The 2013 rookie class in the NBA can be considered as short of disappointing as there was literally no one in that draft class who made a real significant impact, save for the reigning Rookie of the Year, Damian Lillard. In fact it can be considered a downright letdown as the top pick in the draft, Anthony Davis, failed to live up to the lofty expectations he had created for himself after having a stellar freshman year playing for the NCAA Champion University of Kentucky prior to being drafted first overall in the draft. The rest of the top picks did not fare very well either as their performances ranged from average to mediocre with very few showing that they have any real potential to be star quality players. So let us all take a look at what possibly can be considered as one of the worst and most forgettable rookie classes in NBA History while trying not to lose our meals from the sickening performances that we NBA fans were forced to bear witness to.
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Selected 30th Overall |
His numbers may not seem as impressive with averages of just two points and four rebounds per game in 14 minutes of playing time, but Festus Ezeli was one of the crucial factors that led to the Warriors' magical season. The 23 year old Nigerian big men started 41 of the 78 games he played in place of the oft injured Andrew Bogut giving the Warriors a solid defensive presence during Bogut's absence. By all accounts, he does not look like he'll be an All Star anytime soon, but if he maintains a steady performance as a solid protecter around the rim, Festus Ezeli will certainly have a long and fruitful career in the NBA for yesr to come.
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29
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Detroit Pistons
Rookie Free Agent |
The 25 year old Ukrainian big man may have just played 25 games for Detroit rather sparingly at just nine minutes per game, but Viacheslav Kravtov made the most of his few opportunities by maximizing every second he was on the court. In his limited minutes he was extremely efficient averaging 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, and was simply automatic from the field shooting a scorching .717 from the field. Glancing at his per 48 minute production, he certainly looks like a player that has All Star potential as averaging 16.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game thus making him a player to keep an eye on despite not being able to properly pronounce his name.
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28
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Golden State Warriors Selected 35th Overall
2012 NBA Draft
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Despite averaging a shade under three points per game and shooting .327 from the field, Draymond Green still played all but three games in the regular season and was also a crucial factors in the Warrior's miracle run. He certainly made an impact in the post season as his number doubled as he posted his best numbers in the first round against the Denver Nuggets averaging 7.3 points, 4.5 boards, 1.5 assists and 0.8 blocked shots per game helping his team to pull of the stunning first round upset of the third seeded Denver Nuggets. His playoff performance certainly has given Warriors fans something more to look forward to watching next season as they will certainly hope that it would lead to bigger things in the future.
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27
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When the Magic selected Kyle O'Quinn at near the bottom of the NBA Draft, not many expected that he would even make the team let alone make any real impact in the team whatsoever; however, Kyle managed not only to claim a spot on the roster, but also gave Orlando an exceptional contribution coming off the bench. In the 57 games he played, Kyle O'Quinn averaged nearly four points, four rebounds and a block per game in just 11.2 minutes of playing time while shooting an extremely efficient .513 from the field thus making him a sheer steal for the Magic who hit the jackpot with this low risk asset they required. O'Quinn would be one of the numerous feel good stories for the Magic as they team looks toward a long and hard rebuilding process.
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26
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Selected 33rd Overall |
At the ripe old age of 27, Bernard James was the oldest player selected in the 2012 NBA Draft and was certainly one of the feel good stories in the draft having spent much of his youth serving his country in the Middle East before he played at Florida State. James certainly managed to maintain his heroic image as he played 46 games for the Mavericks and averaged three points and three boards per game shooting .513 from the field in under 10 minutes of playing time. Due to his age, James does not have as much upside as his far younger counterparts, but he has certainly shown his ability to provide solid minutes in the paint with the same courage and determination that he showed fighting for his country.
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25
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Selected 37th Overall |
As a second round pick who did not have guaranteed contract, Quincy Acy certainly proved to his Raptor teammates and his opponents that he belonged in the NBA. Although rather undersized for a power forward at just 6' 7" and 225lbs, Acy provided plenty of toughness and a strong physical presence inside for the Raptors while providing a steady contribution in limited minutes averaging four points and three rebounds per game while shooting a scintillating .560 from the field and almost perfect from the free throw line at .816. With his almost unreal athleticism and ability to jump out of the building to go along with his gritty hard nosed style of play, Quincy Acy looks to have a very prosperous career whether he be in Toronto or anywhere else.
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24
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Selected 27th Overall
2012 NBA Draft
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Arnet Moultrie did not get a chance to play until nearly the halfway point of the regular season, but once he got an opportunity at some playing time he certainly made the best of it as he took advantage of the few minutes per game in which he was allotted. In 47 games and just a over 11 minutes of playing time, Moultrie averaged four points and three boards per games while being almost automatic from the field as he made .586 of his shot attempts. He certainly showed that his game had plenty of upside as the regular season winded to the end as he posted his best numbers averaging nine points and seven boards per game when he was given significant minutes in the last five games.
