Rookie File: Anthony Davis and Kyle Singler

Anthony Davis, Hornets
Lets just say Davis' defensive specialist/can only dunk on offense reputation is a little flawed.  By almost any metric, Davis is effective if not deadly on offense.  His 1.09 PPP (points per possession) sits at 28th in the league per mySynergySports.  And this isn't just on put-backs and alley-oops.  He is shooting 45% from 15-24 feet.  His general activity on offense keeps the Hornets' offense from getting bogged down.  He dives hard to the rim, cuts liberally, and makes himself available for drop off passes from slashers.  New Orleans' offensive rating is more than seven points better with Davis on the court according to the NBA.com stats site.  Yeah, its fair to say the offense is farther along than most thought it would be.

Kyle Singler, Pistons
While stuck on the lowly Detroit Pistons, Kyle Singler has excelled under the radar.  As one of the only outside shooters on the Pistons, he has gotten many opportunities and capitalized.   He is scoring an insane 1.28 PPP and shooting over 50% from three in spot ups according to mySynergySports.  This type of shooting is critical in providing some spacing in a reeling Detroit offense.

This screen capture shows a standard screen and roll with Singler spotting up on the wing.  Singler's defender, Harden, pinches in hard on the ball-handler.  Watch almost any middle PNR and you'll see this standard help.  Now however, with Singler on the floor instead of say, Rodney Stuckey, Singler gets the pass and cans the three.

In this shot from later in the season, J. J. Redick isn't helping an inch off Singler allowing Brandon Knight to finish an easy layup.  His impact as someone the other team cannot help off should not be understated.  The Pistons shoot over 5% better at the rim with Singler on the floor per the NBA.com stats tool.