Rookie Rankings --Summer League 2007
by John Schuhmann

SECAUCUS, NJ, July 23, 2007 -- Ahhh... Summer League. The quality of play isn't exactly spectacular, but it's great just to have live ball to watch in the middle of July. And when you get to see Toby Bailey playing alongside Patrick O'Bryant and Marco Belinelli, it's a special treat.

Of course, Summer League is just another opportunity for the Rookie Report to tell you which first-year players are the best. We throw draft order and contract status out the window and give you the straight skinny on every potential rookie who showed us they can play in the league, whether they were drafted this year, drafted some time in the past, or never drafted at all. If they've never played an NBA game in the past, they're a rookie.

After the Draft, we gave you projected rankings for the season. And in late October, we'll give you preseason rankings.

But with the Rocky Mountain Revue having wrapped up on Friday, it's now time for the 2007 Summer League Rookie Rankings.

Line of the Summer
Jeff Green (SEA)
07.15 vs. POR
32 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals
10-18 FG, 2-4 3PT, 10-14 FT
Of course, the Rookie Rankings are not complete until you tell us why they're wrong, so send us your beef, or speak your peace on the rookie forum on the Fan Voice. The Report will drop in soon to set you straight.

And we'll answer the mail this Thursday.

Overall Rankings - Best of the Summer
1. Aaron Brooks, G, Houston

G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 31.8 21.4 3.2 5.2 0.20 0.00 .461 .419 .857
Drafted: 26
The T-Mobile Rookie of the Month finished seventh in scoring and sixth in assists in the NBA Summer League. His quickness is obvious, and he also proved that he can shoot the rock, hitting 13-of-31 from downtown. But one wonders if his playing time took a hit with the Rockets' acquisition of Steve Francis.

2. Rodney Stuckey, G, Detroit

G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 30.6 19.0 4.0 2.6 1.20 0.00 .464 .333 .903
Drafted: 15
Stuckey was the best player on one of the best teams at the NBA Summer League. He shot the ball well and got into the paint consistently. He should be the first guard off the bench for the Pistons this season.

3. Marco Belinelli, G, Golden State

G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
4 37.3 22.8 1.8 2.5 1.50 0.00 .436 .444 .688
Drafted: 18
Belinelli's play dropped off a bit after his first two magnificent games in Vegas, as he shot just 11-for-35 (.314) over the next two contests. He missed the final game in order to fly back to Italy for national team training, but not before he signed a contract with the Warriors.

4. Glen Davis, F, Boston

G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 27.0 12.0 9.8 1.6 0.80 1.80 .432 .000 .710
Drafted: 35
Davis finished fourth in the NBA Summer League in rebounds, just one board short of averaging a double-double. His 19-point, 14-board performance in the Celtics' final game was one of the best of the summer. But Big Baby still doesn't have a guaranteed spot on the roster, so he's got some work to do.

5. Jared Dudley, F, Charlotte

G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 29.2 12.6 7.0 2.2 1.60 0.00 .595 .500 .640
Drafted: 22
Dudley was the best rookie at the Pepsi Pro Summer League, scoring inside and out, and leading his team in rebounds. The wing positions are certainly crowded in Charlotte, but Dudley may just earn himself some decent burn this season.

6. Wilson Chandler, F, New York

G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 28.2 13.4 5.2 1.8 1.00 2.00 .509 .400 .600
Drafted: 23
Chandler did a little bit of everything for the 5-0 Knicks in Las Vegas. And you have to be impressed with his .509 shooting percentage (and 4-of-10 from downtown) in a league where good shooting was not exactly prevalent.

7. Demetris Nichols, F, New York

G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 24.4 15.6 2.0 2.6 0.20 0.80 .526 .391 .750
Drafted: 53
Nichols, known as a shooter, stroked it at a decent clip from downtown, but he shot it at a very impressive .618 from inside the arc. And the 2.6 assists per game tells us that he can do more than just shoot it.

8. Javaris Crittenton, G, L.A. Lakers

G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 28.6 17.0 2.4 3.0 0.80 0.40 .485 .250 .633
Drafted: 19
Three great games. Two not-so-great ones. That's inconsistency, and that's what you come to expect from rookies. But Crittenton's game-winner against the Bucks, 26 points on 10-of-17 against the Blazers and 28 on 9-of-18 against the Pistons outweigh his 5-for-18 in the Lakers' other two games.

9. Kevin Durant, F, Seattle

G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 34.6 25.0 1.8 0.4 1.60 0.40 .333 .250 .869
Drafted: 2
Durant didn't shoot well, didn't board well, and recorded just two assists in 173 minutes of Summer League action, but he did get to the line more than 12 times per game, and he made the most of his opportunities there. He gets bonus points for his 22-point, five-board performance in Team USA's scrimmage on Sunday.

10. Acie Law, G, Atlanta

G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
6 27.6 13.6 2.4 6.0 0.40 0.00 .440 .200 .821
Drafted: 11
Law struggled (3-for-13) in his first game, but he recovered after that, shooting .514 the rest of the way. And no matter how he was shooting, he was always creating for others, recording at least five assists in all five games he played in Salt Lake City.

Posted by fishmike:

Nichols is nothing like those guys... Nichols needs to find ways to get that shot off and he will be OK. Maybe a Kyle Korver or perhaps a skinny Glen Rice.