Impressive and Disappointing Rookie Debut

Only saw highlights of Rubio, but 6 dimes an 0 TOs is nice. Irving didn’t shoot it well  but he 7 dimes and only 1 TO, so there are positives. I was disappointed by Biyombo’s stat sheet. For a hyped ‘energy’ guy, he had no boards, no blocks, no steals, and 1 TO. Yeah he only played 7 minutes… but no boards?

 Yeah Rubio can already run a team in a good way unlike watching Westbrook ….

The thing I was most impressed with was Rubio’s shooting, he had a couple of open looks when people went under screens or didn’t close out and he showed no hesitation in going up in rhythm and knocking down mid-range jumpers. Nice to see he wasn’t just bs-ing about working on his jumper during the lockout.

 Kemba Walker is crossing people and is showing to be a great leader.

I’m going to make a bold statement and say i think Norris Cole will be a better player then Kyrie Irving……….

He was solid, but it look like first time jitters got to him. He was drop dead scared of Kobe. So scared I was almost scared for him lol. There was a time Kobe was guarding him, who was obviously bigger and more athletic. And he just waited for him to go up while in no mans land. Kobe didn’t even jump and still blocked it. I was like "wow". All in all on a team that shared the ball well tonight, Jimmer did pretty good with 6 points off the bench. 

Impressive:

Kemba Walker caught my eye, he didn’t shoot well but the intangables he brings impresses me, if he shoots badly or well his attitude never changes, he has the ability to lift his teammates through actions and words.

Rubio was also impressive.

Leonard was very active in 13 minutes: 6pts, 6rebs, 2stls 2-9fg and 1-5 3pm-a. He played with a chip on his shoulder which i like, it just didn’t work in that game. But he has that "i’m going to explode" feel where he could just have an incredible stat line in a game.

Derrick Williams produced alot of offense, i’d love to see him play 35mpg and see what numbers he’d put up.

Disappointing:

Byombo worried me, he hardly saw the court, i hope he gets more time out there…

Jimmer Fredette, sorry, his hype proceeds his talent in the NBA, having said that, he’s a good player but he had a bad game. But, it was against the Lakers so i can forgive him.

Out of all the disappointments, Kyrie Irving takes it IMO, the Raptors was a winnable game for the Cavaliers and Irving’s shooting was horrible, Irving should’ve been aware of this and changed his tactic to a more pass first mentality, which to his credit he did to some extent. It also looks like if Irving plays bad, the Cavs play bad.

yeah i watched the game and Rubio’s court vision is perfect see him averaging double digits alot in the future..and he made some jumpshots that’s the hope to reaxh his potential..

i like what i saw in Derrick he has better basketball IQ i think that 3yrs expierenced Beasley..

and Tristan’s play gives GMs hopes  that non stop motor and dunking ability in Anthony Davis could very well translate to the NBA lol

Markeiff Morris had 7 points 9 rebounds 2 assists 2 steals and 2 blocks in his debut in 25 minutes, which is pretty impressive, but his turnover ended the game which was disappointing.  Rookie seasons are full of ups and downs, but I think he’s going to get a lot of minutes in Pheonix and I feel he’s a strong contender for an All-Rookie team this season.

Former McDonald’s All American, top 5 HS player, and one and done ex-Kansas Jayhawk, Josh "Showtime" Selby had a DNP for his rookie debut.  How soon they forget.

Hopefully, this is a humbling experience, and lesson to those who follow.  You cant make it off hype alone. 

 Yeah, surve, I was actually surprised Selby made the opening day roster.  I’d expect much of his rookie season to be in the D-League.

Rubio did look impressive from the highlights that I’ve seen and Derrick Williams certainly looks NBA ready. Morris at Phoenix bar the late turnover seems as if he can play decent minutes right away.

 I was kind of surprised Kenneth Faried got the DNP – Coach’s Decision.  Hopefully he can carve a spot in the 8 man rotation as the season goes on.

 yeah, really surprising about Faried, but nevertheless, I definitely think he will crack that rotation, they simply need his board work too much.

Kawhi didnt have a great stat line but I like his activity on the Spurs.  they picked up a good one.

Rubio is an absolute genius with the ball and looks like a star on the offensive end….on the defensive in, not sure a team will be able to win with him.  we will have to see how his defense goes.  he does look like Pistol Pete on the break though.

2 guys I am not concerned about them doing well is Irving and Walker, they are going to be very good pros, its just going to take them some time.

Jimmer has to find his niche, and when he does, I like him.  Right now, finishing in the lane is not his game.  As long as he operates on the perimeter, he will do well as far as points and assists.  He is not confident going to the hole, unlike Isaiah Thomas who is absolutely fearless….he looks like a Barea type player….just plain fearless.

Chris Singleton…made impact first play he was in.  The guy is a maniac on defense.  2 steals in his debut.  When his offensive game developes, watch out.

Havent seen Brandon Knight yet.

I like Klay Thompson, his IQ isnt there yet, but that will come as he gets comfortable, but he is physically strong it looks like to me.  I know he has been playing at the 3 some but I can see him being physically imposing at the 2 from an offensive standpoint.

I was hoping Jordan Hamilton would find time in Denver with what seems like their entire wing rotation in China, but hopefully he’ll grind it out behind the scenes and be ready for his call up.

@RUDEBOY__

Whooo you should’ve capitalized and actually bolded that… That’s BOLD.

 2-3   made 15 man roster for lakers getting p.t  beat  out vetrans for minutes  great start to career.

