag tag group of Cavs during his rookie season. It’s awesome!
For as good as James was as a rookie, he improves so much over the course of his career. Look at these numbers:
| Season | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-04 | 79 | 39.5 | 7.9 | 18.9 | .417 | .290 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 1.6 | 20.9 |
| Career | 842 | 39.5 | 9.9 | 19.9 | .497 | .341 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 1.7 | 27.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/19/2014.
I don’t think there’s going to be anyway quite like him in this rookie class, but there’s players that can still have an impact on the game. Even if a guy struggles as a rookie, James is proof of how much one can improve.
For the purpose of this set of rankings, I’ll stick to the rookies who will have a positive impact on the their teams. Hit me up on twitter (@bryceolin) and we can talk about Austin Rivers’ rookie season, literally, all day. No one ranked on this list will have as bad of a rookie campaign as Austin Rivers. I mean, it’s not hard to beat a 5.9 PER if you can walk and chew gum at the same time.
The main question I asked myself about all these players was “Are these player going to make a difference right away?”
A lot of rookies are going to get playing time, and they’ll be given enough playing time to sort their problems. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was Michael Jordan. It takes time for all of these players to develop.
Keep that in mind as you read through these rankings. Also, please be aware if I don’t list your favorite player, it’s not because I don’t think he’s good; I just don’t think he’s going to have a top 10 impact as a rookie in 2014-15. That’s all. I already wrote about some of the rookies I don’t like here.