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23
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Selected 20th Overall
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Donatas Montiejunas originally started to shine in the NBA's Developmental League where he played on the Rocket's affiliate team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers as he averaged nearly 21 points and 10 rebounds in his seven game stint there. Upon being called back up to Houston, Montiejunas went on to prove that his D League performance was no fluke as he posted rather solid numbers in limited playing time he was given--in 44 games played, he finished the regular season with averages of nearly six points and two rebounds per game in just twelve minutes of playing time. Along with his rather impressive D-League performance, Rockets fans certainly have much more to look forward to in this curious and enigmatic 22 year old seven footer.
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As it is the case with most post players in the Milwaukee Bucks, John Henson was not really able to show his capabilities as the ball was dominated on the offensive end by perimeter players; however, despite his limited minutes and touches, he still showed glimpses of potential that can give Bucks fans a little hope for the future. In the 63 games he played, the former University of North Carolina Tar Heel averaged six points and close to five boards per game in just over 13 minutes of playing time. Given more minutes and shot attempts, this 13th pick of the 2012 Draft might just become something special provided that Milwaukee provides him with what he needs to flourish in this league.
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21
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Before getting the call to finally be able to play in the NBA, Brian spent much of his basketball playing career abroad playing first in Israel, then in Germany, and at 27 became one of the oldest members of the 2013 Rookie class. In his first season in the Hornets, Roberts provided solid production as a backup point guard playing in 78 of 82 regular season games as he averaged seven points and three assists in just 17 minutes per game. He was exceptionally proficient from beyond the arc as he shot .389 from beyond the arc with his best performance coming at the end of the season where he averages twelve points and five assists in the Hornets' last five games.
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Orlando Magic Selected 14th Overall |
The Magic received Harkless as a thrown in the mega trade that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers, but the 20 year old product from Saint John's proved to be so much more. Along with playing 76 out of 82 regular season games, Harkless started in all but 17 of them while averaging a rather respectable 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting .461 from the field. Over the course of the season he went from averaging just under five points per games to becoming on the Magic's key offensive threats by the end of the season averaging close to 13 per game. Harkless is one of the surprising feel good stories of the league; however, he is not the only Magic player in this countdown.
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At a glance, John Jenkins does not seem very impressive as he finished the 2013 season average a solid, yet unspectacular 6 points per game, while shooting a respectable .446 from the field and .387 beyond the arc; however, stretch his production over a 48 minute span you'll see a completely different story. Hypothetically in 48 minutes, Jenkins would have averaged 19.8 points per game and if his 15.2ppg performance in April was any sign of things to come, then the Hawks may have quite the diamond in the rough in their hands. Despite being picked rather low in the first round, John Jenkins might actually be considered as one of the biggest steals in the draft as he looks to build upon a solid rookie campaign.
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18
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Many take a look at the regular season stats of the oldest rookie of the 2013 class and may not even give them the slightest though; however upon closer examination, the 36 year old Pablo Prigioni's play was certainly more than meets the eye. Consider the fact that Prigioni was the third point guard on the Knicks roster playing behind Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd, but still managed to play in 78 regular season games and produce rather efficiently as well in very limited time. In just 16 minutes, Pablo average 3 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and almost one steal per game while at the same time made .455 of his shots and .396 from beyond the arc proving to many that age is nothing but a number.
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Toronto Raptors Selected 8th Overall
2012 NBA Draft
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When Terrence Ross was selected eighth overall by the Toronto Raptors, he was billed as a very similar to Raptors starting shooting guard, Demar Derozan, except he was much longer, far more athletic, and with a much better perimeter shot; however, Ross lacked the consistency to prove himself worthy of upsetting the status quot and usurping Derozan as a starter. He shad a few big games that showed a lot of promise and even won the Slam Dunk Championship during the All Star Weekend; however, it was not nearly enough to show Raptor fans that he was the team's two guard of the future. His offense was rather streaky as he finished the season shooting a rather inefficient .407 from the field while only averaging 6.4 points per game showing Raptors fans that he still has quite a ways to go.
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16
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Selected 2nd Overall |
For the second overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did not not provide the immediate impact that many had anticipated considering that he had just come from winning the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament with the University of Kentucky Wildcats. Although MKG played in 78 games for the Bobcats starting in 77 of them, he was not much a factor on either the offensive or defensive ends just averaging 9 points and a shade under six boards per game. He certainly proved that he still has plenty of work to do on his overall game as he mainly counted on his athleticism and lacked the fundamentals to be anything more than a flashy run and dunk player. Hopefully, he will come back with a more diversified and developed game than he had last season and maybe life up to the expectations that both Michael Jordan and Richard Cho had when they had originally drafted for him.
