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To say Malcolm Brogdon made yet another team regret passing on him would be inaccurate -- the Boston Celtics, like the rest of the league, surely regretted it already. Brogdon on Wednesday did, however, give the Celtics, who told him they were interested before the draft, a reminder of what they could have had. 

In the final 2 1/2 minutes of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 103-100 victory in Boston, Brogdon scored six points and dished two assists. Rookies aren’t supposed to dominate late in games, but everybody who has been paying attention knows that the 24-year-old Brogdon is one of the most veteran-like first-year players the league has ever seen. He’s poised on the court and polished in interviews. His Bucks teammates call him The President, just like his Virginia teammates did.

“He’s not a rookie,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, via ESPN’s Chris Forsberg. “And I say that with complete respect to him. Like that guy, he knows how to play. He’s known how to play for a long time. He was a tremendous college player who was an ultimate winner and he’s just picked right up where he left off.”

The easy (OK, lazy) comparison for Brogdon is Shane Battier, who made his name as the “no-stats All-Star” by doing all the little things, approaching the game analytically and almost never making mistakes. Battier is also a member of the Washington Speakers Bureau. While Battier is a more than worthy model to follow, Brogdon’s offensive game is completely different. 

Rather than simply moving the ball and hunting corner 3-pointers, Brogdon creates offense for Milwaukee. He splits point guard duties with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Matthew Dellavedova and he is expected to create for himself and others. His combination of footwork, athleticism and feel for the game allow him to get into the paint with relative ease. 

“I think [Brogdon is] special,” Boston forward Jae Crowder said, via ESPN. “He’s a good player. He’s got great size on him, he’s very smart, and very savvy.”

Special players aren’t supposed to be available with the No. 36 pick, and just about everybody in the Bucks organization is on record saying they had no idea he would be this good. It has been obvious for months that Brogdon is a massive steal; now the question is whether or not he’ll come away with Rookie of the Year. 

This week's rankings
1
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Malcolm Brogdon Milwaukee SG

Last week: 6

I think I was premature last week in saying that Dario Saric had separated himself from Brogdon in the race for ROY. While Saric’s superb per-game numbers as Philly’s No. 1 option down the stretch probably still give him an edge, a couple more performances like Wednesday’s from Brogdon could sway voters who value what the Milwaukee guard is doing for a playoff team. His 16 points and nine assists in Boston followed a 14-point, 10-assist performance in Charlotte, in which he made six of his seven shots. He has been a huge part of the Bucks winning five of six games and tying the fifth-place Hawks in the standings.

2
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Dario Saric Philadelphia PF

Last week: 1

On Tuesday, 76ers coach Brett Brown dismissed the idea that Saric’s surge is related to Joel Embiid’s absence. He said instead that it was related to the front office trading Ersan Ilyasova and providing an opportunity for Saric to join the starting lineup, arguing that he could be playing just as well with Embiid. I tend to agree with Brown, and I hope that Saric would still be as aggressive as he has been lately if the big man were healthy. Last Friday, he dropped a career-high 32 points on 12-for-19 shooting with 10 rebounds to lead the shorthanded Sixers to a 117-107 victory over the Bulls.

         3
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Buddy Hield Sacramento SG

Last week: 3

Wednesday was Hield’s first real stinker as a King -- he had two points on 1-for-7 shooting in a brutal 112-82 loss to the Jazz. Before that he had been consistently one of the team’s best scorers and sometimes showing flashes of his developing all-around game. Last Friday against the Warriors, Hield had 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, all career highs. 

         4
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Willy Hernangomez New York C

Last week: Unranked

After scoring 24 points and grabbing 13 rebounds against the Spurs on Saturday, New York coach Jeff Hornacek raved about the way Hernangomez approached playing against LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol. “He didn’t try to jump over them and try to challenge them,” Horancek told reporters. “He just shot his little floaters over those guys. He battled on the rebounds.” All season, Hernangomez has been unafraid go up against proven veterans, which is just one of the reasons he has been a bright spot in another painful Knicks season.

5
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Yogi Ferrell Dallas PG

Last week: Unranked

The best part about watching the Mavericks over the past two months is the combination of Ferrell and Seth Curry in the back court. Every team in the league could have had these guys, and they’ve both been proving they are rotation-caliber players. Ferrell has been hot from 3-point range in the past week, and he would have been a major part of a win over the Thunder on Monday if Dallas hadn’t surrendered a 14-0 run to end the game.

6
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Kris Dunn Minnesota PG

Last week: Unranked

Overshadowed by Ricky Rubio’s improved scoring over the past month or so, Dunn has quietly played well alongside him lately. He had a career-high 17 points against the Blazers on Saturday, and he has shot 18 for 31 (58 percent) in his past four games. He hasn’t had the season some expected after he dominated at summer league, but he can make up for that by finishing strong.

7
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Skal Labissiere Sacramento PF

Last week: 7

Labissiere’s minutes are getting wacky again, and he had a rough game against the Clippers on Sunday, but I continue to be excited about his future in Sacramento. Few big men enter the league as skilled as he is, and it looks like he’s going to be able to affect the game on both ends.

8
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Tyler Ulis Phoenix PG

Last week: 8

On Tuesday, Ulis had 15 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, a steal and only one turnover in 40 minutes against the Hawks. He and Ronnie Price are the Suns’ only active point guards for the rest of the season, so he’s going to continue to play heavy minutes. The obvious criticism here is that his 3-point percentage is awful, but I don’t mind that Earl Watson is letting him fire away. Ulis is going to need to hit that shot if he’s going to be the player he wants to be, and it’s not like the organization really wants wins now anyway.

9
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Taurean Waller-Prince Atlanta SF

Last week: Unranked

Thrown into the starting lineup with with Paul Millsap sidelined, Prince had 17 points and seven boards against the Nets and 15 points and six boards against the Suns. The Hawks drafted him because of his defensive versatility, but he’s doing a bit of everything right now.

10
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Shawn Long Philadelphia PF

Last week: Unranked

With some of the bigger names having down weeks, the last spot goes to Long, an undrafted Sixers rookie who spent most of this season in the D-League. Long has scored in double figures in four of Philly’s past five games, and he made a couple of 3s against Atlanta on Wednesday. If he can be a legitimate stretch 5, then he’ll have a job in the NBA.