NBA Rookie Rankings: 5 guys under the most pressure

SACRAMENTO, CA - JANUARY 14: Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Sacramento Kings reacts during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 14, 2019 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. 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 Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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DETROIT, MICHIGAN – FEBRUARY 02: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the LA Clippers drives around Bruce Brown #6 of the Detroit Pistons during the first half at Little Caesars Arena on February 02, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. 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 Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Clippers decision to trade Tobias Harris may have weakened the roster in the short-term, but Doc Rivers is still coaching this team to make the playoffs. He’ll need everyone on the roster to elevate their play to overcome the loss of the versatile forward.

Gilgeous-Alexander has gotten a lot of plaudits this season for looking like a good, NBA rotation player during his rookie season, but he hasn’t been all that impactful. He’s done a better job of looking like a quality NBA player than actually performing like one.

Averaging a shade over 10 points per game is all well and good, but doing it in almost 26 minutes of action on an effective field goal percentage less than 50 makes it look much less impressive. Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t need to change his game to help his team more down the stretch, he just needs to steadily improve in multiple areas.

Obviously, adding a more consistent three-point shot would raise his ceiling drastically. So too would becoming a more assertive player on the offensive end of the floor. He needs to use his size and craft to get into the lane more frequently. Once he does that, he’ll find a way to make a lot more winning plays for his Clippers teammates.

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