NBA Tickets - Rookie Projections
August 26, 2010 by Stub_Hub
With summer league in the books, we've got a better idea of what roles each of the top 10 picks in the 2010 NBA Draft will play this season.
John Wall, Point Guard, Washington Wizards: It's difficult to project how Wall will fit in with Gilbert Arenas, but he should be a focal point of the Washington offense. He'll be the starting point guard from day one, as Arenas will slide to the two. Wall will show his incredible speed and quickness, as he did in the summer league, but his shaky jumper could hurt him and he'll probably turn the ball over a lot. That said, he's likely to give fans in Washington reason to hope again, and reason to get NBA tickets.
Evan Turner, Shooting Guard, Philadelphia 76ers: Turner struggled in the summer league and was out of shape. He doesn't project to be nearly as dominant of a pro player as he was at Ohio State, but he should be a solid one. As for his rookie campaign, I'd tempter expectations as he gets used to the speed and athleticism that he'll be facing on a nightly basis.
Derrick Favors, Power Forward, New Jersey Nets: Favors showed flashes of dominance in the summer league, but he's not ready to contribute consistently on the NBA level. I'd expect his minutes to increase as the season progresses, but don't look for a ton of production out of him early on.
Wesley Johnson, Small Forward, Minnesota Timberwolves: Johnson has a good shot at starting at the three from day one, but I think much of this season will be an adjustment period. His ability to create his own shot is lacking and the Wolves don't have a great distributor to get him many easy buckets. He'll defend, run the floor well and hit open shots, but he'd be much better off with Ricky Rubio running the show in Minnesota.
DeMarcus Cousins, Power Forward/Center, Sacramento Kings: Cousins is probably Wall's biggest competition for Rookie of the Year. He'll be the featured big man in the Sacramento offense and should be a terror on the boards right away. However, it remains to be seen how he handles his newfound fame and freedom as a pro.
Ekpe Udoh, Power Forward, Golden State Warriors: Udoh will miss a good chunk of the season due to injury, which is unfortunate for the Warriors. Even before the injury, I thought Udoh would have a difficult transition to the pro game down low.
Greg Monroe, Power Forward, Detroit Pistons: Monroe has a good chance to start right away in the Motor City and should be a solid player from day one. His passing abilities will help the Detroit offense as a whole, and I'd expect a lot of plays to be run through him. He'll get pushed around inside a bit, but he's pretty NBA-ready.
Al-Farouq Aminu, Small Forward, Los Angeles Clippers: Aminu is tough to project. He could thrive in an up-tempo system with a point guard like Baron Davis, but his lack of handle or a reliable jump shot could hurt him. He needs to work on some things, and those weaknesses will probably stand out in year one.
Gordon Hayward, Small Forward, Utah Jazz: Hayward will provide valuable bench minutes behind Andre Kirilenko this season. It will be a good opportunity for him to learn while getting playing time.
Paul George, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Indiana Pacers: My guess is that George struggles with his shooting percentage and turnovers initially, but eventually begins to flash the immense talent that has some scouts calling him a future star. He's a boom or bust kind of player.
