RANK | ROOKIE | RUNDOWN | RECENT |
1 | DAMIAN LILLARD, G, PORTLAND: Continues to play big minutes (37.6) and produce big numbers. Gotta love the way he shook off Monday’s clunker vs. Atlanta by sparking Tuesday’s road win over Sacramento with five threes, 22 points and nine dimes. Turnovers high (3.4) but that’s to be expected. | 1 | |
2 | ANTHONY DAVIS, F-C, NEW ORLEANS: His presence is undeniable. DNP vs. Philly – loss. Returns with 23 points, 11 boards and 5 blocks vs. Charlotte – win. Ho-hum 8 points and 4 boards at Houston – loss. The Hornets are an afterthought without him. Still hasn’t played back-to-back games, though. | 2 | |
3 | HARRISON BARNES, F, GOLDEN STATE: Had been silently steady until a 19-13 coming-out party in Wednesday’s win over Atlanta. He needs more of these to truly join the ROY talk and is trying to add interior skills to his face-up game. | 4 | |
4 | DION WAITERS, G, CLEVELAND: Just eight games in, his streaky shooting already is infuriating. But he puts the ball in the basket better than every teammate except his backcourt partner. He also was the only player who didn’t panic as Cleveland blew a 26-point lead and a sure win in Phoenix. | 3 | |
5 | MICHAEL KIDD-GILCHRIST, F, CHARLOTTE: His 25-12 in the franchise’s first win over Dallas earned him Line of the Week in our column, which isn’t easy. But he had to leave Tuesday’s game with a sore back and may have been bothered by it the following night in Minnesota as he sat during the stretch. | 8 | |
6 | KYLE SINGLER, F, DETROIT: Got his first start Wednesday, which also was my first look at him. Good timing, as I was blown away by his aggressiveness, size and smarts. It was a nice bounce-back as well, coming off a donut at Houston and a Dairy Queen vs. Oklahoma City. | 6 | |
7 | BRADLEY BEAL, G, WASHINGTON: After a season-high 22 points vs. Milwaukee, he said, “If I shoot the ball two times in a row down the floor, it’s hard for me to shoot the third one because I feel like a ball hog.” After going 4-of-25 in his last two games, he appears to be over it. | 7 | |
8 | ALEXEY SHVED, G, MINNESOTA: Combo guard is a godsend for the banged-up Timberwolves, shorthanded at both backcourt spots. His per-36 numbers (14.7 ppg, 6.3 apg, 5.1 rpg) would be better if he could locate his normally reliable shooting touch. Might be benefiting a bit from unfamiliarity. | – | |
9 | JAE CROWDER, F, DALLAS: Didn’t contribute a lick during Dallas’ three-game slide and lost his starting spot. But he got his groove back with a boxscore-filling 12 points off the bench vs. woeful Washington. As long as Shawn Marion remains out, he will continue to play. | 5 | |
10 | JONAS VALANCIUNAS, F-C, TORONTO: Back after a one-week absence (edging Jeffery Taylor) with some steady if unspectacular production. Clearly can score and superb FT shooting (13-of-14) for a big. But his lack of snarl is evident as soon as Amir Johnson subs him out. | – |
DROPOUTS: Tyler Zeller, C, Cleveland (9); Pablo Prigioni, G, New York (10).
FIVE TO WATCH: Moe Harkless, F, Orlando; Andrew Nicholson, F, Orlando; Brian Roberts, G, New Orleans; Thomas Robinson, F, sacramento; Jeffery Taylor, G, Charlotte.
Chris Bernucca is the managing editor of SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Monday during the season. You can follow him on Twitter.
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