Rookie Of The Year? The Case For Arthur Hardie
Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2018 5:27 pm
Rookie Of The Year? The Case For Arthur Hardie
INTRODUCTIONAfter the first few sims, there was little debate as to who the finalists for the Rookie Of The Year award were going to be. Since this game seemingly favors PPG over other statistical categories, most believed it would likely come down to either Tyler Ulis (Celtics), who is a scoring machine, or "Juicy" James Gebhart (Jazz) who not only scores, but rebounds and facilitates the ball as well. In this article, however, we're going to be exploring the idea of a third candidate who could enter the conversation for Rookie Of The Year: Arthur Hardie, the 6'9", 233lbs "center" from the Sacramento Kings. Now let's begin!
SCORINGAs I previously stated, this game engine seemingly favors scoring over other statistical categories when determining the Rookie Of The Year. This would make sense, as the Rookie Of The Month award has almost always went to the top points-getter in each respective conference. But, is that fair? Many would argue yes; however, there's more to the game of basketball — there's rebounding, assists, and a myriad of other statistics that could (and should) be taken into consideration. Although the criteria for what constitutes a Rookie Of The Year may vary based on who you ask, I think we're all in agreement that there's more to it than just scoring.
Coincidentally enough, Arthur Hardie is currently ranked 3rd in rookie scoring (see above chart), right behind Tyler Ulis (20.5 PPG in 34 mins) and James Gebhart (18.6 PPG in 38.5 mins). Hardie, however, has managed to average 15.1 PPG in 32.8 minutes per game — meaning he has accomplished these numbers in 5.7 less minutes than James Gebhart, who currently leads those 3 in minutes played per game. Now, what does this mean, exactly? It means that Arthur Hardie has been able to score at a similar pace to both Ulis and Gebhart in the time he's been allocated. So, he's been able to hold his own when it comes to scoring — easily.
ASSISTSAssists aren't exactly Arthur Hardie's strong point: He currently ranks 12th amongst all rookies in that department, averaging roughly 2 per game. But it goes without saying that centers generally aren't relied on for assists — that's why you have point guards. Nevertheless, Arthur Hardie's average of 2 assists per game is right up there behind Gebhart (3.3) and Tyler Ulis (2.9), the two favorites to win the award. Furthermore, Hardie ranks 2nd amongst all rookie centers, right behind Wilbert Brown of the Spurs (2.2). So he's definitely holding his own in the assist department — at least for a big man.
REBOUNDING
Ah, here is where Arthur Hardie truly shines. He currently leads all rookies in rebounding, averaging around 7.5 in 32.8 minutes per game. Per 36 minutes, he currently ranks 4th — but that is still far ahead of both Tyler Ulis (2.7) and James Gebhart (5.4). Additionally, Arthur Hardie leads all rookies in offensive rebounding and is only second in defensive rebounding. Hardie truly knows how to crash the glass, and he does it with utmost authority. If you need a rebounder, Hardie is your guy: He gets the job done, and efficiently so.
SHOT BLOCKINGCurrently, Arthur Hardie ranks 2nd amongst all rookies in blocks, averaging roughly 2 per game (1.9). This is a pretty awesome stat, especially when you consider that Tyler Ulis averages 0.2 and James Gebhart averages 0.1 blocks per game. Of course, it goes without saying that they aren't expected to put up those sort of numbers because they aren't big men — but this just further illustrates that there's more to the game than scoring, and blocking the basketball is something that Arthur Hardie does exceedingly well.
OTHER NEAT STATSHere's some more food for thought when considering Arthur Hardie for Rookie Of The Year:
1. Arthur Hardie ranks 4th in PER (18.2), right behind Tyler Ulis (18.3).
2. Tyler Ulis and James Gebhart both rank dead last in +/-, whereas Arthur Hardie ranks 50th.
3. Arthur Hardie averages fewer turnovers (2.2) than James Gebhart (2.6) and Tyler Ulis (3.3), which is pretty remarkable for a big man with poor ball-handling abilities.
4. He leads all rookie centers on the Sacramento Kings in literally every statistical category.
5. He's literally the greatest center out of Stuarts Draft, VA to play in this league, ever.
6. He leads all rookies in hot dogs devoured per game with an average of 3.7.
FINAL THOUGHTSThe point of this article was to illustrate the fact that not only should Arthur Hardie be considered for the Rookie Of The Year award, but he should also be considered one of the favorites due to his statistical averages. But of course, we don't have a say in the matter — it's ultimately up to the game to decide. But in my heart, Arthur Hardie is right up there with Gebhart and Ulis.
Arthur Hardie rising high for the slam.