Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA Quarter Pole Awards: Early season MVP and more

By Corey Rausch

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 20: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics passes the ball against Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 20, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Celtics 117-109. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 20: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics passes the ball against Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 20, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Celtics 117-109. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 7
Next
NBA (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NBA (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

Rookie of the Quarter – LaMelo Ball

Honorable Mentions: Tyrese Haliburton, James Wiseman

LaMelo Ball is the Rookie of the Quarter. He is fourth in total points, first in rebounds, first in assists and first in steals. He came in with the highest profile and is living up to it already. While he could be more efficient his number are not great (.401/.312/.667) but for a player who was labeled a complete project from a scoring perspective. He is a walking highlight every time he touches the court and has made the Charlotte Hornets a League Pass destination.

light. Related Story. NBA Trade Rumors: 3 possible Lonzo Ball destinations

Tyrese Haliburton is the rookie making the most winning plays and his statistical case is not that much worse in terms of overall production. He has the slight edge in points per game over Ball (11.4 to 11.3) and is significantly more efficient (.504/.470/.818 splits). The issue with making the winning play argument here is how much worse his Sacramento Kings team is overall, meaning while his plays are winning plays they do not result in wins. The production edge would have had to be sizable to push Haliburton ahead for me and that is simply not the case.

James Wiseman is the main rookie to keep an eye on going forward. Every game he gets visibly better and has started to put together consecutive good games more regularly. Contributing to a playoff-contending team will get more eyes on him, especially one with so much mainstream appeal as the Golden State Warriors.