Atlanta Hawks: John Jenkins voted best shooter by rookie peers in NBA.com poll
By David Menze
John Jenkins was voted best shooter by his fellow rookies in a poll that was recently released by NBA.com.
The 2012 draft class was together at the annual Rookie Photo Shoot this week when NBA.com surveyed 39 incoming rookies about the best in their class.
(Note that players were not allowed to vote for themselves, their NBA teammates or their college teammates. So, six of the 39 — Davis himself, his four Kentucky teammates, and Hornets teammate Austin Rivers — were unable to vote for Davis for any question. And if a player did try to vote for themselves or a teammate, that vote wasn’t counted.)
Which rookie is the best shooter?
1. John Jenkins, Atlanta — 48.6 percent
2. Bradley Beal, Washington — 16.2 percent
3. Jeremy Lamb, Houston — 10.8 percent
4. Kim English, Detroit — 8.1 percent
T–5. Damian Lillard, Portland & Terrence Ross, Toronto — 5.4 percent
Others receiving votes: Evan Fournier, Denver & Kyle Singler, Detroit
Worth noting: Jenkins’ 48.6 percent here was the highest mark for any player on any question. He shot 44 percent from 3-point range over three years at Vanderbilt.
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The rest of the survey questions and results are listed below:
Who will be the 2012=2013 Rookie of the Year?
1. Anthony Davis, New Orleans — 47.1 percent
2. Damian Lillard, Portland — 17.6 percent
T-3. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte & Thomas Robinson, Sacramento — 11.8 percent
5. Dion Waiters, Cleveland — 5.9 percent
Others receiving votes: Will Barton, Portland; Bradley Beal, Washington
Worth noting: Davis won this category by a pretty wide margin, but not as wide as Kevin Durant won it in 2007, when he garnered 53 percent of the vote. Maybe if Kentucky didn’t send its entire starting lineup to the league, Davis could have matched his USA Basketball teammate.
Which rookie will have the best career?
1. Anthony Davis, New Orleans — 40.6 percent
2. Harrison Barnes, Golden State — 12.5 percent
3. Damian Lillard, Portland — 9.4 percent
T-4. Thomas Robinson, Sacramento & Dion Waiters, Cleveland — 6.3 percent
Others receiving votes: Bradley Beal, Washington; Kim English, Detroit; Bernard James, Dallas; Perry Jones, Oklahoma City; Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte; Kendall Marshall, Phoenix; Fab Melo, Boston; Austin Rivers, New Orleans
Worth noting: Each of the top seven picks in the Draft got at least one vote here. And so did two second rounders: James (33rd pick) and English (44th).
Which rookie is being most overlooked?
T-1. Draymond Green, Golden State, Perry Jones, Oklahoma City, Andrew Nicholson, Orlando & Tony Wroten, Memphis — 8.8 percent
T-3. Jae Crowder, Dallas, Jared Cunningham, Dallas, Kim English, Detroit, John Jenkins, Atlanta & Tyler Zeller, Cleveland — 5.9 percent
Others receiving votes: Quincy Acy, Toronto; Harrison Barnes, Golden State; Bradley Beal, Washington; Bernard James, Dallas; Orlando Johnson, Indiana; Doron Lamb, Milwaukee; Arnett Moultrie, Philadelphia; Miles Plumlee, Indiana; Austin Rivers, New Orleans; Terrence Ross, Toronto; Jared Sullinger, Boston; Royce White, Houston
Worth noting: As usual, this question got a ton of different responses, including four guys taken in the top 10 picks of the Draft.
Which rookie is the most athletic?
