Most Impressive NBA Rookies So Far This Season

The past few NBA drafts have managed to produce many star-caliber players like Blake Griffin, James Harden, Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, John Wall and Kyrie Irving, just to name a few. Most of these players stepped right into their roles on their respective teams where they could show what skills they possessed and that they were worth the high-overall picks their franchises used on them. Evaluating college basketball talent is not as easy as one may think. Players who do end up becoming solid NBA contributors or stars are actually in the minority when compared to the number of players who never live up to their draft-day expectations. The change of lifestyle, pace of play, playing time issues and not being able to fit into the system in place are some of the reasons why some college players cannot make a successful jump to the NBA. Enough cannot be said about the ultra-talented players who do make this jump and continue to dazzle us with their elite play when they reach the NBA. There are a few rookie players that are making an early impact and are gaining attention around the league for their standout skills. Three specific rookies who are contributing night in and night out and making their presence known are: Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. It is only right to start with the player who has played better thus far than any other man drafted to the NBA in 2012. Lillard came into the draft a lesser known player because he came from Weber State, a smaller mid-major school, but once the NBA scouts took notice, his draft stock never stopped rising. He eventually went number six in the draft and has shone brightly for the Portland Trail Blazers since the first game of the season. Coming into Friday night’s game, Lillard was averaging 19.5 points and 5.8 assists per game, while shooting about 40-percent from the field. He has had multiple 20-point performances and only turns the ball over about 3.5 times per game. Portland, as a team, has not had a ton of success this year, but the future looks good with Lillard, Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge all set to carry this team. Lillard has done nothing but impress his coaching staff and fellow players in Portland. Lillard’s ceiling has yet to be set, but his potential is limitless. Meanwhile, Davis has met all expectations set for him when he’s been on the floor for the New Orleans Hornets. The problem is that he hasn’t been on the floor much. Davis has struggled to stay healthy in the early going, but he has already shown that he can be a force for New Orleans. He has dominated just about every minute he has played. He has superior ball-handling skills for his size and the dexterity to run the floor like a guard, creating match-up problems for anyone who tries to check him. He is a scoring machine that only needs to add bulk to become an almost automatic double-double guy every night. I see him rising above the rest as his career progresses. There is no ceiling for Davis either, he is an absolute phenomenon of a player. Kidd-Gilchrist has played a key role in the culture change occurring on the Charlotte Bobcats team. Suddenly, they are a relevant team with a nice combination of castoff veterans and young emerging players. MKG has a motor that never stops running and his attitude on both sides of the ball seems to be spilling over to his teammates. He hasn’t done it alone, but MKG has had a huge hand in the resurgent Bobcats success as they have almost eclipsed their win total — which was only seven games — from the 2011-2012 season, with 71 games still remaining this season. MKG will take a little longer than the other two to reach his full potential, but look for him to be an annual All-Star level player in a few years. All three of these players have genuine star potential and very well may end up on several All-Star teams between them. Lillard can be the next elite young point guard added to an already extremely deep group at that position. Davis will revitalize the power forward position for years to come, and Kidd-Gilchrist is more than capable of joining the upper echelon of small forwards in the league within a few years. Watching these three young players is as exciting as it gets. There is something about Rising Stars Game during All-Star Weekend in the NBA that just seems to bring out the best in the game. The best part about it is that with each new season comes new young stars, which gives us something to always look forward to. Original article: Most Impressive NBA Rookies So Far This Season©2012 FootBasket. All Rights Reserved.The post Most Impressive NBA Rookies So Far This Season appeared first on FootBasket.