Selected by the media, the NBA announced on Monday the 2019-20 All-Rookie teams.
A top-three pick of the 2019 NBA Draft was left out of the top 10 rookies.
First Team:
- Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
- Kendrick Nunn, Miami Heat
- Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies
- Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
- Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors
Second Team:
- Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
- Terence Davis, Toronto Raptors
- Coby White, Chicago Bulls
- P.J. Washington, Jr., Charlotte Hornets
- Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards.
Bold – unanimous
The NBA Media has done it now.
R.J. Barrett, the third overall pick, who ranked in the top five in several categories as a rookie was not selected for either All-Rookie teams.
As a matter of fact, he wasn’t even close to a selection, according to the media. He was 13 points from the final spot, taken by Hachimura.
In the All-Rookie voting (by media), RJ Barrett not only didn’t make either team, he didn’t come close (13 points). He was the No. 3 pick in the draft, but poor shooting numbers and #Knicks losing record cost him recognition. Kid is already an intense player. Motivation? pic.twitter.com/0ZyD6F9nzX
— Alan Hahn (@alanhahn) September 16, 2020
Barrett finished in the five among rookies in the following categories:
- Minutes per game: 30.4
- Points per game: 14.3
- Rebounds per game (at least two games played): 5.0
- Total points: 803
- Total assists: 143
- Total rebounds: 279
- Free throws: 156
- Free throws attempted: 254
- Field goal attempts: 727
- He also finished in the top ten in the following categories:
- Minutes played: 1704
- Field goals: 292
- Total steals: 55
- Assists per game: 2.6
Now, there is no shadow of a doubt that Morant and Williamson were going to get these accolades. Morant, the Rookie of the Year, had one of the best rookie campaigns that I’ve seen in quite some time and Williamson is simply out of his world when he’s healthy. Nunn is another player who had a great and surprising first year.
Here are the season averages for the other seven players selected over Barrett.
Barrett: 14.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.6 APG
Paschall: 14.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.1 APG
Clarke: 12.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.4 APG
Herro: 13.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.2 APG
White: 13.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.7 APG
Washington, Jr.: 12.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.1 APG
Hachimura: 13.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.8 APG
But my favorite…
Davis: 7.5 PPG, 3.3 APG, 1.6 APG
Terence Davis with those numbers was selected to an All-Rookie team over RJ Barrett, who quite literally had a much better year than him. I do not want to hear anything about “Well, the Raptors are a much better team than the Knicks.” Barrett made a much bigger impact than Terence Davis, who managed to play only 16.8 MPG.
Terence Davis wasn’t even selected for the 2020 Rising Stars Game during All-Star Weekend and he got selected over the guy who led that game in points? Who cares if it was an exhibition?
I do not want to hear “the Raptors are a playoff team.”
The Raptors were a playoff team because of Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet.
The only rookies who REALLY helped their team out in getting to the playoffs were Herro and Nunn. Those two were a huge help to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Davis was not a help to Lowry, Siakam, and VanVleet like Herro and Nunn.
The NBA media members simply fumbled and choked this as bad as the Los Angeles Clippers. It is disrespectful and embarrassing. Like Alan Hahn on MSG Networks said in the tweet above, Barrett plays with so much intensity.
He won’t forget this.
He’ll circle on the calendar the next time he plays these guys, especially Davis and the Toronto Raptors.
Featured Image: ---