| RANK | ROOKIE | RUNDOWN | TEAM |
| 10 |  |
JAMAAL FRANKLIN, G, MEMPHIS: Supposedly a second-round steal, following in the footsteps of former SDSU teammate Kawhi Leonard. Instead he has been buried on the bench or shuttling to the D-League and has played just 25 minutes since Christmas. |  |
| 9 |  |
SOLOMON HILL, G, INDIANA: The win-now environment in Indiana isn’t fertile ground for rookies. The best thing that can be said about Hill is that his 177 minutes are three times what Miles Plumlee played here last season. Maybe he will get traded in the offseason, too. |  |
| 8 |  |
NEMANJA NEDOVIC, F, GOLDEN STATE: Or Ognjen Kuzmic. Or Nemanja Kuzmic. Or Ognjen Nedovic. Does it really matter? They could have started a car service between Oakland and Santa Cruz. I will learn to pronounce their names as soon as they have a PER not preceded by a minus sign. |  |
| 7 |  |
SHABAZZ MUHAMMAD, G, MINNESOTA: He was dismissed from the Rookie Orientation Program for having a girl in his room, prompting GM Flip Saunders to threaten to send him to the D-League – which he did in between his 16 points over the first three months of the season. He has been better the last two months. |  |
| 6 |  |
SERGEY KARASEV, G-F, CLEVELAND: Given the small forward revolving door the Cavs had before acquiring Luol Deng – Earl Clark, Anthony Bennett, Alonzo Gee – you would think Karasev could have nosed his way in there for a bit. Instead, he played just 21 games and memorized the drive from Cleveland to Canton. |  |
| 5 |  |
LUIGI DATOME, F, DETROIT: Another of Joe Dumars’ gems. The Italian League MVP wasn’t exactly the next Manu Ginobili. He has played 55 minutes in 2014. And his two-year, $3.5 million deal is equivalent to the 13th pick. |  |
| 4 |  |
ALEX LEN, C, PHOENIX: Spent most of training camp recovering from offseason foot surgery, not a good injury when you are 7-1 and slow and play for a team that runs all the time. His season high is nine points and he reached double figures in rebounds once. But at least he plays (8.6 mpg). |  |
| 3 |  |
NERLENS NOEL, F-C, PHILADELPHIA: He was recovered enough from his torn ACL to film a Reebok commercial before the season but not enough to ever take the court. He said he was targeting April 4 as a return – that’s tomorrow – but don’t bet on it. The good news is if he doesn’t play, he’s a rookie again next season. |  |
| 2 |  |
ANTHONY BENNETT, F, CLEVELAND: Perhaps the biggest surprise is that he is not the worst rookie this season. Sleep apnea, 1-of-20, DNPs and a knee injury made him the worst top overall pick since Kwame Brown – and maybe LaRue Martin. He did have a nice two-week stretch in February. | |
| 1 |  |
OTTO PORTER, F, WASHINGTON: An injury in training camp put him behind, but this far behind? As the third overall pick, he should have been contributing immediately. He played eight minutes in February. His season high in points is six. And he is the reason for Drew Gooden’s renaissance. |  |
DISHONORABLE MENTION: Phil Pressey, G, Boston; Chris Smith, G, New York; Arinze Onuaku, F, New Orleans/Cleveland; Andre Roberson, G, Oklahoma City; Glen Rice Jr., G, Washington.
OTHER RANKINGS: MVP | Most Improved | Sixth Man | Power
Chris Bernucca is the managing editor of SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Monday during the season. You can follow him on Twitter.
Pages: 1 2
These retrospectives are fun. It’s hard to get a gauge on these prospects, even two years out.. Here’s what I think about them: http://pressbreak.sportsblog.com/posts/2837763/ranking-the-2013-nba-draft-prospects.html
Thank you for your auspicious writeup. It actually had been the discretion bank account it. Seem tricky for you to much included agreeable on your part! Even so, what exactly is continue the letters?
Well, first off, Len isnt slow. And he’s huge, and big men take time. So being snarky about a player i think has pretty huge upside, and so does Phoenix, is typically journo-pathetic. Second…nedovic is going to be very good too. I saw him in Belgrade. Warriors are happy with him. Nobody thought Dieng was good until he got minutes. This is stupid…why do i have to explain this.
A bigger test is to try to redo the draft now, with what we know.
I think Tim Hardaway and Mason Plumlee would be in the top 10.
Noel could still be a gem next season. Remember Blake Griffin.
It might be better to say that the GM’s with the top picks Chose Poorly.