Former Syracuse star and current Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters was named to the 2012-13 NBA All-Rookie first team, the NBA announced Tuesday afternoon.
Waiters garnered 21 votes first-team votes and also picked up eight second-team votes for a total of 50 points. He averaged 14.7 points and 3.0 assists in 28.8 minutes in his rookie season. He also was selected for the Rising Stars Challenge at the 2013 NBA All Star Weekend and was the NBA’s Eastern Conference Rookie of the Year in February.
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“I’m honored to receive an award like this and it makes me hungry to keep working hard and focus on taking the next steps to improve my game,” Waiters said in a release. “I can’t wait to get back to work with my teammates and coach Brown, though, because I’m excited about what our potential can be as a group.”
Other members of the All-Rookie First Team included New Orleans’ Anthony Davis, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Washington’s Bradley Beal and Golden State’s Harrison Barnes. The voting was done by the NBA’s 30 head coaches.
Waiters played two years at Syracuse, appearing in 71 games. He averaged 12.6 points and 2.5 assists in his sophomore year, while helping SU to the Elite 8 of the 2012 NCAA tournament. He was taken with the 4th pick of the 2012 NBA draft by Cleveland.
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