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A funny thing can happen to rookies in the NBA. Players can get drafted really high and then never reach their potential, players can get drafted really low and far exceed their potential.
Players can have an outstanding rookie season but fall out of form in their sophomore season, or can be disappointing in their rookie seasons but blossom in their second, third or sometimes even fourth seasons.
No matter how much draft analysis you can do on a player, their future is never certain and this can be due to a variety of reason such as injury, mental reasons, chemistry issues, or sometimes it just might not work as you had hoped. In this piece, I am going to take a look at three of the Rookies from last season and review how they have performed so far in their sophomore seasons.
Ben Simmons, Jayson Tatum & Donovan Mitchell were the all deserved of being Rookie of the Year finalists last season, and have all been earmarked for success this season. But all three have had an interesting season with their teams so far. Simmons has had to deal with chemistry/trade issues at the Sixers, Mitchell and the Jazz have been disappointing this season and Tatum and the Celtics have finally started to figure out their lineups and rotations with injury returns.
For the next generation of elite players, as we see players like LeBron James & Dwayne Wade seem to drift into the twilight of their careers, focus and pressure from all fronts of the league is on these players - especially these three.
Can they all take their games to the next level and lead their team to success as well as continue to gain individual success? Only time will tell. But for now, we can review where they sit currently through the first part of the 2018-2019 season.
#1 Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons, the latest recipient of the Rookie of the Year award. There was much controversy around Simmons' crown last season as he was technically drafted the season before, but did not play a game due to injury.
Fellow Rookie of the Year finalist Donovan Mitchell was seen throughout the season wearing a hoodie that sported the definition of a rookie in a move that was meant to sway voters his way, but nevertheless, Simmons still came away with the win. Last season Simmons & Joel Embiid led the Sixers to the Eastern Conference semi-finals where they went down to Boston 1-4, and he finished last season with a stat line of 15.8 PTS, 8.1 REB & 8.2 AST.
This season, Simmons was expected to lead the 76ers deeper into the playoffs and to elevate his game to the next level by becoming an elite level point guard. The Sixers currently sit 3rd in the Eastern Conference, and Simmons' season so far has been okay.
With numbers close to last season - his current stat line is 15.4 PTS, 9.0 REB & 7.9 AST, he has had to learn how to play now with the inclusion of Jimmy Butler in the team. Simmons' needs to continue to elevate his game, especially his shooting game. He is not really a threat from the 3pt line - has even made a single 3pt attempt this season!
With 3pt shooting continuing to become an even bigger part of today's game, if Simmons can develop a shot and even become a threat from the line forcing opponents to guard him, then he truly will be pushed up to the next level in the league of a potential All-NBA player.
#2 Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell seemed like a steal for the Utah Jazz in last years draft. Mitchell was taken with the 13th pick in the 2017 draft by Denver, but then was immediately traded to Utah for the then 24th pick Tyler Lydon & Trey Lyles.
Mitchell seemed like the explosive piece that Utah had been missing after the exit of Gordon Hayward, and the perfect compliment to their existing solid team of Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles & Ricky Rubio. Last season Mitchell ended a Rookie of the Year finalist, helped the Jazz reach the Western Conference semi-finals (losing 4-1 to the Houston Rockets), and finishing the season averaging 20.5 PTS.
This season has been disappointing for both Mitchell and the Jazz. Donovan has seemed to have plateaued with his form. His 3pt % is only at 30% this season, which is down from 34% season, and the explosiveness has not been at the same level.
The Jazz as a whole seem to be flat this season, currently sitting 13th in the Western Conference, way below where they were predicted to be. Mitchell is the core of this team, and his form needs to pick up. For Mitchell to truly become an elite level player, his assists need to come up - he is only averaging 3.3 AST per game, which is too low for a guard in today's NBA.
Whether the addition of Kyle Korver will help relieve some of the Jazz' shooting woes, giving Mitchell more space to run the floor and cut through the lines, but his explosiveness that made him stand out last season just has not been as consistent as last season. His points are still at the same level, currently averaging 20.8 PTS, but the rest of his game needs to develop to in order for him to jump up to the next level.
#3 Jayson Tatum
Last season the Boston Celtics had high expectations. They had added Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, they had drafted Jayson Tatum and were ready to take on the Eastern Conference and make a run for the Finals.
But after their season was seemingly derailed by injuries to Kyrie and Hayward, it seemed that they were going to have to wait. That was until Jayson Tatum really started to shine. Tatum's regular season stats last year came in at 13.9 PTS & 5.0 REB, but it was his Playoff stats that really showed the league who he was.
Tatum led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they went down to Lebron James' Cavaliers in 7 games (3-4). During the Playoffs Tatum averaged 18.5 PPG.
After a slow season, Boston have finally started to pull it together. With all their stars back in the lineup, it seems coach Brad Stevens has had to try to manage the best line up and find who has chemistry with who.
But Tatum's own game has elevated and continued to grow. Currently, the Celtics are sitting 5th in the Eastern Conference, and Tatum is averaging 16.6 PTS & 6.3 REB. Tatum seems to be the future of Celtics basketball, and he seems to be in love with the franchise. With the rumors circulating regarding Boston trying to attain Anthony Davis' services, they must not give up Jayson Tatum.
Of all their players, Tatum is the key to build your franchise around. Tatum led the team through the playoffs last season, and with players like Kyrie Irving who has been rumored to be looking to move on again in the next few seasons, Tatum is there to be a franchise player.
The most exciting thing for Tatum's career is that he has now been to the Eastern Conference Finals, played against (and held the standard!) to players like LeBron, he is at a big market franchise and he is still only 20 years of age! Jayson Tatum is one who needs to be taken notice of, now and deeper into his career.
