Before the draft, I could have gone either way with Smart or Exum. I thought Exum had more offensive potential, Smart more defensive potential and rated their passing ability as similar. I still think that way but I'd probably lean more towards Exum because he looks like he's going to be really fun to watch. Not that Smart isn't, his defense is going to fun to watch too.
Exum has been the most impressive rookie thus far. I'm blown away by how easily he moves. He's all fluid arms and legs. He glides like Westbrook around the court. He changes directions and get to top speed in a flash. If he's willing to take the physical punishment, he'll eventually be able to get to the line 8 or more times a game because of the way he can break down defenses in both the halfcourt and in transition. Add in his size, his basketball IQ and a stroke that looks solid and he's got legitimate star potential. Had he gone to college, he might have gone no.1 overall.
The other top rookies looked as expected, which isn't surprising since there's only been so much time for them to improve their games. I was a little surprised by how bad Wiggin's handle looked though. I considered it average and at least serviceable for driving to the hoop but he looked hesitant to dribble against any ball pressure. In fairness, he did go up against the newly 6'11 Giannis most of the time so that had to be a revelation for him.
Parker looked good in transition and in the post but he really struggled to create any space in the halfcourt. Defenders were bodying him up and he couldn't break them down at all unless they were slow, stiff bigs. That's going to be a problem if he can't get quicker. You can't let defenders body you up to take away your outside shot without making them pay. He missed all his jumpers from ten feet out pretty badly. This is where the Carmelo and Pierce comparisons break down. Parker shot it the first three times he touched the ball and turned it over the fourth time but he settled down and played more unselfishly afterward.
It's going to be a miracle for Gordon to average double digits next season. It might be a miracle for him to average 6 points. It's a shame that he appears to have little scoring aptitude because his defense and passing are really good.
Stauskas looked good as well. Multi-dimensional.
McDermott struggled. Early on he tried to played like his Creighton days, asking for the ball on post ups early but unlike his Creighton days, the feeds didn't come his way. I think he got to the rim three times, once on a post up, twice after catching the ball on the move. He got fouled once and missed badly the other two times, once on a block. Defenders seemed to have no trouble containing him off the dribble while he struggled to keep his man in front of him. He gave up a lot of blow-byes. Things weren't all bad though. He showed nice passing ability and looked like he could do some damage moving off screens.