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Who ya got?
That, in essence, is what people from the NBA’s content department ask every rookie — probably when they take those weird pictures in the ball pits you’ve been seeing around social media. The rookies tend to be pretty smart, and as they are forced to spend more time with another by way of AAU, pre-draft media and workout hoopla and other silliness, that makes sense.
Setting aside the fact they were WAY off on Luka Doncic (along with basically everyone else) heading into last season, the rookies were on the money in 2017 by voting Donovan Mitchell as the biggest steal. They can usually see athleticism, playmaking and shooting because they’ve been competing against the guys drafted with them for so long.
On the other hand, they called Josh Jackson the best defender in the 2017 class, so ... yeah.
This year, Suns rookies Cam Johnson and Ty Jerome weren’t very well-represented on the list. That’s what happens when you take older players in what is perceived as a bit of a reach.
However, for what it’s worth, the other rookies in this class agree with the Suns’ assessment of Johnson and Jerome as shooters and Jerome as a playmaker.
Here are the voting results, direct from the survey:
Which rookie is the best shooter?
1. Tyler Herro, Miami — 33%
2. Kyle Guy, Sacramento — 29%
3. Cameron Johnson, Phoenix — 13%
4. Ty Jerome, Phoenix — 8%
5. Jordan Poole, Golden State — 4%
Others receiving votes: Ignas Brazdeikis, New York; Carsen Edwards, Boston; Darius Garland, Cleveland; Zion Williamson, New Orleans; Dylan Windler, Cleveland
So, that’s cool.
Later on in the poll, Jerome finished tied with presumed Suns pick Coby White with 10 percent of the vote on who in this class was the best playmaker. For my money, Jerome is ahead of White in that category, and it is funny to see the guy the Suns were believed to be taking tied with the guy they actually took in the most important point guard category.
Surprisingly, five percent of the rookies said Suns star Devin Booker was their favorite player. One guy also said Steve Nash was his favorite. That was Ty Jerome, as he admitted later in the day on Twitter.
Lol it was https://t.co/w2d42JBiuz
— ty Jerome (@tyjerome_) August 19, 2019
Anyway, the Suns players have the respect of their comrades in the skills they’re supposed to be good at, and the regular season is fast-approaching for Johnson and Jerome to prove their mettle. Maybe they will make the other rookies look silly for underestimating them, or maybe it will settle somewhere in the middle.
Yeah, that’s probably best. Always bet on things ending up somewhere in the middle.