People all over the world love to make resolutions as the New Year arrives. For NBA players, however, there is no reason to wait until the calendar turns before making adjustments to their games. The best players are doing just that, day after day.
This is a fluid game -- mechanical, strategic, athletic and spirited. Rarely does a player get something right with his game then never have to worry about it again. Skills, mechanical flaws, technical errors, effort plays; all come and go over 82 games. The trick is to fix issus as soon as they arrive, and then work to maintain the correct formula as long as possible.
For these 10 rookies, there are lots of issues to work on, but like any to-do list, it's ideal to check off one box before moving on to the next item. Here is where they should start.
ROOKIE 50 RANKINGS
We're keeping track of every NBA rook. Here are the latest Top 50 rankings.
Rank Player Stock
1 Damian Lillard
2 Anthony Davis
3 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
4 Andre Drummond
5 Andrew Nicholson
6 Brian Roberts
7 Alexey Shved
8 Jared Sullinger
9 Jonas Valanciunas
10 Tyler Zeller
• Click here for the complete rankings »
1. Damian Lillard, Blazers | Rookie card
We've written about his overall talent and star potential in this space. However, to put it mildly, Lillard is awful in transition. As good as he is in the half-court game with his patience and decision-making, he's bad in the push part of the game.
Far too often he pulls up for a 3 off the dribble -- a shot he can get at any point in a possession and one he does not make often (most players shoot much better from 3 off the catch, not the dribble). Or he shoots the 3 after catching the ball off a hard run, rather than in an easier spot-up situation.
He also throws lobs in transition that are not close to being "there" for the receiver or pulls up for a contested 17-footer, which is maybe the worst decision a point guard can make; with more than 17 seconds on the clock, it is far better to search for a better look. This is an area where almost all point guards improve (Chauncey Billups is one of many prime examples), which is a good sign for a player who is already very good.
Davis
2. Anthony Davis, Hornets | Rookie card
To start the season, Davis had a sweet-looking jumper. Beautiful arc and beautiful follow-through, always the combination a shooter should look for. As the season has evolved, though, his jumper has devolved. Does he still have a nice arc? Yes. Is his follow-through still solid? Yes. So what's the problem? Look down, not up.
Early on Davis had good balance on his shots, landing solidly with both feet and his sneakers, hips, shoulders and head all aligned. That is no longer the case on many of his shots. Watch how he falls sideways or backward as he lands. That is typical of someone who is starting his shot off-balance. I constantly say to shooters: How you start is often how you finish. Bad starts typically end poorly.
With all the things Davis is focused on, including just getting and staying healthy, it is easy to understand how this happened -- it's a frequent issue for NBA players, who tweak their shot from week to week. Jumping straight up and landing with balance will help Davis start making jumpers again.
Kidd-
Gilchrist
3. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bobcats | Rookie card
MKG looks to impact the game in many ways, as his talent dictates he should do. And that includes posting up small forwards, something he's been doing for most of his basketball life. But he's making some key mistakes, not including his spotty face-up jumper that he settles for on occasion (his whole shot just needs time to get better).
From the wing or the mid-post, too often he attacks baseline, and that is almost always going to be a problem for him. It's a tough angle to finish shots from, especially if his defender rides him behind the block, where he's unable to use the backboard. It's an easier angle for defenders to contest from as well, from a shot perspective. When help comes, as it normally does, it literally gives MKG nothing to finish, and countering back to the middle causes all sorts of turnover problems.
Attacking middle first, as he does here and there, is the better choice, but he needs to get the shot off (most of the time) by the time he reaches the midpoint of the lane. Going past that point brings help defenders into the equation and makes it harder to finish the shot because the basket is now behind him. Lastly, he's not countering enough, so defenders know he's going to just keep going in the direction he started, better enabling them to time up their contests.
Drummond
4. Andre Drummond, Pistons | Rookie card
Drummond has been a revelation thus far. This is indisputable. He's making almost 70 percent of his shots near the rim, exactly what you'd hope for from this huge and agile man. However, he's missed almost half of his putback attempts that come next to the rim, shots that aren't usually contested as strongly as the ones he's finishing so often in his team's half-court offense.
That's because Drummond is rushing these shots instead of simply gathering and exploding straight up for the dunk, which would help him finish more and earn more free throws. But it's the free throws that may be dictating why Drummond is rushing without getting balanced first. He's such a poor free throw shooter that he may be doing all he can to avoid getting fouled. As we have learned from previous post players (Andris Biedrins, anyone?) who were bad foul line shooters, avoiding fouls can cause all sorts of bad long-term problems.
Drummond would be better served to power up on all putbacks, and if he gets fouled and continues to miss six shots in 10 from the stripe, so be it. He'll make more baskets, period.
Nicholson
5. Andrew Nicholson, Magic | Rookie card
Nicholson has a polished game already, which is surprising considering he was not a high draft pick despite having good size and physical skills. He's adept in the post, but not yet ready to be a consistent threat as a jump shooter. His mechanics are fine, and my guess is he's going to be an excellent shooter in a few years out to 18 feet. But to help his team now, he does not have to keep shooting those jumpers with 15 seconds or so on the clock. It would be one thing if Orlando was trying to play fast and therefore wanted its big rookie to take early jump shots, but that is not the case, as the Magic play at about league average in terms of pace.
