Ranking the NBA Rookies After the First Month

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WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 13: De’Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball against the Washington Wizards on November 13, 2017 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2. De’Aaron Fox

This one was a bit of a toss up as the 2-6 range was pretty close for a number of different reasons. For now, though, I believe De’Aaron Fox has a slight edge on the rest, thanks to his well-rounded game and his clear comfort shooting the ball so far this season. Fox has been forced into a prominent role on a not so good Sacramento Kings team and has thrived so far, finding his groove early on in the season. His speed alone is a force to be reckoned with.

Fox was a highly sought after guard coming out of the University of Kentucky and most people were certain he was bound to be a top 5 pick. The draft did not disappoint, as Fox was selected fourth overall. Fox is not just a talented player though, he is also very mature for his age, a big factor that led to me claiming that he should have been the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft. Fox averaged nearly 17 points on 48% shooting in his lone college season.

Fox does have a little bit of competition being on the same squad as a very talented George Hill, but his athleticism and speed are such a good weapon that I can’t imagine him dropping too far here. He has found his shooting stroke pretty well and is passing and rebounding the ball well also.

Fox stats: 12.5 ppg, 5.1 apg, 4.1 rpg

BOSTON, MA – NOVEMBER 8: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 8, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1. Jayson Tatum

There was a lot of skepticism around Jayson Tatum, whom the Celtics were hoping to develop slowly this year. After the gruesome injury to Gordon Hayward, Tatum was thrust into a more prominent role and asked to grow up in a hurry. He did just that, as Tatum has turned into a scoring machine for the Celts. He is the undoubted top rookie of this class so far as he has helped Boston become one of the top teams in the NBA once again, despite losing one of their best players.

Jayson Tatum’s talent level was never in question as he became one of the focal points for a pretty good Duke basketball team in his lone season under Coach K. Tatum averaged 16.8 points for the Blue Devils and was considered one of the top forwards in the draft, trading places with Josh Jackson depending on which source you use. Tatum was selected 3rd overall by the Celtics, who kind of traded down just to get him.

Tatum has taken the NBA by storm in the first few weeks of the season, scoring at will and shooting an impressive 49.3% from the field and 50% from three. It would be hard to believe that he can keep this impressive shooting up for an entire season but, as of now, he is definitely the top rookie from the 2017 NBA Draft and just happens to also be on the best team in the league thus far this year. Jayson Tatum is undoubtedly deserving of the #1 spot.

Tatum stats: 13.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, .493 FG%, .500 3P%

Next: Dallas Mavericks: Devin Harris Turning Back the Clock

This is only the first months rankings and, as we have already seen in the weeks since then, the rankings are destined to change in the upcoming month. For now, though, Jayson Tatum sits atop the rookie board of the 2017 draftees.