Isaiah Thomas was very impressive for the 60th pick!  Nobody is saying he is Mr. Irrelevant anymore..

 Lol Isaiah thomas, I can’t believe I forgot to talk about him. Yeah he was killing it. When he had the open shot, he took it, but most of all he drove and looked for team mates who were wide open for 3’s.

Irving seems to be more of a shooter & scorer…. 

I have to say im sure like everyone else i was excited to see how the rookies would perform in their first games, but this season im not really gonna judge them too much this season. Reasons why

1.Shortened season- they have less games to play but there schedule is so f@cked up its not even funny your going to have times where they’re playing backtobacktoback and its going to wear on them extremely fast

2.2 preseason games- I think the regular preseason is 8 games, these players are still learning the system and getting used to their new teams

3.Training camp- The main thing that team look foward and gets everyone on track was merely non existant, and it clearly shows with some teams and rookies as they seem lost

Now Im not saying this season doesn’t count(because it sure as hell does), but Just saying I don’t think we can call anyone really a bust unless its truely obvious ex- Biyombo almost posting basically straight 0s all year long.

Iman Shumpert: Not shy at all trying to score the ball, missed a few shots, but they were good looks. His shot selection wasn’t the best at GT, but he seems to be looking to shake that rep. Drove it well and defended good minus losing Rondo for some easy lay ins. It sucks he got injured, he was primed for some serious PT these next few Knick games. 2-4 weeks with a strained MCL.

Andrw Goudelock: Looking for that 3 point shot in both games. Surprised that he is seeing time this early actually. Must be ready to shoot, Lord knows LA needs it!

Darius Morris: This guy didn’t play and I am confused because LA lacks playmaking at the PG position. Is he hurt? No disrespect to Goudelock, but he is better.

Kemba Walker: I was really impressed with his intelligence with the ball. He didn’t force shoots or have a whole takeover mentality UNTIL his team needed it. A very explosive player with great handles and will hold it down at the PG spot for Charlotte this year.

Byock Biyombo: This guy! LOL. Looking like hot slop on the court, hopefully it was attributed to lack of minutes and first game jitters.

Chris Singleton: Defense will be his mainstay in the league. I like his involvement and will to apply himself on the defensive end. Running the court and getting easy buckets should come easy playing with Wall.

Ricky Rubio: Well as said all day and night on the site, his vision and passing is as great as advertised. The one thing I ABSOLUTELY love about him is the energy he injects the crowd with. He has the fans feeling good and is making his teammates look like some real players, kept it close against a title contender, great despite the beginning of the year.

Derrick Williams: Speaking of Rubio’s teammates, had no idea he ran the court so well. Rubio found him on some slams and open looks. Should step in more and look to score from midrange. Needs more minutes, interested to see how he fares alongside Beasley and Love.

Kyrie Irving: I don’t doubt if he felt the need to pick up the scoring slack for Cleveland due to their lack of a perimeter presence. He’ll have his ups and downs as all this year’s rookies will.

Tristain Thompson: Didn’t see him play.

Kawhi Leonard: Great energy guy for the Spurs, minus the one rip by Rudy Gay, he was very active.

Brandon Knight: Wiry looking guy, good to see him get minutes with the guard logjam in Detroit. Didn’t see much of him.

Klay Thompson: Big guard who will be sharing minutes with Dorell Wright. Didn’t get to display that solid all-around skill with limited PT.

Markief Morris: Filled the stat sheet yesterday. Great active guy on the boards and put in some buckets close to the hoop. That turnover was killer, but it’s only game 1 and it’s his rookie season.

Jimmer Fredette: Gotta get use to scoring against bigger guards. He will see them on a nightly basis. 6 points is pretty decent for a bench guy, and he made some great passes.

Isiah Thomas: GREAT energy guy at 5’7! Not afraid to shoot and makes the right plays for teammates. He is playing with a chip on his shoulder this year. I expect a solid season from Mr.Thomas.

Tristan Thompson! I loved his activity and he’s a big time sleeper for Rookie of the Year, especially if the Cavs trade Jamison.  I was hugely impressed with Rubio, but fully expected to be. 

Norris Cole: Mario Chalmers needs to prepare to be the first guard off the bench, which isn’t a bad thing for him. Norris Cole understands tempo and runs the Heat very well. What a steal for the Heat! He meshes well with Dwayne Wade and LeBron James. He did make some bad decisions, but what do you expect from a rookie? He’s explosive, quick, and gets to the rim effectively. Oh how the LA not nab this guy. Good things for the future for this guy, he’ll be getting a lot of playoff minutes which will only make him better.

 The Heat absolutely love Cole.  They still like Chalmers, but they think Cole is the guy.   Cole is in an eerily similar situation as Rondo came into with the Celts.  He has an organization that believes in him going forward….I mean look at the minutes he is getting.  They are hoping come playoff time…his piece completes the puzzle.

With the season being so condensed, a lot could depend on which rookies hit the ground runing as once they go out of rotation, they could find it difficult to return especially on teams which run a tight rotation. The flip side is with so many back to back games some veterans will have to watch their minutes or the coaches will pull key guys out of clearly won/lost games so the rookies will perhaps get increased garbage minutes.

I was also surprised that Kenneth Faried got a DNP but Coach Karl cannot really be questioned by us on basketball decisions so we’ll have to see how that plays out.

 I actually think rookie are going to play a larger role this season because of the condensed schedule and once the injury bug goes around teams are really gonna have to hope their rooks are ready.