| Arthur Shines In His First Game Authored by Andrew Perna - October 31, 2008 - 5:40 pm
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Believe it or not, rookies out of Memphis and Sacramento enjoyed the best performances in their first professional games, while 'freshmen' from Portland and New York left fans wishing for more production.
Using RealGM’s innovate FIC* (floor impact counter) statistic, I have ranked this year’s first round picks from 1 to 20 based solely on their first game. The results might surprise you, but remember an NBA debut is just a one game. It isn’t always a strong indicator of what we can expect over the course of an entire career, or even season.
Note: The average FIC score posted by this field of twenty players was 4.4, which means that only seven rookies had "above-average" debuts this week.
1. Darrell Arthur, Memphis: FIC Score, 18.3 – Arthur, who dropped like a lead balloon on draft night, laughed the loudest after his debut on Wednesday night in a loss to the Rockets. He had 11 points, 15 rebounds and 2 blocks on 5-for-9 shooting in just twenty minutes of action.
2. Jason Thompson, Sacramento: 15.3 – He may have been the most unheralded player taken in the Lottery, but he certainly opened eyes on Wednesday night. Thompson had 18 points and 10 rebounds, including a 7-for-11 performance from the field.
3. Kevin Love, Minnesota: 14.0 – Garnett who? OK, not quite, but there was a lot of Love for Kevin in Minnesota following his performance in the team's season-opening win over the Kings. He scored 12 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked two shots.
4. Derrick Rose, Chicago: 11.9 – I discussed Rose's debut in a piece comparing him to other No. 1 overall picks, where he ranked in the middle of the pack among guys like Dwight Howard, Shaquille O’Neal, Yao Ming and LeBron James. He had 11 points and 9 assists in a Bulls' win over the Bucks.
5. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City: 10.0 – Westbrook enjoyed one of the better debuts for this year’s first rounders, even though Oklahoma City lost in their NBA 'debut'. The former UCLA stud had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in twenty-two minutes.
6. Brook Lopez, New Jersey: 9.6 – Brook had a very strong debut with the Nets, posting 8 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in a win over the Wizards. He was slightly better than his brother Robin was for the Suns. Sibling Rivalry: Brook 1, Robin 0.
7. Ryan Anderson, New Jersey: 5.8 – Anderson played fifteen minutes in New Jersey's first game, posting 5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. He made his first NBA three-pointer, going 1-for-3 from the floor (all his shot attempts were from downtown).
8. Robin Lopez, Phoenix: 3.6 – Robin played nine minutes for the Suns in their win over the Spurs on Wednesday, posting 3 points and 2 rebounds. All three of his points came on an And-1 play.
9. Nicolas Batum, Portland: 3.3 – Batum, who could see significant time in Portland with Martell Webster out, had 2 points and 3 rebounds in just four minutes of action against the Lakers on Opening Night.
10. Brandon Rush, Indiana: 2.4 – Rush played heavy minutes, 25 to be exact, against the Pistons on Wednesday, but wasn’t overly productive. He had 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and three turnovers in Indiana’s loss.
11. Alexis Ajinca, Charlotte: 2.0 – The Frenchman was on the court for just three minutes in Charlotte’s loss to Cleveland on Thursday night, but he recorded a pair of steals and blocks in his first NBA game.
12. Roy Hibbert, Indiana: 1.5 – The former Georgetown center played just eight minutes in the Pacers' opening loss to the Pistons, scoring 2 points and blocking one shot.
13. J.J Hickson, Cleveland: 1.0 – Hickson debuted in the Cavs' second game of the season, a win over the Bobcats, and posted 4 points, 2 rebounds and a block in just ten minutes of action.
14. D.J. Augustin, Charlotte: (0.3) – His Bobcats' debut looked alright, 12 points and 2 assists, but he turned the ball over four times and took eight shots in a loss to the Cavaliers.
15. Eric Gordon, L.A. Clippers: (0.5) – No Clipper played well against the Lakers in their loss on Wednesday, but Gordon was exceptionally quiet in the first fourteen minutes of his NBA career. He went 0-for-4 from the floor, with 2 points, 2 assists and a turnover.
16. O.J. Mayo, Memphis: (0.8) – The lack of offensive talent in Memphis will allow Mayo to shoot more often than a majority of rookies. That explains his 5-for-20 performance in a loss to Houston. He also had more turnovers (3) than assists (2).
17. JaVale McGee, Washington: (1.3) – McGee will be called upon early in Washington with Brendan Haywood out. He was scoreless with 2 rebounds and a block in the team’s opening loss to the Nets.
18. Michael Beasley, Miami: (1.5) – Not only did the Heat lose to the Knicks, but the former Kansas State star was just 4-for-14 from the floor with 9 points and 4 rebounds. And what was with his 1-for-5 line from behind the arc?
19. Danilo Gallinari, New York: (2.0) – Believe it or not, Danilo didn’t have the worst opening game of this year’s first rounders. He was pretty lackluster though, going 0-for-2 from the floor with no other contributions in four minutes of play in New York’s victory over Miami.
20. Jerryd Bayless, Portland: (3.0) – Bayless will probably finish the season as one of the strongest rookies in this year's class, but his first professional game was a tough one. He had 3 points (on five shots) and failed to dish an assist despite two turnovers.
Ten of the players that were selected in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft have yet to make their professional debut.
Joe Alexander (Bucks), Anthony Randolph (Warriors), Marreese Speights (76ers), Courtney Lee (Magic), Kosta Koufos (Jazz), George Hill (Spurs), Donte Greene (Kings), J.R. Giddens (Celtics) and D.J. White (Thunder) were still NBA virgins through Thursday night's game.
However, Serge Ibaka, taken by Oklahoma City, will likely spend at least one season overseas.
*RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)
( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail – Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com. |