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15
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Dallas Mavericks
Selected 34th Overall
2012 NBA Draft
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Crowder was considered a draft day steal having fallen all the way to the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft right in the Dallas Mavericks' lap and he certainly did not disappoint. The 6' 6" Jack of all trades played a significant role for the Mavericks playing in 78 of 82 regular season games starting in 17 of them providing much needed energy and toughness on a Dallas team that so desperately needed it. Although his offense was rather shaky shooting just .382 from the field, he compensated for his offensive shortcoming with his effort of the defensive end as he used his blend of size, speed and quickness to guard numerous positions. It with with that diversity of skills and talent that makes him a crucial piece in the Mavericks' rebuilding efforts and a play to keep an eye on for years to come.
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14
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Selected 11th Overall
2012 NBA Draft
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On what could have been considered as the having the worst bench in the NBA, this long lanky big man from the University of Illinois was the sole bright spot on a bench that produced just 33.6 points and 18.1 rebounds per game while shooting .315 from the field. Despite playing just 17.5 minutes per game, Meyers Leonard still posted solid number of 5.5 points and 3.7 boards per game while shooting at a rather efficient .545 clip. He also shot rather efficiently from the charity stripe at around .810 which is pretty much unseen by most young big men in the league. If given more minutes and touches, Meyers Leonard must just be considered as one of the biggest steals in the 2012 NBA Draft.
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13
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Not many expected this skinny 6' 6" 24 year old Russian point guard to get much playing time as he was way down the roster food chain, but a slew of injuries changed that giving the young Alexy Shved a chance to shine. And he certainly did for the maligned Minnesota team as he played 77 games and averaged nine points, 2 rebounds and four assists per game in just under 24 minutes of playing time. His poor .372 field goal shooting remains much to be desired, but considering he was in a new environment and was put in a position to do more than both he and his team had anticipated, that can be easily overlooked. It will be interesting to see how Shved will follow up from his solid rookie campaign.
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12
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When Washington selected Beal with the third overall pick in the draft, many saw him as the perfect complement to the Wizards' star point guard John Wall as he had the perfect blend of size, strength, and athleticism to keep up with Wall along with a deadly shooting stroke. Unfortunately, he was not able to showcase his skill set for much of the season as he missed 26 games and struggled greatly with his offense when he did actually play. Although he averaged a solid 13.9 points per game, he did it shooting a rather unimpressive .410 from the field; however, most of that was due to Wall missing a good chunk of the season due to his own injuries. Hopefully with a full season and a healthy John Wall at opening tip-off, Beal will live up to the promise that the Wizards envisioned from him when they selected him so high in the draft.
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11
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High expectations were also put upon Dion Waiters as he was selected fourth overall in the draft; however, due to an injury riddled rookie campaign where he would miss 21 games, Waiters failed to live up to them. Although he was second among rookies in scoring as he averaged 14.7 per game, Waiters did so rather inefficiently as he shot just .412 from the field and an even more woeful .310 from beyond the arc. In the first two months of the regular season, Waiters jacked up close to 16 shot attempts per game only making less than .350 of them making him more of a hindrance than a help to his team. If he wants to be taken seriously as a player in the NBA and a building block for the Cavaliers' future, Waiters needs to work on his shot selection because the last thing he would want to be known as a ball chucker.
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10
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Jeff Taylor's name was not exactly one to roll off easily off one's lips as barely anyone had heard of him; however he certainly made his presence felt in the Charlotte Bobcats despite being selected in the second round. The 24 year old swing man from Vanderbilt earned himself the reputation of being quite the defensive stopper which earned him the privilege to play in 77 regular season games starting 29 of them. He finished the season quite respectably for someone picked in the second round as he averaged just over six points, two boards, one assist, and nearly a steak in just under 20 minutes of playing time. Taylor even managed to upstage his fellow rookie teammate, Michael Kidd Gilchrist who had more notoriety coming into the NBA draft and had been selected higher as well.
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9
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Much was expected from Tyler Zeller after finishing a stellar career at the University of North Carolina as one of the top big man prospects in the NBA draft. Unfortunately, despite his remarkable college credentials, he had shockingly dropped to number 17 and was quickly picked up by the Cavs in a draft day trade. Nonetheless, Zeller made the best of a bad situation as he worked his way into the staring lineup, playing in 77 games and posted respectable, albeit unspectacular numbers of 7.9 points and 5.7 boards per game. His .438 shooting from the field showed that he still has work to do, but at least he had shown that he had plenty of potential to be an elite big man in the league how much of a mistake it was for 16 other teams to overlook him.
