Kia Rookie Ladder: LaMelo Ball shakes the Top 5 as it approaches the return

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LaMelo Ball is close to returning to the floor, while rehabilitating his right wrist injury.

He is baaaack.

OK, not back-to-back, like back in the Charlotte Hornets line, launching their offense again with her extraordinary court vision and leading what had been a major advantage in the Rookie of the Year exam for the rest of the 2020 class.

But LaMelo Ball returns to the Hornets injury update pipeline and returns to the game here on the Kia Rookie Ladder. It may not be long before he returns to dealing with ROY rivals, with his nocturnal performances, as Larry Bird used to treat other three-point shootout competitors (“So who comes in second) ? ”).

Charlotte issued a surprise report Monday – or at least sooner than expected – that Ball had been eliminated for individual basketball activities. The distribution on his right wrist, which he fractured on March 20, was stopped, and a computed tomography scan confirmed that the operation and the inserted pin had done their job. A calendar of 7-10 days could return it by the end of the month. That would leave 10 games for Ball to help the Hornets force a playoff or at least a game berth and reassert themselves in the ROY race.

First things first: is she reckless in any way? Hornets are convinced it is not. GM Mitch Kupchak, from the beginning, passed on information from their medical experts that once Ball’s bone healed, he should simply gain flexibility in his hand again.

Coach James Borrego also said on Tuesday: “Nothing is written in stone. … We hope to see significant [improvement] daily flexibility. Work no. 1 is that it does not seem to be able to hurt this further. ”

So now we can focus on the Stairs. Ball had been parked in 6th place since the injury, a compromise that recognized his first three stellar months, while allowing other beginners to rise or fall as the season progressed. (Golden State’s James Wiseman received the same treatment during his absences until he underwent end-of-season surgery on his right knee last week after appearing in just 39 games. Orlando’s Cole Anthony has completely escaped off the ladder when he missed 25 games in the middle of the Magic program. But he’s back now.)

As for Ball’s ROY dignity, the issue boiled down to the games played. Would 41 of 72 be enough to win the prize? No player has ever won one of the NBA individual awards with such a low turnout (57%). Patrick Ewing played 50 of 82 games (61%) when he was named ROY in 1985 – the lowest ever.

Some potential voters, as mentioned in last week’s Scale, said for Charlotte Observer they were still inclined to have ball no. 1 on the ballot papers. For those of us who felt like beginners who played most or all of the season, deserved more attention, Ball’s imminent return could influence the votes.

And his first 41 games were so impressive, even some rusty performances couldn’t pass his stats or change his eye test ratings. Still in the final weeks to be determined: Will Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Jae’Sean Tate or any other beginner have done enough to catch and overtake Ball, who will soon no longer be a stationary target.

Top 5 this week on the Kia Rookie 2020-21 scale:

(All statistics until Monday, April 19)

1. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

Season statistics: 18.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.7 apg
From the last scale: 21.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.3 apg
Last step of the ladder: 1

Edwards received an opinion the other day from Clippers star Paul George: “He is a great talent. Strong child. Explosive Child ” Said George after he and rookie Timberwolves each scored 23 points in Minnesota Sunday’s Los Angeles goal. “He has a strong game. He can do a little of everything, he can shoot all three balls, break free from pin-downs, play pick and roll and finish strong in the basket. Talk about marker on three levels … Elite. I see stars, All-Star, possibly superstar. The sky is the limit for the child. ”

2. Jae’Sean Tate, Houston Rockets

Season statistics: 11.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.2 ppg
From the last scale: 14.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.8 apg
Last stair bar: 3

There is often an element that you-have-done-for-us-lately in the Ladder, and Tate is a prime example in this regard. The dying season of the Houston Rockets opened up opportunities for coach Stephen Silas and Tate benefited, playing a few small strikers and even taking on guard duties when John Wall missed a game. The 25-year-old has not changed the way he plays, but not how hard. “I have an average bloody nose a week,” Tate said after Houston defeated Orlando. “That’s what happens sometimes when you play hard.”

3. Saddiq Bey, Detroit Pistons

Season statistics: 11.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.2 apg
From the last scale: 14.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.8 apg
Last step of the ladder: 4

Our interruption in statistics on Monday allowed Bey, who had missed 14 of the previous 16 3-point attempts, to ignite the Cavaliers on Monday for 6 of 11 on the arc en route to 20 points. Bey’s 41.2% goal on the field is affected by the fact that he takes 68% of his shots from 3 points. But the Pistons believe that Bey is developing his creation to become much more than a 3D guy. Coach Dwane Casey believes that option no. 19 from Villanova should be in the ROY “conversation” and right now it is.

4. Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings

Season statistics: 12.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.0 apg
From the last scale: 7.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 3.0 apg
Last step of the ladder: 2

Haliburton is an interesting case in the absence of Ball’s accident. Rookie Kings would have been injured and left out this month, instead of fading, would he be better as a ROY candidate? He was named the best Western Conference debutant in the first two months, but his divisions in April are weak. It has an average of 9.4 points and 1.8 recoveries while shooting 38.5%, although its assistance (5.8) and turnover (1.2) are still strong. Sacramento’s 1-9 mark this month means that Haliburton, like all his teammates, has no impact on winning these days.

5. LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets

Season statistics: 15.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 6.1 apg
From the last scale: DNP
Last staircase: 6

Ball kept things simple in his Zoom call with reporters Tuesday. He did not talk at length about what he learned by following from the side during his dismissal or about the concerns he had behind him. “We’ve almost started,” Ball said of the rehabilitation work to restore the flexibility of his right hand and wrist. “This morning, I had treatment, trying to bend him, to bend him, all that kind of thing.” No one asked him to demonstrate in front of the camera, but the 19-year-old’s ability to heal quickly is a plus for him and the Hornets.

The next five:

6. Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies

Season statistics: 9.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.7 ppg
From the last scale: 9.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.5 apg
Last step of the ladder: 5

Moves to the new starting line for the injured Dillon Brooks.

7. Isaiah Stewart, Detroit Pistons

Season statistics: 7.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 0.9 apg
From the last scale: 16.0 ppg, 14.3 rpg, 1.0 apg
Last step of the ladder: 9

Overload in position no. 16 and as a center of 6 feet-8.

8. James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors

Season statistics: 11.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.7 apg
From the last scale: DNP
Last stairwell: 7

Knee surgery at the end of the season froze the year up and down to 39 matches.

9. Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks

Season statistics: 11.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.1 apg
From the last scale: 6.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.0 apg
Last stair dam: 8

In April, it registered 43.2% on 3FGA, but 32.4% on 2FGA.

T10. Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic

Season statistics: 11.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.2 ppg
From the last scale: 15.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 6.3 apg
Last stair bar: N / A

Shooting is rusty, but it contributes again after 25 absent games.

T10. Xavier Tillman Sr., Memphis Grizzlies

Season statistics: 6.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 apg
From the last scale: 13.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.8 apg
Last stair bar: N / A

On average 8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 57.8% shot in Grizzlies wins.

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Steve Aschburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. You can email him here, find his archive here, and follow him on Twitter.

The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.

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