The NBA recently announced it would rename its Rookie of the Year award after Wilt Chamberlain as part of a complete overhaul of its many end-of-season awards. The MVP trophy is named after Michael His Jordan and the Defensive Player of the Year trophy is named after Hakeem Olajuwon. The league also introduced a new award for Clutch Player of the Year with a trophy named after Jerry West. It will go to people like DeMar DeRozan and Jalen Branson in 1st and 2nd place. But consider this my bid for rookie he AJ Griffin.
follow up the game-winning layup against toronto raptors A few weeks ago, Griffin did it again against DeRozan. bulls, and this time we increased the difficulty, more on that below. After the match, when Griffin was asked about the winner of his second match, he couldn’t help but laugh.if hawks We need someone who manages to make it to the playoffs this year and make game winners. At least they know who to turn to.
It’s time to analyze this week’s NBA Rookie Rankings. These are not Rookie of the Year standings, they reflect what players have done in the past week.
Maturin’s stellar season may have been on the backburner of late, with the rise of fellow rookie Andrew Nemhard, who has played a pivotal role in Indiana’s recent success. But that doesn’t mean Maturin’s actions aren’t less impressive. When Rookie king. his most recent performance golden state warriors Wednesday is just the latest example of that.
Maturin’s stat line against the Warriors was particularly noteworthy as it was the second game since the beginning of the month to tie two or more threes. Before Golden State’s game, Maturin was 4/34 on his 3-point shots dating back to November 30th. Don’t be discouraged by his cold shooting streak.
“[I’m] Maturin said after the match, “I played some rough games.
Banchero’s production has been going really well since he missed seven games in November. He has scored over 20 points in eight of the 11 games he has played since returning, and has double-doubled twice. is also expected. The most exciting thing about Banchero these days is that his performance is now magic winning game. After continuing his nine-game losing streak, Orlando went on to win the Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors (twice), los angeles clippersThe two wins against the Raptors were the most notable for Banchero. Because he got his revenge against the Toronto team. The team scored just nine points last week, the lowest point total of the season.
In two games with the Raptors, Banchero combined for 43 points, 18 rebounds and 9 assists. He shot 56% from the field and 37.5% from 3-pointers in those two games. It wasn’t easy for Banchero as the Toronto defense worked him for every point he scored, but over the course of both games the rookie was adjusting to what the Raptors were doing. You know… get his point.
Smith will be a very good defender in the near future. I already touted his defense a few weeks ago, but this week he gives me another reason to do so. milwaukee bucks, Smith was the main defender of Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the possession Smith defended Antetokounmpo, the two-time league MVP was limited to just 8 points on 4-of-13 field goals. He went 0-2 from his 3-point range and committed two turnovers. It was clear that Smith took pride in guard Giannis’ challenge, and as a result, he put the Greek freak in one of his worst performances of the season.
Smith did a great job of not giving Antetokounmpo a good angle to drive towards the rim.Then there was this whopping block from Smith that led to the bucket on the other side rocket.
There are also two excellent defensive possessions from Smith, completely denying an entry pass to Giannis and scoring two steals in the process.
Smith only had six points at the end of the night, but his defense helped set the Rockets on fire on the other side of the floor, resulting in Houston coming out on top with an upset victory.
The versatility Williams has as a 6’5 guard ThunderHis feel for the game is on a level above most rookies, and he always makes the right plays in the flow of the game. He can create himself from pick-and-rolls, has great athleticism displayed in transition, and his high IQ makes him a dangerous cutter.lost to miami heat This week, Williams had 10 runs of his own, including two 3-pointers, at the start of the third quarter to pull the Thunder by four.
It was part of Williams’ 14-point, 5-rebound, 2-assist performance while shooting 60% field goals and 50% 3-point territory.
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Another week, this time against the Bulls, he had another Griffin-winning shot. Funny enough, the winner of this game also went into overtime following his second layup at the end to beat the Raptors at the buzzer a few weeks ago. But this game against the Bulls was far more impressive. Griffin had to contort under the basket with a defender on board to get the shot and had to get it out in time.
Griffin is set to receive some hardware at the end of this season now that the NBA has announced a new clutch award named after Jerry West. That’s not all. He hit his spot in the Hawks’ rotation, making him one of Atlanta’s most productive players off the bench in recent weeks.
