There is a lot of competition among first and second-year players, but OG Anunoby and Jakob Poeltl stand out.

OG Anunoby absolutely hands down is a lock to play in the rookie-sophomore game during the all-star break. Jakob Poeltl should also be selected to play in this glorious game, but might not be on the lock level Anunoby is. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam are two more Raptors that should be considered for this game. They are both playing great this season, but it is extremely unlikely the Raptors get four players chosen for this game.

The Rookie Competition

Ben Simmons was drafted last year, but he sat out the entire year with an injury so he gets the classification of a rookie. I mentioned the word lock and Ben Simmons is almost a lock for rookie of the year of course with the caveat that he stays healthy. However, there’s a chance Simmons gets selected for the all-star game and opts not to play in the rookie-sophomore game.

Donovan Mitchell hasn’t played like a rookie this season. Rookies make mistakes and Mitchell hasn’t made many. The Jazz couldn’t have possibly asked for more from their Gordon Hayward replacement.

Jayson Tatum feels a tad overhyped, but he is, in fact, shooting the lights out. He’s shooting over 51% from three and has been a major impact on the team currently in first in the East.

Lauri Markkanen is putting up stats on one of the worst teams in the league. He’s not particularly shooting well or playing defense. However, he’s still getting buckets and rebounds without really turning over the ball. It’s unclear whether his stats are hollow or not, but he’s probably one of the better rookies in this class.

Dennis Smith like Markkanen has not shot the ball well, but unlike Markkanen he’s an athletic freak. Smith is going to have a good career in the NBA and is exciting to watch.

Lonzo Ball is probably the worst shooting rookie of the rookies that actually play. He’s a great passer and rebounder. Plus, Lonzo is one of the better defensive rookies. None of this matters. The Big Baller Brand gets ratings, so he will get selected to play in this game.

John Collins is currently injured. He was playing great in the 21 games he did play in. Thankfully he is slated to return to action shortly.

Kyle Kuzma has probably been the most overhyped rookie outside of Lonzo Ball. If you play for the Lakers, you will get hyped. Kuzma has been good this season. However, he probably doesn’t have the upside many of these other rookies have.

De’Aaron Fox has struggled with his shot much like other rookies. Fox has incredible speed. Hey, Sacramento please don't ruin him.

Josh Jackson is another rookie that cannot shoot. When you watch him play he looks like an NBA player, but he’s probably been a bit of disappointment so far for where he was drafted.

Dillon Brooks is a Canadian that no team believed in enough to select in the first round. He’s playing nearly 30 minutes a game and looks like a good role player.

Frank Ntilikina’s shot is broken, but his defense is not. If he wasn’t dealing with injuries his numbers would probably be better.

Jordan Bell, the second-round sensation, isn’t getting enough minutes. If Bell wasn’t on one of the best teams in NBA history it would be much easier to see how good he really is.

Frank Mason has looked like a good role player for the Kings. Hopefully, they will be able to finally develop their talent.



Bogdan Bogdanovic much like Mason has looked like a good role player for an awful Kings team.

Jarrett Allen has been getting minutes on the Nets because they don’t have many guys that can play center. Now that they have traded for Jahlil Okafor that might change. Allen has been okay, but not super impressive.

Jonathan Isaac was showing a lot of promise until he got injured.

OG Anunoby

OG Anunoby might not be putting up epic box score stats, but he’s playing great on a great team. Since entering the starting lineup the Raptors have looked like a better team. Anunoby is showing he can play defense and hit threes, but that’s not all! OG has great basketball IQ. He knows where to be on the floor and has fantastic instincts. For example, we have seen Anunoby give up a good shot so somebody else gets a great shot. How many rookies know to do this from day one? If OG was on a bad team I have no doubt he’d be loading up the box score. Basketball media always talks about rewarding winning. I’m cashing that check and putting OG Anunoby in the rookie-sophomore game.

The Sophomore Competition

Jaylen Brown has taken the leap in year two. His shooting has improved unless we are talking about the free throws.

