Thorpe Ranks Smart 20th among NBA Rookies so far

[footey]

Just read his report on Insider. What a joke. He ranks Exum first. Don't think his stats are any better than Smart's.

[manl_lui]

20TH!!!! 20TH?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

the disrespect!

[PickNRoll]

Based on production, he's probably close, but there aren't 3 other rookies I'd trade Smart for.  Even a guy like Bogdanovic on Brooklyn is playing pretty well though.

[ZoneD]

Tough to argue he should be ranked higher when he's only played 5 games and is out for the next 3+ weeks. When he's played he certainly looks like a top 10 rookie but I don't put much stock in these rankings.

[KGs Knee]

Who cares?

Three weeks into a player's rookie season is not enough time to learn much of anything meaningful. At least in terms of long-term success.

[shrinkage36]

Exactly. I've been in work places where I was the last to learn, yet wound up being the best at it. Patience is key with regards to rookies.

[jambr380]

I guess I'll go with the 'who cares?' crowd, but it is a little irresponsible to call him the 20th best rookie [so far].

Just because we don't have our rankings posted on a website for everybody to see doesn't mean we don't also have brains with analytical skills - we can create our own rankings.

[ddb]

statistically he is probably somewhere in the 15-20's so far.  But he brings an X factor and a presence that will soon win over "insiders" and GM's alike.

Who cares about these rankings.  Smart is a keeper.  Very good player

[Surferdad]

statistically he is probably somewhere in the 15-20's so far.  But he brings an X factor and a presence that will soon win over "insiders" and GM's alike.

Who cares about these rankings.  Smart is a keeper.  Very good player

The X factor is his DEFENSE. He is already one of the better defenders in the entire league.  Anyway, I'm with the who cares crowd. We know better. 

[crimson_stallion]

This is because people are probably not watching Smart actually play, and are just rating each player based on pure box score stats.

In this case Smart's numbers (6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 31% FG, 24% 3PT) don't look especially impressive.

It's hard to present Smart's value in numbers because much of what he's been doing well has been the stuff that's fairly difficult to quantify.  He's been playing harassing defence which has really caused grief for opposing players (e.g. Deron Williams) and he's shown toughness, work ethic, IQ and decision making skills that are beyond his years. 

Many of his greatest talents right now are intangibles, at least until he gets further in to the season and starts to get more comfortable with NBA offense.

Right now the two box score numbers that really jump out are his rebounds (4.6 per 36 - excellent for a PG) and his steals (3.0 per 36 - elite a any position). His turnovers (2.1 per 36) are also pretty low for a rookie PG playing in his very first NBA games - a good sign that he's not making too many mistakes.   

[LarBrd33]

What does Thorpe actually say?  Curious why he ranked Exum first.  THere must be some rationalization.  Thorpe seems to know what he's talking about. 

[D.o.s.]

We saw Exum's "it" factor in summer league and he has been terrific this season, showing the ability to make both simple passes and tough ones (when required) to teammates for easy shots. He makes hard drives and dishes for 3s or dunks. He delivers lobs. He leads fast breaks, which result in wide-open scoring chances. And, most impressively, he finds open shooters far away from the action.

He's doing this with very few mental errors, too, while also managing the game. Exum is playing like someone who deserved to be drafted first overall.

Before Smart went down with an ankle injury, he looked like a solid complement to Rondo and perhaps, ultimately, his successor. Although Smart is not the passer Rondo is and never will be, he looks like a playmaker on defense and a better natural scorer.

Those are the notes on Smart and Exum in their entirety, by the way.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11872465/top-20-rookies

[PickNRoll]

I've watched every Utah game on LP, and that praise for Exum is a little excessive.  Trey Burke has stunk thus far and Exum has gotten a decent opportunity to play.  He doesn't make a lot of mistakes, and that's about all you can say.  The offense runs through Hayward, Favors, and Burks and not a lot is asked of Exum.  Smart has had more remarkable plays, as well as more rookie mistakes than Exum.

[Neurotic Guy]

As long as Thorpe doesn't rank Julius Randle ahead of Smart, I don't care.

Really, it just doesn't matter.  Marcus is already a contrbutor and his relative value as compared with other rookies just doesn't matter. What matters is how he helps the C's.  When his 3-point percentage gets above 35%, MS is going to be an extremely valuable player.   I'd bet my left arm he'll get there by the end of next season.

[kozlodoev]

C's.  When his 3-point percentage gets above 35%, MS is going to be an extremely valuable player.   I'd bet my left arm he'll get there by the end of next season.

I wouldn't hold my breath. He shot 29% from college three. We're most likely talking seasons here, not weeks or months.