Miami Heat: AUCH Roundtable on the Rookie Of The Year ladder
Imran Ebrahim(iebrahim81)
If you’re not being a homer, the start of the season had Ja Morant sitting at the top of your ROY ladder. But as the days go by, while Morant was sitting on the bench due to injury(Thanks for being back in time enough to hand us that L), it’s starting to look like the Heat could dominate the ROY conversation.
In back to back games on occasion, the two Miami Heat rookies have shown flashes that should propel them close to the top of the league ROY ladder. Tyler Herro dropped 27 points against the Chicago Bulls in DRAMATIC sharp-shooting fashion, showing the world that his veins flow with ice water. Not to be outshined by his peer, Kendrick Nunn put up 36 points against the Atlanta Hawks in what turned out to be the 4th best stat line for the team.
Because of the way the Heat play, both of these rookies don’t dominate the ball as they might have on worse teams, but while they may not have the usage rates of a Morant or a Barrett, they have the team success that eludes both of those big-name rookies. They don’t have the flashy resumes associated with the top-5 picks in the draft, but these two guys are going to be a problem in the league for years to come and could hear their names at the awards podium near the end of this season.
Rahmeaun Rahming(@Boneman9000)
This year’s Rookie Of The Year race is literally up for grabs since Zion Williamson may not return to action until 2020. We can’t just keep holding this spot for him while he rehabs, so here we go.
It wouldn’t be a ladder of any sort if there weren’t rungs, so I’ve created a list via Basketball-Reference that includes rookies this year that have played more than 15 games and have a usage rate of 15 percent or higher. I also added some personal thought into this that I’m going to call the “it” factor.
My front runner for Rookie Of The Year as of today is Ja Morant. He is literally doing everything for the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 19 points per game as well as six assists every night. It’s tough to put someone ahead of a player who’s balling and has the keys to the franchise.
His play hasn’t equaled many wins(except against us… smh), but that’s not his fault. The organization went into this season knowing it was a rebuilding year and they’re on their way to doing just that with a stud of a pickup.
Next up is Tyler Herro. Yes, Kendrick Nunn and Eric Paschall are ahead of him in scoring, but they all sport similar usage rates. Herro is averaging 15 points per game and while the others have run out in front of him in playing time, this kid has everything you want in a star player.
He’s already shown himself to be on the professional scorer track like Bradley Beal and Lou Williams. The obvious “it” factor is what gives Herro the edge over his Miami Heat teammate in Kendrick Nunn and Warriors placeholder, Paschall.
Before the Knicks fans start flooding my mentions, let’s talk about RJ Barrett. I just don’t believe in him yet. The Knicks dysfunction continues to waste players and coaches (RIP Fizdale).
He and his team are going to have to show me more. Next up, I’ve got Rui Hachimura. He’s averaging 14 points and six rebounds a night.
Sure, his usage rate is down (19-percent), but he’s sharing the floor with All-Star Bradley Beal. What’d you expect? With that aside, he’s got five 20 point performances, with a 30 burger at the top of December against the Clippers and a 27 piece two games later against the 76ers.
His star is certainly rising and he’s showing he can perform against the top teams. Beal won’t be the only reason to watch Wizards games before long.