Byron Scott does not have a Ladder vote. D’Angelo Russell stays.
Meanwhile, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Willie Cauley-Stein got hurt in a concerning trend if anyone else with a hyphenated last name happens to be connected to the rankings. Devin Booker hit about every long-distance shot from the time he got out of bed to suddenly move into Ladder consideration. Jahlil Okafor came off suspension. Big men Kristaps Porzingis and Karl-Anthony Towns staged a 3-point contest while in different time zones. Old Dirk Nowitzki went to Madison Square Garden for an up-close comparison of Porzingis as the young Nowitzki, and T.J. McConnell rejoined the Philly opening lineup. All in recent days, all part of a whirlwind time for rookies.
It is hard to imagine a week with more potential impact on the rankings in years, even if some was overhyped window dressing. (That was nice of class act Nowitzki to say Porzingis is better as a 20-year-old rookie than Dirk at the same stage, but it’s hardly praise. Just surviving was the biggest Nowitzki accomplishment of his difficult first season that prompted great criticism for Don Nelson for wasting the ninth pick on Nowitzki.) A lot of the developments mattered, though, especially the injuries, the arrival of Porzingis’ offense, and Scott benching Russell while naming another 2015 first-rounder, Larry Nance Jr., a Lakers starter.
The key stat will still be how many minutes Russell gets, not how many starts, although this comes after previously sitting for long stretches or entire fourth quarters. It’s fair to wonder about his psyche. Playing 21 minutes Monday at Toronto, the first game of the new lineup, was a reason for increased concern.
The flurry of developments left New York’s Porzingis and Minnesota’s Towns as 1 and 1A, a very close call all the way to the Knicks power forward hitting seven of 12 3-pointers the last five games (all stats heading into Tuesday) and the Timberwolves center making six of nine behind the arc in his last five. It was a combined glimpse into the future of two bigs with range, especially Porzingis.
It was the perfect set up for the final three quarters of the Rookie of the Year race.
1. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves (Last week: 1)
Towns responded to an increase in minutes after a curious turn toward the low-20s and even the high-teens, making seven of nine shots overall and all three behind the arc in 29 minutes Monday against the Clippers following the 27 points and 12 rebounds in 32 minutes Saturday against the Trail Blazers. The needed stability on offense comes with Towns third in the league in blocks percentage, sixth in blocks, 12th in defensive-rebounding percentage and 15th in defensive rating.
2. Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks (2)
If Porzingis’ impact was dramatic when he was struggling with his shot, imagine how it changes the race and changes the Knicks when he hits 61.3 percent of his attempts, including 58.3 percent of 3s, the last five games. If he proves this is the arrival of the offense most around the league expected coming into the season rather than a momentary surge, Porzingis has a two-way game that can pass Towns even if the Timberwolves center does not falter.
3. Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia 76ers (3)
Going three of 14 from the field Monday against the Spurs in his return from a two-game suspension made it five consecutive outings of failing to make at least half his shots, all while working mostly inside. Okafor is down to 44.9 percent for the season. Plus, the rebounding. Six in 27 minutes, 13 in 32 minutes, five in 30 minutes, four in 29 minutes. The No. 3 spot on The Ladder is now available.
4. Justise Winslow, Miami Heat (5)
While the Knicks have taken a step forward with a big contribution from Porzingis and the Timberwolves are improving with Towns in a central role, Winslow has the one credential no one can touch: best rookie on a good team. It’s not even close anymore. He is up to 28.7 minutes, third-best behind Okafor and Emmanuel Mudiay, and 9.3 in the fourth quarter for a team on an early pace for 50 wins. “I just know when he’s on the floor, we’re a lot better defensive team,” Dwyane Wade said, according to the Miami Herald.
5. Nemanja Bjelica, Minnesota Timberwolves (4)
He played 22 and 24 minutes the first two games back from a bruised knee, an indication of good health, only to drop to 13 and 17 the next two. So much for the theory that holding the spot during the recovery would be the tough part. The bigger challenge has been getting minutes after the return. But Bjelica is still third in 3-point shooting, fifth in rebounding, sixth in shooting overall, seventh in assists and eighth in scoring,.
6. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brooklyn Nets (7)
Hollis-Jefferson will stay in the rankings until surgery determines a timeline for his return from the broken right ankle because he has been that solid, and because few players, if any, have proven capable of the consistent production necessary to take the spot away. He is first among rookies in steals, fourth in rebounding as a 6-foot-7 guard averaging 22 minutes a night, 10th in assists, just had a five-game stretch of 8.2 boards, defends and is shooting 48.1 percent.
7. T.J. McConnell, Philadelphia 76ers (6)
McConnell to Noel
T.J. McConnell pushes it up the floor and finds Nerlens Noel for the finish.
He returned to the starting lineup, but as part of a difficult time on offense. He had just two assists in two of three games, with the usual disclaimer that passing to a team that can’t hit shots is a problem for a point guard’s statistics, amid a similar mini-slump from the field. The Hollis-Jefferson injury could become a chance to move up again, depending how long RHJ is out. Oh, and after going 17 games without a free throw, an unimaginable statistic for someone getting real minutes with the ball in his hands, McConnell finally made his first from the line two games later, last Wednesday at New York.
8. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets (9)
There is no joy in moving a player up at the very moment his role is decreasing, but such is the state of the field near the bottom of the rankings. Playing 14 and 10 minutes two games in a row is enough for a promotion considering the other candidates. Besides, Jokic is first in shooting among rookies, third in PER, seventh in scoring and eighth in rebounding while defending.
9. Emmanuel Mudiay, Denver Nuggets (8)
He moved past McConnell for No. 1 in assists, at 6.0. But the shooting. Mudiay just went a combined 28 of 103 in eight games (27.2 percent), dropping to 31.1 overall as the important counter to being fourth in rookie scoring. Defense is keeping him on the list, but he will need to improve from good to great on that side of the ball if the mess from the field does not get cleaned up soon.
10. D’Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers (10)
There’s a chance Mudiay or Russell is just holding a spot for Booker, as long as the Suns’ perimeter threat stays in the rotation or finally plays 20 minutes two games in a row. Until then, Mudiay gets the edge over Russell with a better assist-to-turnover ratio, better defense and a slightly bigger role on a better team. And just when Russell seemed ready to make a push back up the Ladder, with an encouraging end to November/start to December, he went four consecutive games with as many or more turnovers than assists. Byron Scott is not his only problem right now.
Dropped out: none.
Scott Howard-Cooper has covered the NBA since 1988. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter.
