The Sports Sermon: Top of the class

If you were to ask NBA fans or coaches, most would have told you that the 2010 NBA Draft had one prize. Sure, there were 60 selections total, but after the season, lottery teams had their eye on one just player—John Wall. This hasn’t always been the case though with the first overall pick. It was Kevin Durant and Greg Oden in 2007, Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose in 2008. And who can forget the 2003 NBA draft, where a top-four pick almost guaranteed a future all-star. (Darko still has a chance, right?)

Of course everyone wanted a glimpse of John Wall, whether it was because they watched him at Kentucky or saw him doing the Dougie on YouTube.

But to the delight of NBA fans everywhere, other first year players have shown that they can stack up to the great John Wall. In fact, there are four rookies, including Wall, who make up the elite level of the class, and each brings something different to the table.

The first, and most obvious, is Blake Griffin. The Los Angeles Clippers power forward should have been a rookie last year, but a broken kneecap sidelined him for the entire season. Many forgot about him before the season started and did not see him making a large impact immediately, especially playing for one of the worst teams in the league. But he has left fans speechless with his high-flying, acrobatic dunks. The human highlight reel could justifiably fill a top-ten list of season’s best dunks all by himself.

Not only does Griffin send the home crowd into a frenzy every game, he has rejuvenated a moribund franchise. The Clippers still play second fiddle to the Lakers, but Griffin has given fans a reason to be excited about the ugly step-sister of L.A. basketball. He has made his teammates better too—shooting guard Eric Gordon now averages 24 points a game after only scoring an average of 16 the last two seasons. Veteran point guard Baron Davis is playing with more passion than ever—which isn’t really saying much, but is still very impressive.

Like Griffin, Wall also provides a lot of excitement for a lowly franchise, but does so in a different way. Wall doesn’t slam home an alley-oop three times a game or jump high enough to hit his head on the backboard; he impresses people with his speed. He gets up and down the court faster than anyone and has the ability to dart in and out of defenses while making big men look like slow footed giants, (or 38 year-old Shaquille O’Neals). Like Griffin, Wall has no trouble generating mass appeal. The same cannot be said for the last two elite rookies.

Most NBA draft experts didn’t even think Stanford guard Landry Fields would be drafted, let alone starting for the new-look New York Knicks. When Fields was drafted in the second round by general manager Donnie Walsh, experts laughed and Knicks fans were confused. It turns out Walsh was smart to draft Fields, who now dazzles the Garden faithful with his hustle and hard work. You won’t see much of him on YouTube, and he doesn’t exactly light up the scoreboard. It’s what most people don’t see that makes him good. If Blake Griffin is the Rolls-Royce and Wall is the Ferrari, Fields is the Ford F-150. He’ll get you there, but it might not be pretty and he’ll have to work a little harder.

The newcomer right behind the rookie trio isn’t a new face for students on the Hilltop. Greg Monroe has quietly improved all season and is almost averaging a double-double in January with 10.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He has come a long way since riding the bench at the start of the season. Monroe isn’t reaching these results in any special way—just hard work and steady improvement. Although many have been surprised by his recent play, those on the Hilltop who watched him the past two years shouldn’t be astounded. Maybe what makes Monroe’s improvement more notable is that we saw him first. Yeah, it would’ve been great if he stayed an extra year, but at least he is representing Georgetown well. Having players excel in the NBA is one of, if not the best, thing a program can do to attract recruits.

In October, no one was talking about a great rookie class. Wall was a given, but people were unsure about Griffin’s health, Monroe’s potential and Fields—well how is a player drafted after Andy Rautins supposed to make an impact in the NBA? Now, more people will be talking about why the sophomores should be scared for their showdown over All-Star weekend.