Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball entered this season bearing an enormous load of pressure. Every top NBA selection these days lives under a microscope—a result of the game’s explosion in popularity—but Ball’s situation was more extreme than usual.
His outspoken father, LaVar, hyped up his son and made him one of the most well-known NBA players before he even laced ’em up for the Lakers. LaVar said Ball, who was drafted at 19 after one promising year at UCLA, was already better than two-time MVP Stephen Curry and could one day surpass Michael Jordan.
Talk about great expectations.
Ball has had a decent rookie year in L.A., where LaVar had long predicted his son would play. The rookie has posted averages of 10.2 PPG, 7.1 APG, and 7.1 RPG, with a Player Efficiency Rating (a standardized measure of a player’s production per minute) of 12.18. He has struggled with his much-maligned jumper, shooting 30.3 percent from distance, and has occasionally disappeared for stretches.
Still, if you were starting a franchise today, you’d be happy to have Ball as your point guard. Early signs indicate he’s probably not a future All-Star, and almost definitely not a future MVP, but he is a solid young player who is still developing and should start in this league for a long time.
Nonetheless, a handful of other rookies have quietly outplayed Ball this season.
Ball was picked No. 2 in the 2017 draft. Other guards who were selected later in the first round—like N.C. State’s Dennis Smith Jr. (No. 9 to the Mavericks), Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell (No. 13 to Utah), and Villanova’s Josh Hart (No. 30 to the Lakers)—have blossomed, as have a number of swingmen and bigs who look like they could be vital franchise pieces moving forward.
Here is our list of the 10 NBA rookies who have outplayed Lonzo Ball this season.
10. Jarrett Allen
9. Miloš Teodosić
Stats: 9.2 PPG, 5.2 APG, 3.0 RPG, 10.9 PER
Teodosić is a Clippers fan favorite. He hasn’t played much—only 29 games to date—but he’s been an important player in Doc Rivers’ rotation and has received 25 minutes per game.
At 30, Teodosić is an unconventional rookie. The Serbian was a six-time All-EuroLeague selection and the EuroLeague MVP in 2010. Teodosić went undrafted in 2009 and signed with the Clips in July 2017.
His international experience has been evident, as he’s looked perfectly comfortable with the pace of the NBA game. He’s a sharpshooter and a playmaker, and his court sense is off the charts.
8. Bogdan Bogdanovic
Stats: 11.5 PPG, 3.2 APG, 40.4% 3FG, 13.9 PER
Bogdanovic was selected in the first round of the 2014 draft by the Suns, who traded him on draft night two years later to select Marquese Chriss. A desired asset for years, Bogdanovic finally made his NBA debut this season.
The Serbian has quietly outplayed the other Sacramento rookies this season, including top pick De’Aaron Fox, who’s actually been good. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise considering Bogdanovic is 25.
He will probably never be a defensive ace—lateral quickness isn’t his specialty—but his shot has been lights-out.
At 6-foot-6, Bogdanovic is long and capable of playing both guard spots. He’s also a surprisingly effective creator. When the Kings shipped George Hill off to Cleveland and decided to essentially give up on the season, Bogdanovic saw room for an increased role in the offense.
He was recently named the MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge game after dropping 26 at Staples Center.
7. Dennis Smith Jr.
Stats: 14.7 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.9 RPG, 12.0 PER
Dennis Smith Jr. is only 6-foot-3, but he’s one of the most explosive guards in the league, as we saw in this play in Summer League.
Teams have long coveted his services since his high school days in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Smith had a tumultuous one-year run at N.C. State, however, and scouts worried about his effort and defense.
He has had some struggles this season—he recently amassed nine turnovers in a loss to the Clippers, and his shooting (39 percent from the field) has been less than ideal—but he has also shown the ability to light it up. It seems he could go off for 20 any given night.
6. John Collins
Stats: 10.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 58.1% FG, 19.6 PER
John Collins has been exactly what the troubled Hawks franchise has needed. His explosiveness was evident early on, as seen in the clip below.