T-1. Quincy Acy, Toronto & Perry Jones, Oklahoma City — 17.6 percent
3. Terrence Ross, Toronto — 14.7 percent
T-4. Jared Cunningham, Dallas & Andre Drummond, Detroit — 11.8 percent
T-6. Meyers Leonard, Portland & Damian Lillard, Portland — 5.9 percent
Others receiving votes: Maurice Harkless, Orlando; Darius Johnson-Odom, L.A. Lakers; Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte; Miles Plumlee, Indiana; Thomas Robinson, Sacramento
Worth noting: “Dude’s just a freak of nature,” one player said of Acy. “He’s got super bounce and his hands are ridiculously big.” This was the only question (of the first eight) in which the Wizards’ Bradley Beal didn’t receive a vote. Beal didn’t win any category, but we’ll give him the unofficial title of Mr. Versatility.
Which rookie is the best defender?
1. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte — 28.6 percent
2. Anthony Davis, New Orleans — 14.3 percent
T-3. Fab Melo, Boston & Jeff Taylor, Charlotte — 8.6 percent
T-5. Jae Crowder, Dallas, Jared Cunningham, Dallas, Kim English, Detroit, John Henson, Milwaukee, Tony Wroten, Memphis — 5.7 percent
Others receiving votes: Quincy Acy, Toronto; Bradley Beal, Washington; Andre Drummond, Detroit; Festus Ezeli, Golden State
Worth noting: They say that defense wins championships, so it’s appropriate that the national champs had the two best defenders in this rookie class. “He irritates you,” one player said of Kidd-Gilchrist. “He takes pride in his defense.”
Which rookie is the best playmaker?
1. Kendall Marshall, Phoenix — 45.7 percent
2. Damian Lillard, Portland — 14.3 percent
T-3. Dion Waiters, Cleveland, Royce White, Houston — 8.6 percent
5. Bradley Beal, Washington — 5.7 percent
Others receiving votes: Jared Cunningham, Dallas; Scott Machado; Austin Rivers, New Orleans; Thomas Robinson, Sacramento; Marquis Teague, Chicago; Tony Wroten, Memphis
Worth nothing: In his two years at North Carolina, Marshall had more assists (581) than field goal attempts (407) and free throw attempts (132) combined.
Which rookie is the funniest?
1. Fab Melo, Boston — 22.9 percent
2. Kyle O’Quinn, Orlando — 20.0 percent
3. Will Barton, Portland — 11.4 percent
4. Jared Sullinger, Boston — 8.6 percent
T-5. Bradley Beal, Washington, Draymond Green, Golden State & Tony Wroten, Memphis — 5.7 percent
Others receiving votes: Jae Crowder, Dallas; Terrence Jones, Houston; Jeremy Lamb, Houston; Quincy Miller, Denver; Tyshawn Taylor, Brooklyn; Marquis Teague, Chicago; Dion Waiters, Cleveland
Worth noting: Oh to be a fly on the wall of the Celtics’ locker room to see how the rookies’ sense of humor goes over with Kevin Garnett.
What will be your biggest adjustment to the NBA?
1. Speed or pace of the game — 38.6 percent
2. Length of season — 32.9 percent
3. Size and strength of opponents — 15.7 percent
4. Lifestyle — 8.6 percent
Also receiving votes: Different rules, Travel
Worth noting: Our favorite answer for this question was “Having a lot of money,” which we filed under “Lifestyle.” Mo money, mo problems, perhaps.
Who is your favorite player in the league?
1. LeBron James, Miami — 31.0 percent
2. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers — 18.1 percent
3. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City — 10.0 percent
T-4. Kevin Garnett, Boston & Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas — 5.7 percent
Others receiving votes: Carmelo Anthony, New York; Andrew Bynum, Philadelphia; Tyson Chandler, New York; Tim Duncan, San Antonio; Dwight Howard, L.A. Lakers; Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers; Derrick Rose, Chicago; J.R. Smith, New York; Amar’e Stoudemire, New York; Dwyane Wade, Miami; Deron Williams, Brooklyn
Worth noting: Bryant owned this category two years ago, but everything’s going LeBron’s way these days. All it takes is one championship to alter your rep in the minds of the youngsters. One other note: Four different Knicks received votes, including J.R. Smith!