2017 NBA Draft Class.
The NBA rookie class was really good this year, a lot of
first year players made a name for themselves this season. Some people are
saying that this could be the greatest rookie class since the 2003 class which
includes LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh. That 2003
class came in blazing through the league and all 4 of those players became perennial
all-stars. The 2017 class has a lot of talented players who led or had a big
part of their teams success. Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, and Ben Simmons
were stars their rookie seasons with Tatum coming on strong in the playoffs.
Those 3 got the most attention but there were other rookies that made an impact
on NBA teams this year. Lonzo Ball, Dennis Smith Jr., John Collins and other
made an impact in the league this season.
You have the top 3 rookies in the class who are also the 3
finalist for the Rookie of the Year award this season. Donovan Mitchell was the
13th pick in the draft to the Utha Jazz and nobody expected him to
do what he did this season. He led all rookies in points with 20.5 and shot 43
percent from the field. This is a rookie leading a team to the playoffs while
being the number 1 option! The 43 percent leaves a little to be desired but as
he gets older and learns the nuances of the game he should get better which
means his percentages get better. Not to mention he’s already an above average
defender. The Jazz got one of the best steals in recent NBA draft history with
this one.
Ben Simmons is a 6 feet 10 inch point guard who can control
the game with his passing. He bigger than all the guards so he causes mismatch
problems everywhere. He along with Joel Embiid led the Sixers to a 50 win
season for the first time since Allen Iverson led the Sixers to 56 wins in the
2000-2001 season. He can pass and handle the ball very good for a person his
size. He averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists for the season.
You see these numbers and you’re like that’s amazing! The one thing he has to
improve is his outside shooting. He probably doesn’t have to make three point
shots just yet in my opinion, he just has to get a reliable mid range jump shot
so he make defenders come out there and guard him. If he can do that he becomes
more able to blow by you and get to the rim. The Sixers have their point guard
for now and the future in Simmons.
Jayson Tatum was picked 3rd by Boston in the 2017
draft and you can say he overperformed that draft position. He was thrown in to
the fire as All-Star free agent signing Gordon Hayward broke his foot 5 minutes
into the first game at Cleveland. He had to learn the ropes very fast as he
became a starter after this injury. Playing on Boston behind leaders Kyrie
Irving and Al Horford he had to find his spots in the offense. Jaylen Brown was
going into his second year was also trying to find his spots in the offense
also so that took away from Tatum’s touches also. Something happened though,
Kyrie Irving got injured towards the end the season and this opened up more
touches for him. He started to show off his one on one game and started scoring
more towards the end of the season. Then……the playoffs happened. When the
playoffs showed up Tatum showed the poise and confidence to be an number 1
scoring option, he showed everyone he can create shots for himself and lead a
team to the conference finals while being the leading scorer. He averaged 13.9
points in the regular season, that number jumped to 18.5 in the postseason.
There are other rookies that are worth mentioning like
Dennis Smith Jr., Lauri Markkanen, Lonzo Ball and John Collins to mention a
few. It is so much talent that came in with this draft class. Smith Jr. is a
likely all star down the road, Lauri made 100 3’s faster than any 7 footer in
NBA history, John Collins showed everyone is freak athleticism, and Lonzo Ball
played a good rookie season despite missing a lot of shots.
One day you might think to yourself and ask, is this the
best rookie class ever?
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