Who’s the Rookie of the Year this year? Blake Griffen, right? Wait no; he’s a Clipper, meaning he’s got to wait till next year to find out how much he can contribute, and that’s contributed on a stacked team who is one summer away from adding a marquee player from the 2010 free agent class. So who is left? This was supposed to be the Blake Griffen draft right, the only player that was supposedly “NBA ready”. Wrong. These four point-guards are turning teams around, making them re-think exactly who their franchise players really are…
Theirs two point guards who are making a late push for the Rookie of the Year award:
Stephen Curry boldly stated before the season started that he was going to win the award. Critics were skeptical, especially with Coach Don Nelson’s sporadic substitutions. Curry started the season slow, but has definitely picked up the slack. With Monta Ellis out, Curry has responded. He has hit for double digits 19 of his last 20 games, picking up a triple-double along the way, and a pair of 13-assist games as well as a 15-assist game. Curry’s been shakin-n-bakin defenders since the turn of the new year, boasting his averages to 15.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. Not too far away though, is another point guard who has picked up his game in the absence of a star.
If I was to tell you over the last eleven games, the New Orleans Hornets point guard is averaging 23.3 points per game, as well as 7.7 assists, you would probably respond, that’s it? Well, Chris Paul’s been injured since January 29th, and rookie Darren Collison has gladly stepped in. Although averaging 4.8 turnovers to go with his stats over the stretch, its late in games that Collison has surprised most critics. In his second game in for the injured Chris Paul, Collison dropped 17 points and 18 assists to help the Hornets rally back from a 21-point deficit, including the go-ahead steal and dunk in overtime to cement the victory. After Paul went down, it seemed the Hornets were going with him, but Collison has helped keep them in the playoff hunt for that eighth and final spot.
Seven games into the NBA season, one Compton bred left-handed rookie erupted for 55 points. Brandon Jennings put his stamp on Rookie of the Year honors, joining an elite club of four other rookies to reach the half-a-century mark in their first year, on all four players went on to win the Rookie of the Year award (Elgin Baylor, Rick Barry, Earl Monroe, and Wilt Chamberlin). Since his explosion, Jennings has yet to reach the 30-point mark once, and has hit for double digit assists just three times this season, and lost his starting spot to Luke Ridnour (at least he’s picked up an enormous amount of endorsements, especially for a rookie, along the way.) After practically writing his name in stone for Rookie of the Year, it’s another point guard who is trying to make history. Regardless of the award, Jennings is going to shine bright in this league, and be around for many years.
Ladies and gentlemen, this year’s Rookie of the Year. Tyreke Evans’ impact on the Sacramento Kings has been remarkable. With Kevin Martin out, Tyreke has completely turned this franchise around. If the season were to end today, Evans would join the elite club of Oscar Robinson, Michael Jordan, and Lebron James as the only rookies to average over 20 points five rebounds as well as five assists. The fourth pick in the draft has been playing so well, the Kings traded away their previous “franchise player” away in Kevin Martin and handed the keys to Tyreke, resulting in cap space for this years free agency that seems to be on everybody’s mind.
The “Blake Griffen Draft” has turned out to be much more than that. Four quality point guards along with a number of role players that will have a very bright future in the NBA.
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