NBA Rookie Of The Year (2013 SCIC NBA Year-End Awards)
By Chris Walder
Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Continuing a tradition that began here at Sir Charles in Charge almost one year ago, we will once again be giving you our predictions and picks for all of the year-end NBA hardware with our 2013 SCIC NBA Awards.
Over the next several days, you will see who the writers here at the site selected as the winners for the following awards…
NBA Coach Of The Year/NBA Rookie Of The Year/NBA Defensive Player Of The Year/NBA Sixth Man Of The Year/NBA Most Improved Player/NBA Most Valuable Player.
For our second award, let’s take a look at who’s walking away with the SCIC award (Editor’s Choice) for NBA Rookie Of The Year for 2013.
(all numbers accurate as of April 17, 2013)
Second runner-up: Guard Bradley Beal – Washington Wizards
2012-13 Statistics: 56 games played, 31.2 minutes, 13.9 points, 38.6% from three-point range, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks, 13.67 PER
The second runner-up for this award was about 1000 times more difficult than selecting the top-two candidates. Guys like Dion Waiters, Andre Drummond, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Harrison Barnes all could have found themselves in this position, but I decided to go with Beal for a couple of reasons.
He missed a great deal of time this year for Washington with injuries to his knee and wrist, but I’m going to put that to the side and look his body of work when he was actually competing.
Beal will finish the season third amongst rookies in scoring, and was one of only two rookies (Lillard) to be named NBA Rookie Of The Month on multiple occasions (December-January).
At 19 years of age, Bradley has shown the ability to perform under great pressure, which was never more evident than back in January when he nailed a game-winner in the final seconds to help Washington knock off the defending Western Conference Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Give credit where credit is due to the return of John Wall, but Beal was just as integral to the Wizards second-half of the season fortunes as anyone else on that team.
His shooting leaves a lot to be desired (41%), but his mid-range stroke will come to him in time.
Again, if I could put another name like Andre Drummond in this discussion, I would. For now, I’m giving the edge to Beal. You can’t go wrong with a lot of names in this slot.
First runner-up: Forward Anthony Davis – New Orleans Hornets
2012-13 Statistics: 64 games played, 28.8 minutes, 13.5 points, 51.6% from the field, 8.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.8 blocks, 21.78 PER
For an in-depth look at Anthony Davis and his rookie season for the New Orleans Hornets, click here.
WINNER: Guard Damian Lillard – Portland Trail Blazers
2012-13 Statistics: 81 games played, 38.6 minutes, 19.0 points, 42% from the field, 3.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks, 16.42 PER
During my preseason predictions for all potential NBA Award winners back in October, I decided to go against the norm and pick Damian Lillard as my early favorite for NBA Rookie Of The Year.
The backlash was astounding. How could I possibly pick anyone not named Anthony Davis?
While Davis has had himself quite the impressive first year in the NBA, no one rookie can match the impact Damian Lillard has had in Portland. This has been his award to lose for quite some time now, so having him as the SCIC NBA Rookie Of The Year for 2013 was a no-brainer.
His numbers put him side-by-side with some of the best point guards in the league today. Point guards are considered the floor generals for their respective teams. They dictate the pace and the flow of the offense. Even as a rookie, Damian has shown the poise and tenacity on the court that puts him well beyond his years. Staying the full four years at Weber State was probably the best thing that could have happened to him. He entered the NBA at the perfect time.
It’s not a coincidence that Lillard swept the NBA Rookie Of The Month award for the entire season in the Western Conference. Heck, even Anthony Davis didn’t earn that honor, and he was the number one overall pick in the draft.
With 1541 points and 528 assists, Damian is just the third rookie in NBA history to total at least 1500 points and 500 assists in their first year. The other two to accomplish that were Allen Iverson and Oscar Robertson. That’s some pretty good company.
He also broke the NBA record for three-pointers made by a rookie by nailing 183 shots from behind-the-arc.
Not only was he a unanimous decision for the SCIC NBA Rookie Of The Year Award, but you can EASILY pencil him in for the KIA NBA Rookie Of The Year Award, as well.
Portland taking him with the #6 overall pick will be looked back on as an absolute steal.
Honorable Mentions: Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte Bobcats), Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors), Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto Raptors)
Staff Writer Picks
Jay Rosales (@Rosalesaurus) – 3) Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards 2) Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Hornets 1) WINNER: Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers
John Armstrong (@JohnYArmstrong – 3) Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of the Charlotte Bobcats 2) Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Hornets 1) WINNER: Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers
Michael Lingberg (@Lingberg2000) – 3) Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons 2) Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Hornets 1) Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers
Dante Nelson (@DanteWrites) – 3) Dion Waiters of the Cleveland Cavaliers 2) Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Hornets 1) WINNER: Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers
Chris Walder is the Editor of Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports
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