NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Rockets' Troy Williams demands your attention

Houston might have found another gem

Does Troy Williams have your attention yet? The Houston Rockets rookie dunked all over the Plumlee family on Wednesday, soaring to the rim to put back James Harden’s missed jumper. If you didn’t catch Williams winning the D-League dunk contest in February, then his otherworldly athleticism might have surprised you. 

Rockets fans had reason to be excited about Williams before that highlight. In his Houston debut on Sunday, Williams started in place of Trevor Ariza and showed off his range. With James Harden out of the lineup, Williams scored 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including 6-for-9 from deep, helping the Rockets to a 123-116 win against the Suns. 

“I told him right after the game, ‘You have to take advantage of your opportunities,’” Patrick Beverley said, via the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen. “You don’t get a lot of opportunities in this league. He showed not only us, but the world, he can play at this level. It’s not his offensive ability, it’s what he did on the defensive end. He played great. I’m really happy for him.”

Ariza and Harden returned against the Nuggets, but Williams got another start because of injuries to Ryan Anderson and Sam Dekker. Given that Dekker is expected to be out for a few weeks, there’s an opening here. 

It remains to be seen whether or not Williams will stick in Houston or crack its playoff rotation. The Grizzlies had a chance to develop him, but chose to cut him and sign Tony Douglas earlier in the season. Douglas is no longer in the league. Williams’ potential, though, is obvious --  he’s an athletic marvel with long arms and great quickness. If his 3-point shot is real, then the Rockets might really have something with him.

This week's rankings

1	Tyler Ulis Phoenix PG
Last week: 8 The efficiency isn’t always there, but the effort and production have been just about every night. Ulis earned the top spot this week when he scored a career-high 34 points on 15-for-22 shooting in 45 minutes against the Houston Rockets on Sunday, with nine rebounds and nine assists. He followed that up with 20 points (on 8-for-21 shooting), six assists and five rebounds against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. The Suns are awful, but at least Ulis’ teammates seem to like playing with him.
2	Buddy Hield Sacramento SG
Last week: 3 The Western Conference rookie of the month for March is making editors come up with headlines like “Buddy Hield is making the Kings’ biggest mistake look a little less stupid.” (That’s a real one from the Sporting News.) He tied his season high with 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting (4-for-6 from deep) in a win over the Wolves on Saturday, and Sacramento has suddenly won four out of six games.
3	Marquese Chriss Phoenix PF
Last week: Unranked First, the caveats: Phoenix is terrible, tanking team, and it has lost 13 in a row. These are not normal NBA games. Chriss, however, is showing some stuff. He had a 19-point, 13-rebound game against the Blazers and a 20-point, six-rebound game against the Clippers in the last week. His 3-point stroke is wildly inconsistent, but since the All-Star break, he has made 35.4 percent of his attempts from downtown.
4	Yogi Ferrell Dallas PG
Last week: 5 Back in the starting lineup because Seth Curry has been sidelined, Ferrell has averaged  11.3 points and 5.3 assists in the last three games. He hasn’t shot great from deep in the last week, but he’s still making 41.9 percent of his 3-pointers as a Maverick, which is a promising sign for his future. Ferrell has done well to handle the initial hype around him and the role changes that came afterward.
5	Dario Saric Philadelphia PF
Last week: 2 Injuries have hit the two frontrunners for Rookie of the Year hard just as the regular season is ending. Malcolm Brogdon has been out with back tightness, and Saric has been playing through plantar fasciitis. The Sixers forward’s numbers have been affected, and he sat out the fourth quarter in a blowout loss to the Nets on Tuesday.
6	Troy Williams Houston SF
Last week: Unranked Remember when the Rockets unearthed a playoff hero? In the 2014 postseason, a little-known rookie named Troy Daniels got a D-League call-up in March and ended up hitting a game-winning 3-pointer in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Blazers. There’s no guarantee this new Troy will follow Daniels’ footsteps, but hey, it’d be a cool story.
7	Timothe Luwawu Philadelphia SG
Last week: Unranked Philadelphia has been struggling just to field a team of eight or nine healthy bodies, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot has been one of the main beneficiaries in terms of minutes and shot attempts. In his last three games, he has averaged 20.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals, shooting 44.4 percent. The best part is that he’s learning how to play in the halfcourt rather than just using his speed in transition.
8	Thon Maker Milwaukee PF
Last week: Unranked Maker is on this list because he had the best game of his career last Friday, scoring 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting in a 108-105 win over the Pistons. Afterward, Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn’t contain his excitement, calling Maker’s maturation since the start of the season “unbelievable.”
9	Jaylen Brown Boston SF
Last week: Unranked The Cleveland game on Wednesday could be a cause for concern or something to learn from. Brown was quiet, his shot wasn’t falling and Boston had an awful night at both ends. It’s too early to tell what this means for his role in the playoffs, and it’s not necessarily any more meaningful than his solid performances in Orlando and New York leading up to it.
10	Skal Labissiere Sacramento PF
Last week: 7 Some might look at Labissiere’s 5-for-17 performance against the Pelicans last Friday as a sign that he is regressing. I, however, don’t mind it at all. Part of the skilled big man’s development will be learning how to be more assertive, and the Kings are clearly encouraging him to let it fly.