Yeah—the man has bounce. After dominating his second season at Wake Forest and being named ACC’s Most Improved Player, Collins somehow fell to No. 19 in the draft. But hey, we’re not mad about it: he’s thrown down the 10th-most dunks in the NBA this season.
He’s more than a highlight-reel guy, though. Analytics nerds love his efficiency (his PER of 20.1 is the best mark among rookies). Hollinger’s Value Added stat has Collins in third, behind only Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell. Scouts drool over Collins’ ability to rim-run and knock down shots off the pick-and-roll.
The 6-foot-10 20-year-old has been in a little slump lately, but our hopes for him remain high.
5. Kyle Kuzma
Stats: 15.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 14.3 PER
Kuzma burst through the gates in Summer League and the start of this season. When he dropped 30 in a November game and 38 in December, people thought he might be the Rookie of the Year.
He even earned a cosign from Lakers great Kobe Bryant.
Kuzma has tailed off a bit recently, but after being selected No. 27, he still looks like the late-first-round steal of the draft. Kuzma is loving proving his doubters wrong. The former Utah forward is third among rookies in scoring and fifth in rebounds. He’s dynamic with the ball and has shown an ability to score in isolation situations.
He’ll have an expanded role after the trade deadline, as Larry Nance Jr. departs the frontcourt and Jordan Clarkson departs the bench.
4. Jayson Tatum
3. Lauri Markkanen
Stats: 14.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 35% 3FG, 14.8 PER
Like Collins, Lauri Markkanen’s game isn’t limited to excellence in one facet. His athleticism is not to be slept on, as the Knicks’ Enes Kanter recently learned.
Markkanen made NBA history early in his career: he became the fastest player in league history to top 100 made three-pointers. It took the 20-year-old only 41 games to break the previous record, which was held by Portland’s Damian Lillard.
Markkanen, who was a part of the Jimmy Butler draft-night deal, can really shoot it from deep. He’s shooting 37 percent and hitting the most threes per game of any rookie. He’s one of the most skilled international big men to enter the NBA in years. The Bulls know they’ve got a good one.
2. Donovan Mitchell
Stats: 19.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 16.9 PER
Rookie of the Year may be a two-man race at this point, thanks to moves like the one below. Donovan Mitchell, who inexplicably fell to No. 13, was just like John Collins: an instant steal. Fans are enamored with Mitchell’s 7-foot wingspan, freaky athleticism, and ability to score.
The former Louisville Cardinal recently pieced together an unprecedented performance: he became the first rookie ever to score 40 points, while also knocking down seven 3-pointers and shooting better than 70 percent from the field. He added five rebounds, six assists, and two steals. The 6-foot-3, 21-year-old two-guard has a PER of 17.0, sixth-best among rookies.
With the Jazz vying for the West’s No. 8 seed, he should continue to see his role in Quin Snyder’s system—and his case for ROY—grow.
1. Ben Simmons
Stats: 16.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.8 SPG, 19.1 PER
Let’s be real: a guy this big shouldn’t be able to dribble like this.
Though some doubted Ben Simmons’ strength and scoring ability, he was the odds-on favorite to win ROY coming into this year, and he has fulfilled Vegas’ expectations. After a difficult freshman year at LSU, Simmons was taken No. 1 overall in the 2016 draft, but he sat out the 2016-17 season with a right-foot injury.
The 6-foot-10 swingman presents a rare amalgamation of skills. He has already eclipsed Jason Kidd’s 1994-95 record for triple-doubles by a rookie and had a legitimate case to make the East All-Star team.
Recently the Aussie has cut down on his turnovers. He’s third among rookies in PER, second in scoring, first in rebounds, first in assists, first in steals, fourth in blocks, and first in minutes. He does it all. Simmons and Joel Embiid have formed a lethal 1-2 punch that has the NBA’s attention.
