Rookie Predictions (11-20)

A couple days ago I gave my predictions on the first 10 rookies drafted and now it's time to look at the next 10.

11th Pick - Acie Law IV, Hawks
I think he is going to end up being the next Nick Van Exel but he won't have the same rookie season that "Nick The Quick"/"Nick At Night" had in which he averaged 13/6 (started 80 games and averaged 33 minutes per game for the Lakers. He will be the starting PG in his second year in the NBA but this year he will share time with Speedy Claxton, Tyrone Lue and Anthony Johnson. Atlanta, being Atlanta, will not play him enough, and that is why they are Atlanta. I'm predicting 6ppg and 3ass even though if they were smart they could get 10ppg and 6ass out of him.

12th Pick - Thaddeus Young, Sixers
NBADraft.net has his NBA Comparison Paul Pierce. That is an insult to Young's athleticism and an insult to Pierce's fundamentals. Young is a slasher. It should be exciting seeing the best ally-opp passer in Andre Miller (don't believe me, ask any of the Denver Nuggets) in the league throwing it up to AI2 and Thaddeus Young. Korver will get minutes and so will Rodney Carney who is on the verge of being a bust. I haven't seen him in the preseason but hopefully he is on his way to gaining 20 pounds and has worked on his ball handling skills. I see him playing more as the season goes on and averaging 9ppg in the last 20 games of the season but he will average 5ppg. That's pretty much all you can expect from someone who will not average 20 minutes a game.

13th Pick - Julian Wright, Hornets
This is a hard guy to evaluate. In college, he'd score 5 points in one game and you wouldn't even notice him on the court and the next game he'd drop 30/10/5 and you'd wonder why this guy is in college. New Orleans is a great fit for him. He is currently Peja right now and Mo Pete is starting at the 2 with Rasual Butler behind him. The Hornets are set at the wing position now and with David West, Tyson Chandler and Hilton Armstrong (everything I read about him is positive) in the post, this is a complete team because you know CP3 is legit. With that said, Julian Wright will play this year because of his ability to play 4 different (1-4) positions. He will find his spots and average 6.5ppg, 4.5rebs per game. Those numbers would increase with injuries though. He is going to be a star in this league. (Random: Watch out for the Hornets)

14th Pick - Al Thornton, Clippers
This guy is like 37 so is he actually a rookie? Half the Clippers team is down and they are the in contention for the most ping pong balls at the end of the year. During the second half of the year they will look to develop Thornton and his minutes will go up. With Brand and Livingston out for the year, his will chip in with 7.5ppg and 5rebs.

15th Pick - Rodney Stuckey, Pistons
Exactly what the Pistons need. They are lucky he went to Eastern Washington because if he was in the Pac-10 he would have been a top 10 pick. He will be the first guard off the bench and can play the 1 or 2. Major upgrade over Lindsay Hunter/Jarvis Hayes/Flip Murray. Look for his to contribute right away and flourish with 8ppg and 3ass.

16th Pick - Nick Young, Wizards
Also a perfect fit. The Wizards and especially Gilbert Arenas know DeSean Stevenson is a hot head and they need someone to ultimately replace him. Nick Young is an upgrade on both sides of the floor and will gel with Gilbert better. Antonio Daniels being the savy veteran that he is might get some minutes at the 2 also but I see Young both the 2 and the 3 in small lineups. Look for him to average 6.5ppg. Big things next year though.


17th Pick - Sean Williams, Nets
Besides Oden, Williams is the biggest freak of nature in this class. He has the ability to change games because of his defensive presence. Williams has the potential to make viewers say "he is a man among boys" in the NBA! BUT... yea BUT... he has some issues. Anytime someone has drug problems in college and they turn pro, I am hesitant about their first year in the league. If he did drugs with no money (compared to now), what is he going to do with a million dollars? I hope he stays out of trouble but either way, I don't see minutes for him in New Jersey so he is going to be a NBDL All-Star.

18th Pick - Marco Belinelli, Warriors
Another great fit for a guard in the middle of the first round. Belinelli means Run N' Gun in Italian. With the spacing and dribble penetration based offense the Warriors run, Belinelli will flourish. If you have never seen him, check out his YouTube. It's the top league in Europe so pretend he's doing this against North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, UCLA, Ohio St., Arizona, Florida, etc. He will average 7.5ppg because there are so many wings on the Warriors. Great pick.

19th Pick - Javaris Crittenton, Lakers
I think he's a better prospect than Jordan Farmar but since Farmar has a better feel for when to find his spots (after Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, and Lamar) and the triangle offense, I don't see him having to many opportunities to showcase his abilities. With the acquisition of Derek Fisher, he moves to the #3 PG. He'll see garbage time this year and average 2ppg.

20th Pick - Jason Smith, Sizers
White boy CAN jump. All I can think about is this guy would be great on the Suns. But he is on the Sixers. The Sixers have a lot of athletes on their team and they need to run more this year. Adding Young and Smith to a team with AI2 is kind of scary (watch out for Louis Williams this year). Smith will find his spots behind Reggie Evans and Samuel Dalembert this year and average 4ppg and 4rebs. There just won't be a lot of plays ran for this guy so he is going to have to run and crash boards to get points. But he is a nice prospect, a good fit for a team that likes to run. Is that the Sixers though? I don't know.