The 2014 draft class was touted as having some of the best prospects in recent memory. Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Joel Embiid sparked movements like “riggin’ for Wiggins,” “sorry for Jabari,” and many other hilarious (and sometimes inappropriate) slogans. The hype was real, and in this article we check out if these top rookies have lived up to that hype, and which other rookies have leapt into the spotlight.
The Top Picks
1. Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
Wiggins entered the draft after just one season at Kansas, but his athleticism and high ceiling was unanimously praised. After being drafted by Cleveland, he was traded to Minnesota as part of the Kevin Love trade. So far, Wiggins is a frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award. He has answered some critics, who claimed he lacked a killer instinct or sometimes played too passively. In an injury-ravaged season for Minnesota, he has been a consistent force and has played well on both ends of the floor. The ceiling is the ultimate prize here, but Minnesota must be happy with the return they’re getting already.
2. Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks
When Cleveland grabbed Wiggins, the Milwaukee Bucks made sure not to miss on the most NBA-ready player in the draft. Parker was a proven scorer with an NBA body, and through the first few months he showed he could still score in the pros. He was the ROY frontrunner, until a few weeks ago when he tore his ACL. A terribly unfortunate injury struck down a promising start to an even more promising career. Hopefully, for the future of the league and for the Bucks, he can recover next year, but the surprising run by Milwaukee this year took a major hit when he went down.
3. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Embiid was probably the player at the top of most draft boards through the majority of the 2013-2014 college season. He was dominant on the interior of one of the best teams in the country. However, that all changed when he fractured his back and had to miss the last few games of the season, as well as the first two games of the NCAA tournament. He still was extremely highly touted, but just days before the draft he broke a bone in his foot and required surgery. These red flags (Greg Oden, anyone?) knocked him down to third overall, and Embiid has yet to play this season. The Philadelphia 76ers then announced that it is unlikely he will play at all this season, Philly is taking the Nerlens Noel route again, so we’ll have to take a rain check on Joel Embiid.
4. Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic must have been thrilled to have Aaron Gordon fall into their laps. He was a key factor for a talented college team, and proved his versatility on both ends of the floor consistently. Though he lacked a consistent jumper, his athleticism and defensive prowess ensured that he would be a top pick. He wasn’t receiving many minutes early in his career, and unfortunately he fractured his foot after just 11 games. If you see a trend here, it is that the top picks have mostly gotten hurt and have been unable to prove their worth. Gordon has not been ruled out for the year just yet, but it wouldn’t seem to make much sense for Orlando to rush him back given that their season appears to be going nowhere fast.
5. Dante Exum, Utah Jazz
The Jazz selected the highly touted point guard prospect from Australia with the fifth pick, but Exum has struggled in his first few months in the NBA. Of course, the point guard learning curve is the steepest, but the knocks on his game, mainly his shooting, have continued so far. Fortunately for him, shooting is a problem that he can fix with reps and a full few summers in the gym. Also fortunately for him, and maybe not the Jazz, starting shooting guard Alec Burks is out for the year, opening up minutes for Exum and other guys like fellow rookie Rodney Hood, Ian Clark, and Patrick Christopher. The western conference is loaded with talented point guards, and Exum will have to learn fast to keep up, but at just 19 years old the future appears bright for the Aussie.
Other Risers
Nikola Mirotic, Chicago Bulls
Mirotic has been a surprising ROY candidate, but his shooting and consistent rotation spot on a contender has solidified his position. He is an above average three-point shooter and has been a valuable bench asset for Chicago. Though his minutes remain relatively low, at around the 17-20 mpg mark, his impact could lead to a larger role as the season progresses.
Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers
Noel joins Mirotic as two of the biggest rookie risers that were not actually drafted this year. Noel has made the long recovery from a torn ACL at Kentucky and has shown his defensive ability early on. His offensive game, however, needs a lot of work. He is very raw, but he is near the top of the league in both steals and blocks, and leads all rookies in rebounds per game. If he can clean up his offense, he can become an all-around player. For now, though, he is a bright spot on Philadelphia’s train wreck of a season.
Bojan Bogdanovic, Brooklyn Nets
Not to be confused with the recently drafted Bogdan Bogdanovic, Bojan has come to Brooklyn after a few years in Europe and has been a consistent rotation player. His three-point shooting has not carried over as well as he and the Nets would have liked, but he has shown athleticism and a high basketball I.Q. so far in his young NBA career. If he can improve his shooting, which was a major positive of his game in Europe, his rookie stock will continue to rise.
Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic
Payton was drafted 10th overall in June, yet was a relative unknown to the casual basketball fan. Coming from a small school (Louisiana-Lafayette) didn’t help, but once he hit the NBA floor he proved he has enough talent to hold his own. Payton leads all rookies in assists and continues to earn more minutes in Orlando as they hope that he is their point guard of the future. If he can develop a jump shot, a major negative in his game, he will ascend this list as well.