clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Youngbloods: NBA Rookie Power Rankings for 12/5/2013

Champion and challenger went head-to-head, and it was epic as could be expected.

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Very little shakeup this week, with no new faces (except one return) and two player switching positions.  Otto Porter is due to come back from injury soon so he could be another contender to watch out for, but for now, here are your weekly rookie power rankings.

Rank Prev Player Reason
1 1 203487_medium

Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers

Carter-Williams recorded his first career triple-double this week with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Orlando.  That brought his averages up to 17.7 points (leads all rookies), 5.8 rebounds (leads all rookies), and 7.3 assists (leads all rookies).  In case that's not convincing enough, MCW also leads the class in steals (3.1) and PER (20.1).
2 2 203506_medium

Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic

Not to be outdone, Oladipo had his own triple-double, in the same game, even!  Although he needed an extra period to do so, VO finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.  That brings his averages to 13.9 points (second), 4.1 rebounds (sixth), and 3.8 steals (fourth).  He also has 1.7 steals (second) and a PER of 12.9 (second).
3 4 203504_medium

Trey Burke, Utah Jazz

Burke moves up a spot after scoring a career high 21 points on Monday, then dishing out a career high 9 assists last night.  He is seemingly becoming more consistent, averaging 12.6 points (third), 4.1 assists (third), 0.8 steals (tied for sixth) and a PER of 11.8 (third).
4 3 203463_medium

Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings

McLemore, on the other hand, remains frightfully inconsistent.  He scored a mere four points on Sunday, but then followed it up by scoring fourteen on Tuesday.  He is still in fourth place in scoring at 9.1 points per game plus he's tied for sixth in steals with 0.8 per game.  He may lead the rookie class in highlights though, as witnessed here.
5 N/A 203489_medium

Nate Wolters, Milwaukee Bucks

Due to the injury to Kelly Olynyk, Wolters regains his spot on the list.  He is seventh in the class in scoring at 7.4 points per game, second in assists with 4.4 (with only 1.2 turnovers) and fourth in efficiency at 9.6.  He is shooting an absolutely abysmal 9.5% from three point land, though.  If he doesn't keep improving, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could be ready to make his first appearance on the list.