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8
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Although selected rather low in the first round of the NBA draft, Andrew Nicholson certainly made a name for himself on an Orlando Magic team that was on the verge of rebuilding. Despite receiving just 16.7 minutes of playing time per game, Nicholson put up an impressive show averaging eight points and six boards per game while shooting a team high .527 from the field. Had he played more minutes, one can only imagine how gone he really would have been as his per 48 minute averages came up to 23.0 points and 18 rebounds per game. Hopefully Nicholson's impressive rookie campaign will lead to greater things and a very fruitful NBA career.
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7
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Andre Drummond came into the league so raw that he could have brought salmonella and e-coli to his team as he had no real fundamental skills other than his freakish athleticism and no real semblance of a post game. He certainly proved his doubters wrong when he average a rather respectable 8 points and eight rebounds per game while coming off the bench. Along with that, Drummond also led his team in field goal percentage (.608) and blocked shots per game (1.6) as well. Despite the critcism on certain aspects on his game, especially in the free throws department (.376 for the season), he has proven to have almost unlimited upside and may be a potential force in the league for years to come.
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6
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He did not have the momentous arrival that many Toronto fans had hoped for, but Jonas Valunciunas certainly showed that he has what it takes to make it in the NBA. He started in 57 of the 62 games he had played and posted rather solid numbers in rather limited minutes--around nine points, six boards and a blocked shot per game in under 24 minutes, to be exact. What was even more impressive was Jonas' efficiency on the court as he hit .557 of his less than six shot attempts per game and was pretty accurate from the free throw line making .790 of them as well. If he works on getting stronger and remains injury free, he will certainly have the potential to be a force a force in the NBA and possibly the best center the Raptors ever had since . . . oh yeah, right, the Raptors never really have had a great center did they?
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5
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By all accounts Anthony Davis had to have been the biggest let down of the 2013 NBA Rookie class as his play was not anywhere near advertised and did not provide the immense impact for the newly named Pelicans as many, especially fans in New Orleans has hoped. He played good, but not great, and it seemed like during the season he was simply comfortable with being a simple role player instead of the franchise player that Hornets fans hoped for. Davis was supposed to be this big time catalyst to help expose the Hornets to the worldwide stage, but his rookie season was so unremarkable, that he barely even made a spark. Hopefully he will come into next season much stronger and more hungrier because that poor offering of a rookie season, for a player with so much skill and talent as his, was simply an embarrassment.
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4
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Spending a year overseas certainly did Kyle Singler plenty of good as he arrived to Detroit more NBA ready than many would have anticipated from a second round pick. Singler was the only one of the few rookies to actually play all 82 regular season games while starting in 77 of them and averaged a very respectable 8.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and nearly an assist and steal per game in just 28 minutes of playing time. He was certainly a bright spot on a Pistons team that finished 29-53 in the regular season and looks to be a permanent fixture to the Detroit and in the NBA for years to come.
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3
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Golden State Warriors
Selected 7th Overall
2012 NBA Draft
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Statistically he did not greatly outshine his fellow rookie classmates averaging moderate numbers of 9.2 points, 4.2 boards and 1.2 assists per game; however, unlike his fellow rookies, he helped his team reach within two games from the NBA Western Conference finals. Also, unlike a majority of his fellow rookies, Harrison Barnes also started in every games that he played and at just the tender age of 21, he still has plenty of room to grow and develop as a player. With the Warriors coming off one their best seasons EVER, Barnes is in a solid and stable winning environment and should be considered as one of the key Warriors who brought them to this points. Hopefully, like his team, Barnes' rookie performance will be more than just a one season affair.
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2
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New York Knicks Rookie Free Agent |
At 29 years old, Copeland can be considered as one of the best rags to riches stories in the 2013 NBA season. After spending most of his career bumming around in minor league, Copeland finally got his shot at the big leagues when he managed to make the Knicks' final roster as a preseason walk on. Upon arriving, Copeland made an immediate impact on the Knicks as an energy player off the bench averaging nearly nine points and two boards per game in just 15 minutes of playing time. Add the fact the he also shot .421 from beyond the arc made Copeland one of the key players that helped New York to its first 50 plus win season since 2000.
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1
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Portland Trailblazers Selected 6th Overall |
Many met his selection by Portland with confusion and dismay since he came from a rather small school in a nondescript conference in the NCAA; however, Damian Lillard silenced all his doubters by having a breakout rookie season which earned him the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He was certainly the brightest spot on what has otherwise been a rather bland and disappointing rookie class. Lillard finished the regular led all rookies in scoring averaging 19 points per games while leading his team in assists per game with nearly seven to his credit. In fact his performance had created such an impact on the team that Portland might just make him the face of the franchise as they look to start rebuilding after another rather marginal period in its history.
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