Arizona Wildcats Basketball: NBA Rookie Wildcats in the news

Nov 25, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Seems like every time we turn around another Arizona Wildcats Basketball Alumni is making headlines.

Recently former Arizona Wildcat Luke Walton has been making NBA headlines subbing in for one of his mentors and boss, Steve Kerr breaking records and leading the Golden State Warriors to 19-0.

Sure, Kerr is still around at practice and in the stands at home games, still he isn’t in the thick of games subbing players in and out and guiding the team to wins, it’s Luke doing that.

But there are other former Wildcats in NBA news, let’s look at our recent Wildcats alumni and current NBA rookies.

Brooklyn Nets Rookie Small Forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

NBA Rookie and Brooklyn Net’s starting small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has caught the attention of Net’s fans and media alike. Hollis-Jefferson is shooting 52.5%, has rebounded the ball 90 times in 15 games. Add to that the 24 assists and the 22 steals, and this Wildcat is doing just fine in the NBA.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/28/2015.

Fansided’s Hoops Habit writer Ben Nadeau has slated Hollis-Jefferson as No. 3 of three candidates for NBA Rookie of the Year. His other two? He’s got the Minnesota Timberwolves Center Karl-Anthony Towns as his No. 1, and his No. 2 is New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis.

Nov 13, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo (9) passes the ball against Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Brooklyn Nets 111-109. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

On November 28th, 2015, DraftKings and FanDual NBA experts suggested Rondae for their starting five.

At the NBA rookie photo shoot, all 36 rookies answered eight questions about their class, and they voted Hollis-Jefferson No. 1 as best defender and the funniest rookie (44.3% of the vote) and No. 6 at Most Athletic Rookie.

Fox Sports posted an article about how Hollis-Jefferson is getting the start from his coach because he is their best defender, it seems RHJ has a new nickname:

"The wing stopper who is now starting to earn the name “The Brooklyn Bandit” is actually averaging 2.6 steals per 36 minutes. As a wing, his rebound rate is higher than that of many power forwards and even centers. His steal rate of 3.7 percent, meanwhile, is high enough that it would lead the league in many years. Today, it places him fifth in the NBA."

Currently, The Brooklyn Bandit is ranked fifth in total rebounds and first in steals among all NBA Rookies.

Rondae’s Nets played Stanley Johnson’s Pistons this Sunday, and the Nets walked away with the win 87-83. Rondae added four rebounds to his total and Johnson five rebounds and ten points. Let’s talk next about Stanley Johnson.

Next: Stanley Johnson - Detroit Pistons

Oct 13, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Stanley Johnson, Small Forward for the Detroit Pistons

Stanley Johnson plays small forward for the Detroit Pistons. Johnson ranks in the top 10-15 rookies in almost every category out of 53 total rookies in the league. Stanley seems to have taken well to the transition to the NBA, and he comes back regularly to the U of A to support coach Miller in recruiting and the team in general. And he’s going to do great at commercials, you can see advertising deals in his future.

Stanley’s stats are impressive for an NBA Player, let alone a rookie, but he still hasn’t broken into the Piston’s starting line up as Rondae and T.J. have. That’s because he has been battling over the starting small forward position with Marcus Morris. Instead, he is playing shooting guard. Why is he playing shooting guard? Because the Pistons lost Jodie Meeks to a toe fracture and Brandon Jennings to an Achilles injury.

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Head coach Stan Van Gundy hasn’t tried Johnson out as a starter at small forward even though Morris seems worn out. Morris has averaged 13.8 points, six rebounds, and two assists through the first eighteen games of the season. His average points have dropped from 15.4 points nine games into the season.

Van Gundy doesn’t believe Johnson is ready for more minutes according to Rod Beard of the Detroit News.

In the 20 minutes (average) Johnson plays, he still averages eight points and almost four rebounds and one assist.  Maybe his stats would be better if he played the position he has the most experience in? After nine games, he was shooting 37 percent from the field and 20 percent from three point land, after 17 games, things have gotten a little better. Better is good.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/30/2015.

Starting positions are usually given to more seasoned veterans, and it also depends on the team. Teams like the Sixers are struggling and have the worst record in the league at 0-18. Thus on the Sixers, the starting job for every position is a competition.

If Van Gundy finds a way to get the Stanimal back to his small forward position, maybe he can make more of a difference. Until then the fans love him, and he seems to be one of the faces of the Pistons organization.

Nonetheless, we all tune in when the Pistons are playing to watch Stanley work his domination and magic. Like on Monday, when Johnson took on Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets and had the game of his career so far scoring a double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds).

Next: T.J. McConnell - Philadephia 76ers

Nov 16, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard T.J. McConnell (12) passes around Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

T.J. McConnell is the feel-good story of the NBA. Going from being undrafted to the starting point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers is almost movie script worthy. Believe it or not, there are actually 14 rookies in the NBA who were undrafted, five of which are 26 years or older. McConnell is 23.

McConnell ranks No. 1 among all rookies in assists averaging 6.2 assists per game and ranks No. 2 in steals averaging 1.4 per game. This all from an undrafted rookie.

Nov 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard T.J. McConnell (12) goes for a layup against the Toronto Raptors during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

McConnell and his fellow rookie and teammate Jahlil Okafor rank in the top four rookies who average the most minutes of playtime; 27.9 and 33.1 respectively. Okafor has been in the news lately and now has a bodyguard because he was ticketed for driving 108 miles per hour, and he got in a fist fight with someone who was making fun of his Sixers.

Although McConnell earned a spot in the starting line-up in the Sixers last 13 games, putting Isaiah Canaan in the reserve spot. Feeling the pressure and needing to win a game, coach Brett Brown is trying to find a combo that works between starters and bench players.

“We’re trying to find that right balance,” Canaan said. “We’re trying to find everybody’s best game and put it all together.”

The team desperately needs a win. Either way, we know McConnell won’t complain, and he will do what he can to help the team win.

T.J. McConnell has received a lot of love from his Wildcats fans on social media. Zona Zealots paid close attention all the way through the pre-season, and we are still keeping up with his progress. The ZZ article with the most views in the last two months was about T.J. taking on LeBron James.

RELATED STORY –> T.J. McConnell Takes on LeBron James

Next: Arizona Wildcats: Top 30 athletes in school history

He is getting attention from the nation’s sports writers now, and it seems they are all discovering what Wildcats fans already knew, he plays with heart, he plays to win, he’s a great teammate, and he makes things happen.

Oh and we miss him in Tucson, this was the sentiment from numerous fans on social media after the DIRECTV Wooden Legacy tournament was in the books.

We will keep you all in the loop on how our Wildcats are doing as rookies in the NBA throughout the season.