Maybe the preseason holds little weight when it comes to predicting regular season success, but it is undoubtedly a valuable opportunity for NBA teams to get their rookies involved in real game action. A deep if not highly regarded rookie class has performed well during the preseason. Without much scientific reasoning, here’s a rundown of who has stood out or, at the least, shown they can translate their abilities into the professional game.
NBA preseason rookie report: Jabari Parker and Shabazz Napier stand out
From Jabari Parker to Jusuf Nurkic, here’s a look at which NBA rookies have stood out so far in the preseason.
Jason Miller
Jabari Parker: The Bucks rookie got the best of first overall pick Andrew Wiggins' Timberwolves team on Friday night by scoring 21, grabbing 11 rebounds and registering two assists, two steals and two blocks. The kicker was his clutch play. With his Bucks leading by one point, the second pick in the 2014 draft put on this spin move that led to a dunk that helped Milwaukee hold on.
Parker is averaging 15 points through five preseason games and hasn’t rebounded well, but he’s come on strong in his last two outings, being both efficient and aggressive by getting to the foul stripe.
Andrew Wiggins: The T-Wolves rookie put up 10 points and six rebounds against Milwaukee and has averaged 13 points per game through three games. While Wiggins hasn’t racked up large numbers, the beginning of his NBA journey hasn’t disappointed. Wiggins’ first game may have been his most impressive and an example of how he can impact a game -- he scored 18 points to go with three assists and three blocks.
Shabazz Napier: He'll forever be known as the guy who impressed LeBron James enough for Miami to do quite a bit to grab him. James is gone, but the Heat are looking smart for making the moves to acquire Napier. He is averaging 12.7 points and after two quiet games to start the preseason has scored in double figures in the four most recent games. Napier scored 25 points and dished four assists in his most recent game against San Antonio.
Dante Exum: In consistent minutes during five preseason games thus far, the Australian has been effective, especially in shooting the longball. Exum has hit 7-of-13 three-point shots and in the last three outings shot 50 percent or better from the floor.
Exum's best game came Thursday against the Lakers. He scored 13 but also dished out six assists. He looked explosive dribbling off pick-and-roll screens and heading toward the rim, where he either finished or made the easy passes. After an eight-turnover game in his third preseason outing, Exum hasn't coughed it up in his last two games.
Aaron Gordon: Most people expected Gordon's defense and passing abilities to translate well to the NBA, but a long list of question marks remained -- it was mostly about his own offense. The No. 4 pick has answered those well in the preseason by shooting 44.4 percent from the field, going 4-for-8 from three-point range and so far hitting 6-for-11 from the foul stripe. And indeed, Gordon can still do this.
Nerlens Noel: He's been held out of half the preseason games for Philadelphia and has battled the flu, but when Noel has played he's looked just as the Sixers hoped when they took a risk on the injured big man in last year's draft. Against the Knicks on Tuesday, he put up 12 points, 11 rebounds and four steals.
Doug McDermott: The Creighton product has shown a streaking shooting stroke from game to game and has hit only 6-of-17 from three-point land. Still, McDermott has gotten to the free throw line consistently and rebounded well while scoring in double digits in two of five preseason games to this point.
Kyle Anderson: Anderson was quiet until his last game, but it was a perfect example of why the last first-round pick from the 2014 draft will fit in with San Antonio. Anderson scored 17 points and hit two threes while working well handling the ball in the full court and in pick-and-roll situations. He finished with seven rebounds and four assists. Anderson can spot up and pass, so of course he fits so well with the Spurs.
Marcus Smart: Unsurprisingly, Smart has played heavy minutes for Brad Stevens early on. On the positive side of things, he's averaged 2.3 steals and 4.8 assists per game. On the negative, Smart has battled turnover issues while chucking up five three-point attempts per game and hitting just 19 percent of those attempts.
Jusuf Nurkic: Even NBA fans who pay attention probably didn't know what to expect from the 16th draft pick. Here's the big stat: Nurkic has averaged 9.3 rebounds in 19.3 minutes played per game. Moreover, the 20-year-old center showed he is an active defender who can cause trouble in pick-and-roll coverage -- he even blocked Blake Griffin, as you'll see in the highlight reel below.
See More:
