The NBA season is now more than two weeks old, which means that a majority of the league's rookies have taken the court at least seven times. Not surprisingly, four of the top five players taken in June?s draft have excelled early.
O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, and Mario Chalmers have all appeared in at least eight games and average more than thirty minutes of floor time. Ten other rookies were getting more than twenty minutes of run through Thursday night?s action, providing us with a legitimate sample of data to analyze.
1. Derrick Rose, Chicago: 18.4 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds (12.1 FIC)
The first overall pick is the early favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors at season?s end thanks to the amount of confidence coach Vinny Del Negro (also a rookie) has had in him right off the bat. He effectively outplayed Jason Kidd on Nov. 13 in a Chicago win over Dallas, and has a respectable 1.96 assist-to-turnover ratio through nine games.
2. Rudy Fernandez, Portland: 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.25 steals (10.5 FIC)
Rudolfo is obviously more experienced than a majority of rookies, but his transition from Europe to the NBA has been both impressive and almost seamless. As RealGM editor Christopher Reina pointed out in a very well-written piece, Fernandez?s performance on Wednesday night against the Heat was his ?welcome to the NBA? moment.
3. O.J. Mayo, Memphis: 20.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists (10.1 IFC)
Mayo has been red-hot for the Grizzles, leading all rookies in scoring and minutes. His rebounding numbers are probably higher than they will be all season though, thanks to the 17 rebounds he tallied in consecutive games against the Warriors and Nuggets. He has posted four or fewer in every other game.
4. Michael Beasley, Miami: 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds (9.1 FIC)
Beasley has posted double-figures in scoring in every game thus far, but hasn?t shot particularly well from the field for a player of his size. That is probably more indicative of how much Miami needs from him offensively than any transgressions on his behalf. After playing less than thirty minutes in his first two NBA games, he?s averaging 36.7 minutes in his last six.
5. Kevin Love, Minnesota: 9.6 points and 7 rebounds (9.1 FIC)
The Timberwolves (1-6) may still be far away from contending for anything of value, but Love has been a breath of fresh air in Minnesota. Unfortunately, he?s been rather inconsistent. He has posted more than 12 points on three occasions and seven or more boards five times, but has also had a few ugly stat lines. His 2-point, 0-for-7 performance against Portland was a low point.
6. Marc Gasol, Memphis: 11.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1 block (8.9 FIC)
The Grizzles have more contributing rookies than any other team, and Gasol has been almost as good as Mayo. Gasol?s hallmark performance came in just his fourth game, against the Warriors, when he had 27 points and 16 rebounds in 36 minutes of action.
7. Jason Thompson, Sacramento: 12 points and 7 rebounds (8.5 FIC)
Thompson might be the most unheralded among this season?s top rookies, but he is quietly becoming one of the most impressive. He has only had one bad game (2 points and 2 rebounds in 11 minutes against the Timberwolves on Nov. 7). He already has two double-doubles, and has shown a knack for feeding teammates (1.4 assists per game) as well.
8. Darrell Arthur, Memphis: 7.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks (7.6 FIC)
Arthur is the third member of the Grizzlies to appear on the list, providing fans with strong promise for the future. He hasn?t been anywhere near as consistent as Mayo and Gasol, but has shown flashes of spectacular play here and there. He had the best debut of any rookie (11 points and 15 rebounds), but followed that up with a 0-for-6 performance (with 10 boards) just two days later.
9. JaVale McGee, Washington: 8.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks (7.6 FIC)
McGee has gotten an opportunity in Washington thanks to the absence of Brendan Haywood. He has only taken the court five times, but aside from his debut (0 points and 2 rebounds on Oct. 29) he has been solid. His averages in the last four games spike to 10.8 points, 8 rebounds and 1.5 rejections.
10. Luc Mbah a Moute, Milwaukee: 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds (7.6 FIC)
Mbah a Moute has gotten more minutes with Michael Redd out, and has shown tremendous promise when given the opportunity. He earned his first start against the Spurs on Wednesday, posting 11 points and 7 rebounds in 35 minutes. He has convincingly outplayed Joe Alexander in Milwaukee through the team?s first nine games.
Best of the Rest
11. Mario Chalmers, Miami: 6.5 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds (7.4 FIC)
12. Marreese Speights, Philadelphia: 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds (5.4 FIC)
13. Ryan Anderson, New Jersey: 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds (5.1 FIC)
14. Bobby Brown, Sacramento: 7.4 points and 2.1 assists (4.6 FIC)
15. Anthony Randolph, Golden State: 5.8 points and 5.5 rebounds (4.4 FIC)
16. George Hill, San Antonio: 7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2 assists (4.0 FIC)
17. Nicolas Batum, Portland: 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds (3.7 FIC)
18. Anthony Morrow, Golden State: 7.7 points (3.7 FIC)
19. Roy Hibbert, Indiana: 4.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1 block (3.6 FIC)
20. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City: 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists (3.5 FIC)
21. Brook Lopez, New Jersey: 4.4 points and 5 rebounds (3.4 FIC)
22. D.J. Augustin, Charlotte: 9.3 points and 3.4 assists (3.2 FIC)
23. Kosta Koufos, Utah: 4.5 points and 2.2 rebounds (3.1 FIC)
24. Robin Lopez, Phoenix: 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds (2.7 FIC)
25. DeMarcus Nelson, Golden State: 5.4 points (2.4 FIC)
26. Brandon Rush, Indiana: 6.1 points and 2.3 rebounds (2.4 FIC)
27. Mike Taylor, Los Angeles: 4.4 points and 2.1 assists (2.3 FIC)
28. Eric Gordon, Los Angeles: 3.5 points and 1.1 assists (1.9 FIC)
29. Courtney Lee, Orlando: 3 points and 1.2 rebounds (1.8 FIC)
30. Joe Alexander, Milwaukee: 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds (1.5 FIC)
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail ? Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com.