So far, all the “experts” say that John Wall, Evan Turner, or Blake Griffin will be Rookie of the Year. Every year, there are players like John Wall and Evan Turner. Everyone thinks they’re the favorites for the Rookie of the Year and always overlook other guys.
This year some of the guys being overlooked are Paul George, Damion James, and Derrick Favors. Out of those three guys the biggest threat is Paul George. The 6’8″ small forward out of Fresno State is personally my favorite to win Rookie of the Year. Here is why.
Paul averaged 15.2 points and 7.8 rebounds in Summer League. His best game was a 22-point, 12-rebound game against the great Thunder squad. A stat that jumped out at me was the 2.2 steals per game.
At 6’8″ George also can play the shooting guard and small forward positions. George was taken higher than expected but I think the Pacers saw that he is a great player and has great potential. I was hoping he would be available when the Bucks picked.
In Summer League, I noticed that Paul had great ball handling skills. He kind of reminds me of LeBron James—a tall, strong body but could play point guard if his team needed him to. He also could be compared to his teammate Danny Granger; both are great shooters and can pull down rebounds. Expect George to average about 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.
Recently, Brandon Rush was suspended for five games for violating the league’s drug policy. Rush was expected to start this season. It looks like my man Paul George will be taking his place. He proved himself in Summer League and I am sure he will prove himself in training camp and earn that starting spot.
If Paul does well and Rush comes back, I’m sure the Pacers won’t say, “Oh, sorry Paul, we’re going to start Brandon even though he has had three drug policy violations.” Rush would have to earn minutes and George would keep the starting position. And with Stephenson’s incident Paul will get even more time and attention.
Not only do I think that George will win Rookie of the Year, but I also think that when we look back at the 2010 draft he will be the best player to come out of it.
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