Rookie Watch: Durant's having block party; Yi's getting rejected
Editor's note: Each week, David Thorpe will rank the rookies and provide his observations on the celebrated class of 2007-08.
Kevin Durant's playing some D, and a couple of other wings are showcasing their scoring abilities.
Here's what caught my eye concerning the rookie class in the past week:
Observations
• The pace that Kevin Durant played at against Indiana was by far the best we've seen from him. Nothing seemed rushed, and most of his shots flowed from the game action. He already is one of the most deadly shooters in the league coming off of pin-downs. It's just very difficult to contest his shot.
• I love that Kevin Durant has blocked seven shots in his past four games, with at least one in every game. He can have a big defensive impact when he applies himself; Sonics fans should not have to wait to see this from KD. Now, I'd like to see more desire from him on the offensive glass; 12 offensive boards in 18 games for a long, 6-10 athlete is difficult to swallow.
• Jamario Moon is starting to "pull the string" on his shot too often -- meaning he is not getting full extension on his follow-through. That is one reason why he has posted back-to-back double-figure scoring games only once this season.
• Sean Williams is a solid free-throw shooter (for a rookie), hitting 34-of-49 from the line thus far. Meanwhile, Joakim Noah is 14-of-18 from the line, though his left hand is still too involved in his shot.
" Nick Young is not yet a capable finisher around the rim -- he struggles to create great scoring angles off of dribble-drives. And as a shooter, his mechanics are far from solid -- his balance is very poor on many attempts. But this young man can "throw the ball in," which signals his overall shooting talent. He has a chance to be quite gifted as a scorer.
• Daequan Cook is another impressive wing scorer. His midrange game might be "best in class" and he has shown some nice change-of-speed actions off the dribble.
• Some of Yi Jianlian's recent struggles can be attributed to his poor performance as a finisher around the rim. An astounding 39 percent of his "close" shots are blocked. (Al Horford has 25 percent of his close shots blocked.)
• I know firsthand what a beast Kyrylo Fesenko is at 7 feet and 280 pounds, with a wingspan of 7-4 and the coordination and speed of a small forward. Andrew Bynum and Ronny Turiaf now know, too.
On Saturday, "Fes" got a call up from the D-League -- where he's been dominating -- and immediately made his presence felt with a post-up bucket and a dunk in the first quarter. He finished with six points, seven rebounds and four stitches (from a Chris Mihm elbow to the head) in 17 minutes. He turns 21 later this month.
• In the Rockets' nine wins this year, Luis Scola is averaging 4.7 points on 47 percent shooting in 17 minutes. In the Rockets' nine losses, he averages 9 points on 58 percent shooting in 23 minutes.
• I love how Glen Davis is playing in Boston, using his great hands and big body to make plays inside. But I do not love how rooted he is to the ground. According to 82games.com, Glen Davis has yet to dunk the ball this season. Once he sheds 20-plus pounds, a whole new level of play will open up to this talented player.
• The Bobcats may be slipping fast, but Jared Dudley is doing what many of us expected him to do in this league -- make tough and smart plays. If we judged rookies strictly on toughness, this guy would be ranked numero uno.
• Spencer Hawes is asking for more playing time. Oftentimes, he looks awkward on the court, but after pulling down 10 rebounds in 13 minutes in a win over Houston, Hawes has to be taken a bit more seriously. His feel for the action is strong. And he is 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.
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