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Stat Central: The Top 10 Sophomores In The NBA This Season

By Mark Vandeusen

Jan 3, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng (5) chases a ball as does Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng (5) chases a ball as does Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /
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On Wednesday night in Dallas, the Mavericks knocked off the Orlando Magic 107-102.  Rookie Elfrid Payton notched his first career triple-double in the defeat, posting 15 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.  However, it was sophomore Victor Oladipo who led the Magic in scoring with 19 points (along with four rebounds and six assists).

At this point you’re probably thinking, “why so much about Orlando players in a losing effort?”

Here’s the answer: Payton is widely considered one of the top rookies in the league, but you rarely hear discussions of who the best second-year players are.  Before the game, Elias Sports sent out this tweet:

Below are the top 10 NBA sophomores in 2014-15.  And since this is Stat Central, the rankings are based solely off of numbers.  Other factors like the quality of each player’s team and how meaningful their minutes are do not come into play.

Honorable Mention: Shabazz Muhammad

Muhammad is scoring 13.5 points in just 22.8 minutes per game for the Minnesota Timberwolves.  That ranks him third among sophs in scoring, but he’s only appeared in 38 games.

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No. 10: Mason Plumlee

Plumlee is averaging 9.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in 22.6 minutes a night for the Brooklyn Nets.  His 58.1 field goal percentage is the second-best for a sophomore.

No. 9: Dennis Schroder

The Atlanta Hawks’ backup point guard is contributing 9.4 points and 4.1 assists per game.  Schroder’s assist total is fourth-best for a second-year guy, but he’s also doing it while averaging just 19.4 minutes.

No. 8: Robert Covington

Along with his 12.8 PPG, Covington is averaging 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals for the Philadelphia 76ers.  In addition, he’s shooting 37.3 percent from long range and knocking down 2.3 threes per game, the most for a soph.

No. 7: Trey Burke

Burke is fifth among sophomores in scoring at 12.5 PPG and second in assists with an average of 4.4.  Unfortunately, his 36.8 field goal percentage knocks him down a bit.

No. 6: Kelly Olynyk

Olynyk earns his spot on this list by doing a little bit of everything.  For second-year players, he’s 10th in scoring (10.5 PPG), ninth in rebounding (5.0), seventh in steals (1.0), eighth in blocks (0.7) and ninth in field goal percentage (48.0, despite taking 2.7 three-pointers per game).  But most importantly, Olynyk leads all sophomores with a plus/minus of 2.8.

No. 5: Gorgui Dieng

Dieng is putting up 9.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 blocks per contest.  The rebounds and blocks both rank second among sophomores, while his assist number is the best for a center.

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    • No. 4 Michael Carter-Williams

    Carter-Williams is posting 14.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.5 steals per night.  His assist average is the highest among sophs and his PPG is No. 2.  Carter-Williams is also the only second-year pro to register a triple-double this season, of which he has three.  However, he’s also turning the ball over four times a game and shooting just 38.4 percent from the floor and 23.9 percent from beyond the arc.

    No. 3: Giannis Antetokounmpo

    “The Greek Freak” is earning his nickname by filling up box scores for the Milwaukee Bucks.  Antetokounmpo’s average stat line is as follows: 12.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 blocks and one steal.  He ranks in the top eight for sophomores in all five of those categories.

    No. 2: Rudy Gobert

    Gobert is only scoring 7.6 points per game, but he’s leading all sophs in rebounds (8.9), blocks (2.3), field goal percentage (61.4) and double-doubles (16, tied with Dieng).  On top of that, he’s putting up those numbers in just 24.4 minutes per night.

    No. 1: Victor Oladipo

    Oladipo’s 17.6 scoring average is nearly three full points higher than the next-best on this list (Carter-Williams’ 14.7).  The rest of his sophomore rankings aren’t too shabby either: First in steals (1.7), first in minutes (35.1), first in free-throws (3.6), second in free-throw percentage (82.8), third in assists (4.1) and 11th in rebounds (4.1).

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