So Nicholson would be better served, as would his team, if he made a quick swing pass on catching the ball in space with over 10 seconds on the clock, then perhaps followed his pass to get into some ball-screen action. Or he could work to back his man down into the post, something he does do on occasion. He'd get more free throws and closer shots, each a worthwhile goal.
Roberts
6. Brian Roberts, Hornets | Rookie card
Roberts is doing almost everything solidly and making a case that he could help 20 NBA teams as their point guard for their second unit. As part of the second unit in New Orleans, he often finds himself with the ball in his hands late in the shot clock, frequently at the end of the first and third quarters. And he could be doing a lot better in those situations.
The Hornets often send a big to set a screen for him (though it seems handoff actions work better) and therefore Roberts uses the screen and gets a switch, common for NBA defenses late in possessions. When Roberts backs his man up before shooting the 3, or just attacks the paint to try to make a play, he's very good. Too often, though, he's settling for long 2s or even picking up his dribble. Those are mental mistakes that can be corrected.
Attacking gives him a chance at drawing the foul or a help defender, which means he could kick to a teammate if he started his drive early enough. He is pretty adept at making runners and floaters and should get even better at them as he uses them more often. But shooting 2s with his foot on the 3-point line, or just inside the line altogether, is not going to pay the same dividends.
Shved
7. Alexey Shved, Timberwolves | Rookie card
Shved's moxie, toughness and basketball IQ have helped him fit right into Rick Adelman's offensive system. But by no means has he been a sharpshooter. More troublesome, though, is that he's been less than average on ball screens.
First of all, his decision-making with the ball in his hands on ball screens is bad. He often settles for long 2s or 3s after dribbling sideways across the court, or even a bit backward. The 3-point shot is already long without having your momentum flow backwards before shooting it. That's the biggest reason he's much better in spot-up shots than off the dribble.
His angle of attack on ball screens is also too often flat, instead of sharp, meaning he isn't attacking the lead foot or shoulder of the big man hedging on defense. When he does, he gets into the lane easily and good things follow: short runners, layups or easy kick-outs to wide-open shooters. But poor angles mean he is not a threat to score or pass, and therefore the defense stays solid.
I'd also like to see Shved lower his hips at the point of attack, which will enable him to split the defenders easier or beat them with speed. He's far too upright now to do so without being a huge turnover risk.
Sullinger
8. Jared Sullinger, Celtics | Rookie card
Sullinger is making a big impact on defense, perhaps the best of any rookie outside of Anthony Davis. Ditto his work on the glass and, for that matter, his ability to finish shots inside. He'd be putting up good numbers overall if he was on a bad team. But on this team of warriors, some of whom have an awful lot of battle scars, giving them a better lift with his young and energetic legs could be a huge boost.
Sullinger mostly just jogs up the court on offense. It's what he's supposed to do when he's the trail post (as when "old man" Kevin Garnett races up the court to fill the lead post position), but when KG or the other post player gets the rebound, that's when Sullinger should sprint up court and see if he can earn an easy 2. Even if he does not get open, he would be drawing a defender, which would open up a teammate inside or out behind the 3-point line. It would also enable him to gain great offensive rebounding position, where he's proved to be very effective, if the Celtics took a quick shot on the push.
Lastly, always trailing the play usually puts him in prime position to shoot perimeter shots, which is not a strength for him at the present time. Mixing it up in the paint is what he can be special at, and racing to get there is the first step to being part of the scrum.
Valanciunas
9. Jonas Valanciunas, Raptors | Rookie card
We have seen some solid scoring skills from the young big man, but surprisingly, not so much from his post play. He is far too methodical when he is posting up, robotically backing his man down before making his move. The problem is his defenders are almost always quicker and more savvy and can easily time up his actions because of his lack of "randomness" or sudden speed changes. It's one reason he's third among rookie bigs in turnover rate (and no, he rarely gets doubled).
When he does a "slow-fast move" or simply turns and shoots over a smaller defender, he's effective. Doing the latter enables him to also feature a shot fake attack move, which he can develop during the season or offseason. By adding different looks and speeds, he will make himself far more difficult to defend and turn the ball over less while drawing more fouls. Defenders are reading him like a book right now, so to speak, so rewrite the book.
Zeller
10. Tyler Zeller, Cavaliers | Rookie card
I like his rebounding efforts and overall grit. It serves him well considering his lack of strength and speed. But he's taking two shots a game from 16-23 feet (making 37 percent), far too many shots in total from that range for him. Plus, many of those shots are coming with 12 or more seconds on the clock.
Compare him to Joakim Noah, who also plays with a marvelous scoring point guard (when Derrick Rose is in the lineup). Noah has never taken more than 1.2 shots per game from that range (even though he once made 43 percent from that distance in a season) until this season, though I expect that number to drop once Rose returns.
Zeller would be better off receiving pick-and-pop passes (which is where he's getting most of those shots) and immediately swinging the ball or throwing it back to Kyrie Irving, then running to set another screen. In time he can be a solid pick-and-pop player, but for that to happen he needs to shoot with more flexibility in his legs and keep his weight on the front of his feet and not the heels.
