He has been getting whiplash for months now, riding hair-pin turns on the
minutes roller-coaster with the additional strain of being a rookie playing,
sometimes a lot, for a championship hopeful. But it’s the whole journey, really.
The whole improbable, white-knuckle rush with the sudden deep drop followed by
the recent snap back to a new upward trajectory.
Pascal Siakam looks up just past midseason to find that, yes, he really has gone
from No. 27 pick to the Raptors’ starting lineup at power forward 37 times and
that, in all honesty, has exceeded even his own expectations. Two seasons at New
Mexico State, a relative unknown heading into the draft, and, suddenly, 17
minutes a game for Toronto as one of the top newcomers in the league.
Losing the starting job and barely finding minutes around midseason, before a
recent return to prominence, changes nothing. Siakam’s season, with a larger
role than anticipated, with the chance to contribute in a big way for the team
with the third-best record in the East, has been an unquestionable success even
before reaching the All-Star break.
“”I think it’s always good to learn on the court instead of being on the bench,”
Siakam said. “I had that good experience in the beginning, just knowing that
nothing’s guaranteed. You can go from starting to not playing at all. That’s the
league. You have to take advantage of every opportunity that you get and go
hard. I think I did good, and I learned a lot in the process. I’m learning
still. I’ll always keep learning.”
Or go from not playing at all to starting, which has just happened. He is
filling a void while Patrick Patterson is sidelined, and probably only until
Patterson returns, but the chance – the latest chance – has been an important
opening that helped Siakam remain on the Rookie Ladder.
To this week’s rankings:
1. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Last week: No. 1
The Philly bottom line is that Embiid has missed six games in a row and nine of
the last 10 because of a bruised left knee as the Sixers continue to insist they
are simply being cautious and coach Brett Brown tells reporters Sunday that “we
take it to the extreme on managing Joel Embiid’s health.” The Ladder bottom
line? Extreme injury management needs to last another few weeks, and maybe into
March, before any conversation about his hold on No. 1 being threatened, and
even then it would take a big push from one of the challengers. The 76ers next
play Wednesday against the Spurs.
2. Malcolm Brogdon, Milwaukee Bucks
Last week: No. 2
He has at least temporarily answered the challenge from San Antonio’s Davis
Bertans for the rookie lead in 3-point accuracy, reclaiming the top spot at 42.2
percent. More importantly for the Bucks as part of the playoff chase, the 52.2
percent overall the last three games is a sign he is coming out of the shooting
slump that led to the 39.2 percent of January. One of those three, Saturday at
Phoenix, also included eight assists against one turnover.
3. Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers
Last week: No. 3
While the shooting percentage has dropped to 37.7 percent overall, ordinarily
close to an automatic disqualifier to pass the efficient Brogdon, Saric is
keeping the pressure on for second place by averaging 11.2 points and 5.2
rebounds the last 10 games. That has at least temporarily solidified his hold on
No. 2 in scoring among rookies, behind Embiid, and enough to maintain No. 2 in
rebounding. The key has been the sudden windfall of minutes, with an average of
28.4 the last five outings as he contributed on the boards.
4. Marquese Chriss, Phoenix Suns
Last week: No. 5
The Suns have rewarded Chriss for the continued climb up The Ladder by
increasing his role to 23.8 minutes the last five games, moving him to 18.3 for
the season and in position for a big finish. Chriss regularly playing into the
high-20s, if the current trend continues, could be a very fun watch, but even
staying in the range of the last couple weeks could still get him into the top
five in several rookie categories by April. The 27 points against the Bucks on
Saturday came in just 24 minutes and made him just the third newcomer to reach
that total this season, joining Embiid (three times) and Yogi Ferrell.
5. Buddy Hield, New Orleans Pelicans
Last week: No. 4
Shooting 34.6 percent the last 10 games and 38.5 for the season is no way to
make a stand for fourth place. Hield, though, tied for fifth in the class in
scoring, tied for fifth in 3-point accuracy and tenth in minutes. And there have
been no shortage of opportunities behind the arc, with at least five attempts in
three of the last four outings. Playing four times in six nights, starting
Wednesday against the Jazz, is a chance to reverse the slide just before the
All-Star break since three of the four are against the poor defenses of the
Timberwolves, Kings and Suns.
6. Andrew Harrison, Memphis Grizzlies
Last week: No. 6
The encouragement of the 45.7 percent from the field in January disappeared the
instant the calendar turned. Harrison immediately regressed to 30.8 the first
four games of February, while maintaining the same counter-arguments that have
kept him on The Ladder despite what has mostly been a season of shooting woes:
second in the class in assists, second in assist-to-turnover ratio, sixth in
steals, sixth in minutes and eighth in defensive rating. Staying in the rotation
will be a key consideration moving forward.
7. Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
Last week: No. 7
And now he’s back to playing. Siakam went from out of the rotation to starting
Sunday and Monday and getting 29 and 16 minutes, respectively, in much-needed
stability that goes with the credibility of fifth among rookies in defensive
rating, seventh in rebounding, second in shooting and second in blocks. The
bruised knee that sidelined Patrick Patterson has become a parachute for Siakam
just as he appeared on the verge of dropping from the rankings with another week
or two of sitting.
8. Willy Hernangomez, New York Knicks
Last week: Not ranked
Hernangomez was No. 5 in mid-November, fell out of the rotation and out of the
rankings. He was No. 9 for two weeks and No. 10 in late-December and as the
calendar turned to 2017, fell out of the rotation again and out of the rankings.
Maybe it’s safe to try again. Finally getting consistent minutes for an extended
period, the 35th pick in 2015 is averaging 9.7 points and 9.9 rebounds while
shooting 50 percent the last nine appearances to move to eleventh in the class
in scoring, third in rebounding, first in shooting, seventh in blocks and sixth
in defensive rating.
9. Caris LeVert, Brooklyn Nets
Last week: 10
One of the best rookies of the second half has missed four of the last nine
games, either because of the knee injury that appears to be minor or while being
rested Embiid-style. But the five that he did play in that time: 26, 27, 27, 27
and 30 minutes. He is third among rookies in steals, tied for eighth in scoring,
tied for ninth in assists and already eleventh in minutes, while shooting 43
percent. LeVert just hasn’t made enough baskets yet, after missing the first 20
games, to meet the qualifying minimum for field-goal percentage.
10. Isaiah Whitehead, Brooklyn Nets
Last week: 9
He was unable to capitalize on the chance to get back in the opening lineup,
posting poor numbers while lasting 23, 14 and 15 minutes in three consecutive
starts. Spencer Dinwiddie took his place Tuesday at Charlotte while Whitehead
returned to a reserve role. Still, he is tied for ninth in the class in scoring,
third in assists, fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio, sixth in blocks and
seventh in minutes, enough to stay ranked in what over the last couple weeks has
actually become a competition, with options and everything, for the final spots.
Dropped out: Brandon Ingram (8).
Scott Howard-Cooper has covered the NBA since 1988. You can e-mail him here,
find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its
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