NBA Rookie Rankings: 5 underrated guys in this year's class

NBA Rookie Rankings: 5 underrated guys in this year’s class

BROOKLYN, NY - DECEMBER 26: Rodions Kurucs #00 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots the ball against the Charlotte Hornets on December 26, 2018 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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BROOKLYN, NY – DECEMBER 18: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Rodions Kurucs #00 of the Brooklyn Nets in action against Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers at Barclays Center on December 18, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Nets defeated the Lakers 115-110. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

1. Rodions Kurucs

Unless you make Brooklyn Nets games on League Pass appointment viewing, you probably don’t know a ton about Kurucs. Make a point to educate yourself more in 2019. He’s the most underrated rookie in the NBA today.

Scouting Kurucs’ game is pretty difficult. He has a real European flair about the way he approaches basketball, but he’s far from soft. In fact, it’s his aggression that really makes him a nightmare for opposing defenders to handle.

Kurucs isn’t a great shooter from 3, but his percentage of 31.5 from behind the line is just enough to force defenders to close out on him. When they do, the Latvian wing shows a wonderful ability to put the ball on the deck and blow by guys. He’s got just enough pop at the rim to finish plays over unsuspecting bigs as well.

Predictably, things aren’t great on the other end of the floor for Kurucs. Even so, his offensive skill is sophisticated enough to make him a great building block for the Nets future. It’s easy to forget he’s one of the younger guys in his draft class at the tender age of 20.

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Kurucs is going to be a good scorer in the NBA for a long time. That might undersell his potential as well. At worse, he’ll be an average starter for the Nets for the next decade. At best, he could blossom into a fringe All-Star if his perimeter game really grows. That’s great news for a franchise that desperately needs big-time talent.

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