ROY Update

59 rookies have debuted in the NBA this year.  Julius Randle (14.0) is still 20th in Rookie MPG, who are the 19 ahead of him (sorry, Stauskas, your time is dwindling)?

Bogdanovic (30.5), Nerlens (30.5), Jabari (29.6), Wiggins (28.6), Papanikolau (25.5), McDaniels (24.4), Payton (23.9), Napier (23.0), LaVine (20.7), Smart (20.4), Exum (18.1), Ingles (17.8), Rudez (17.4), Mirotic (17.0), Black (17.0), Hairston (16.1), Harris (15.2), Gordon (15.0), Hood (14.5)

Bogdanovic is still playing well for an awful team.  His shooting is okay but his asst-to is a little troubling for the amount of time he's playing.  I expect he'll stay high on this list throughout the season.

Nerlens is coming along, even if the Sixers aren't.  The production is enough to suggest that he is worth the investment the Sixers have made so far.  (Terrible FT shooter, wouldn't have thought so)

Jabari is on an up-and-coming team unlike Nerlens and Bogdanovic, that has to feel so good for a rookie.  Jabari's contributions actually mean something and he's already clearly a legit player in this league.  The consensus pick for ROY (though not my pick), so far I'd say it is his to lose.

Wiggins is getting time and developing nicely.  Hasn't started setting the world on fire (too many turnovers, so-so FG%, terrible FT%) but his got the body and over time the game will come to him.  Not a ROY, I think, unless he takes a major step forward by the end of the year (and perhaps that will happen once Rubio comes back).

Papanickolau still plugging along.  Decent 3-shooter, decent rebounder, good assist numbers, his minutes are firmly his, I expect he'll stay in the Rocket rotation throughout the year.

McDaniels hot start has leveled off some: his FG% coming back down to earth, too many turnovers, though still a surprisingly good shot blocker.  Could be the bedrock of the Sixer bench for years to come or maybe he's just overacheived on a team with little expectation of achieving, we'll see.

Elfrid Payton is still looking good to me.  The numbers aren't astounding (why are all these kids such terrible FT shooters?!?) but his poise on the court is undeniable, he looks like an NBA player.  As the Magic rotation settles in, I expect he'll be a meaningful part of that team all year long--and a Magic push for the playoffs does not seem like such a long shot in the East.

Napier, like Payton, looks like he belongs.  Still too many turnovers but his conservative play is just right for a veteran Heat team.  He's a part of that team already (and I suspect will outlast Chalmers and Cole on that roster).

LaVine is an up-and-down player.  Did you see him against the Lake Show last week?  Dude was balling that night; but other nights he disappears without much flourish.  LaVine is still figuring out his place in the Wolves rotation and I suspect he is more of a highlight reel guy than a work pail kinda rookie.  That's not to say he won't be a fine player in this league, just that his accomplishments will be of a more ethereal nature than stuffing a stat sheet.

Exum and Ingles are both getting good minutes in the Jazz rotation.  Neither are exactly tearing up gthe league but neither is playing poorly.  The Jazz probably have a trade or two in them so we'll see what the roster looks like by the end of the season.  Exum is clearly the long term guy but maybe Ingles will be the short team guy.

I'm a little puzzled by Rudez.  His minutes have actually gone down when I thought they'd go up.  But then again the Pacers are better than they ought to be so maybe Rudez's contribution will have to come in smaller doses.  (Gotta admit, I haven't watched the Pacers yet this year, haven't seen Rudez actually suit up)

Though Mirotic is currently sitting at 14th on this list, I expect that his minutes will increase.  I think Mirotic has the versatility to plug in for any number of injuries (and you know the Bulls are gonna have plenty of them), so any extra minutes out there are gonna go to him.  Good player, man, all around he's got a little bit of everything in his game, probably as all-around good as anyone in this rookie crop.

Tarik Black is Dwight Howard's backup.  His minutes are probably gonna stay around this level for the entire year regardless of his production.  He's not there for the output, he's there because he has long legs and Dwight can't play 48 minutes a night.

Hairston is suddenly getting minutes on the dysfunctional Hornets, a team way way way worse than I would've thought (and I wasn't that high on them to begin with).  The real problem for the Hornets is there are no problems!  This is the team they have and unless they start making crazy trades or figure out some new way to do things, they're not getting any better.  Where does Hairston fit in?  No telling but as long as there is chaos I reckon he'll keep getting thrown out there.

Hood isn't turning the ball over or committing egregious fouls but he's not knocking down shots either.  With the sudden appearance of Ingles, Hood is even further down the depth chart than I anticipated, not writing him off but clearly it'll take a little longer for Hood to get his reps on the court.  (And, again, the Jazz have moves to make and he could end up on a different squad by year's end)

Smart, Harris and Gordon have not (if I'm not mistaken) played since the last time I updated this.  Marcus Smart still has plenty of time to develop and Aaron Gordon had already firmly planted himself in the Magic rotation before his injury.  Not sure what's up with Gary Harris (or the Denver Nuggets, for that matter).

My original ROY pick was a tie between Payton and Nerlens and I'd say they're both still in the top five.  I would add Jabari to that mix, Bogdanovic and Wiggins will have admirers come voting time, don't forget about Marcus Smart, and keep an eye on Mirotic, I think his opportunities are the most variable of anyone out there.

Also, James Ennis (Heat), Doug McDermott (Bulls), Joe Harris (Cavs) and Nik Stauskas (Kings) play pretty regular minutes and it feels like TJ Warren (Suns) might blow up outta nowhere at any time.