Buddy Hield had a slow start to his career with the Pelicans, but since being trading to the Kings he has shot the lights out. Yield for Buddy Hield.

Jamal Murray is the king of inconsistency. He has shown he can shoot 80% from the field one game and 17% the next. Murray will be a good pure scorer.

Malcolm Brogdon is essentially replicating his rookie of the year campaign. There was concern whether Eric Bledsoe would eat into his minutes, but Brogdon has been too good to lose minutes.

Brandon Ingram looks a lot better in his second year with the Lakers, but still hasn’t really lived up to the expectations of being the number two overall pick. Ingram is still young and his body still needs to fill out so nobody should be labeling him a bust.

Caris LeVert is a green machine. This dude has delivered so much profit from where the Nets drafted him. Caris looks like a really good all-around player that is missing a pretty jumpshot. If you consider the injuries he’s had to overcome his game is way ahead of where it should be.

Kris Dunn was a complete and utter dud as a rookie, but has had an interesting second season on a new team. Dunn is an inefficient shooter that is somehow shooting well from three. He doesn’t shoot well from two or the free throw line and turns the ball over a lot. At times Kris Dunn looks like Tony Wroten, but other times he looks like he still has star potential. Dunn is a decent playmaker who can rebound and defend.

Taurean Prince has had the green light to shoot on the abysmal Hawks. He does a little bit of everything. Sometimes his jumper looks like it needs TP, but over the course of the season, it’s hard to complain because he has shot well from three.

Domantas Sabonis was the bonus in the Oladipo trade. Sabonis looked awful as a rookie in OKC, but he’s been a very good role player for the Pacers. Victor Oladipo might be the one exploding every night, but considering Myles Turner’s health concerns, Sabonis has been very important to his team.

Jakob Poeltl

Turtles are slow. Jakob Poeltl is fast. Don’t disrespect unless you want to regret the past. Poeltl effort and mobility this season has been outstanding. When was the last time you saw a Raptor chase down offensive boards? Jakob is a modern center. As mentioned he rebounds well, but he also defends well and is able to make switches in a split second. Jakob Poeltl may not be an elite rim protector, but he’s still pretty good and I wouldn’t be surprised if he became one with how hard he plays. The one mark against Poeltl is his free throw shooting. However, currently, he’s only attempting roughly 1.5 free throws a game. Until Hack-A-Poeltl becomes a thing that isn’t something to even be concerned with. Again, if you want to reward winning put Poeltl in the rookie-sophomore game. He’s clearly a future NBA starting center.

Fred VanVleet

Fred VanVleet has been terrific backing up Kyle Lowry this season. Unfortunately, he’s probably a longshot to make it as a sophomore. Delon Wright was playing great until he got injured. If that injury doesn’t happen VanVleet likely would have continued to be overshadowed by Wright. If VanVleet was getting 20+ minutes to start the season he would have a better case. This is a case where VanVleet might get penalized because he’s on a good team. If he was on a lesser team those minutes likely would have been there for him from game one this season. Watching Fred VanVleet reminds me of Patrick Beverley. Both are good shorter defensive point guards that also like to attack on the offensive side of the ball. Fred VanVleet has played like an elite backup point guard since the Delon Wright injury, but is that enough for Fred to get in as a sophomore?

Pascal Siakam

Pascal Siakam has looked mediocre by the box score. Yes, his threes and free throws haven’t been falling, but in no way shape or form does that mean he hasn’t been good. Siakam’s energy is contagious. He boosts the pace of the game and makes the players around him better. Pascal’s defense has been very good and despite his poor shooting, he somehow hasn’t hurt the Raptors offensively in the half-court. If Siakam’s shooting ever comes together he will become a very dangerous player in the NBA.

The Raptors have a case for four of their players to make the rookie-sophomore game. It is credibly unlikely they all get in, but OG Anunoby and Jakob Poeltl have done more than enough to be selected. American media has taken notice of OG Anunoby so it would be baffling if he was left out. Jakob Poeltl doesn’t nearly get the respect he deserves around the league, but just watching Raptors highlights is enough to green light him for this game.