The 2023 NBA Draft was one of the most high-profile drafts we’ve had in years. Many teams were tanking to the bottom since the first day of the last season to get their hands on the amazing lottery prospects this class had. With all rookies being six to seven games into their debut season, we already have an idea of which players could be legitimate contributors and which players may end up being busts.
For the Rookie of the Year award, we can safely say that it is turning out to be a two-man race between Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren. Wembanyama and Holmgren have already shown why they are amongst the best young players in the league, even though they’re in their rookie season.
Wembanyama is destroying all of his doubters. He scored 38 points in a classic showdown with Kevin Durant, while also having a game with five blocks against the Toronto Raptors. I wouldn’t be surprised if he would be amongst the top 10 candidates for the Defensive of the Year award.
Chet Holmgren, on the other side, has been making a similar impact for the Thunder, shooting the skin off the ball and providing the two-way big-man play the team has lacked since the days of Serge Ibaka. Like Wembanyama, even Holmgren could be in the running for DPOY by the end of the season given how strong his defensive fundamentals have looked so far.
Our list of five looks to compare the winning impact and statistics each rookie has put up. There were many hard cuts to this list, and also many players that are yet to get a big opportunity on their teams. Anthony Black on the Magic is an example, as the No. 6 pick in the Draft has excelled in the limited minutes he’s played so far this season. The same can be said about Marcus Sasser in Detroit and Cason Wallace in OKC.
But with everything taken into consideration, who are the top five rookies so far this season? Let’s find out.
5. Brandon Miller – Charlotte Hornets
2023-24 Stats: 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.8 blocks
Brandon Miller’s selection was widely panned by experts and fans, as most people expected Scoot Henderson to be a better prospect than Miller heading into the NBA. However, all of those people (including me) have been thoroughly proven wrong with how Miller has started the season. The young swingman was coming off the bench to start the season, but an injury to Terry Rozier means Miller is likely to get a bigger role on the Hornets.
He’s playing a heavy 31.3 minutes per game, with the Hornets giving him as much game time as he needs. His shooting has been unremarkable as a rookie, making 43.9% of his 11.0 shot attempts per game. His three-pointer hasn’t translated just yet, shooting a paltry 30.8% on 4.3 attempts per game. His defensive pressure has been great to see, though it’s clear Miller is far from his ceiling through the first six games. He’s been good enough to earn a spot on this list ahead of his class compatriots.
4. Ausar Thompson – Detroit Pistons
2023-24 Stats: 11.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.1 steals, 2.1 blocks
Ausar Thompson has had an incredible start to his rookie campaign. In his first game, Ausar notched five blocks, becoming the first non-center to do that as a rookie. In his last game against the Suns, Thompson nearly pulled off the first 5×5 game since Jusuf Nurkic in 2019, ending the night with four assists, steals, and blocks, to go along with his 14 points and nine rebounds. His two-way play is already shining through, as Thompson could develop into a two-way nightmare. Unfortunately, he stays at four because his numbers haven’t transformed the Pistons into a winning team after their 2-5 start, unlike the players ahead of him.
With Bojan Bogdanovic injured, Thompson has been getting opportunities at small forward, though he may be better suited to being Cade Cunningham’s backcourt partner, as the two of them could develop into one of the most feared guard combos in the league. Jaden Ivey is currently out injured but was playing poorly before getting hurt. This could lead to Thompson remaining in the starting lineup even when Bojan comes back. He’s a dark horse pick to rise through these rankings throughout the season.
3. Dereck Lively II – Dallas Mavericks
2023-24 Stats: 8.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.0 blocks
The pure numbers of Lively II aren’t good indicators of how he’s transformed the Dallas Mavericks. The team tanked their last two games of the season to ensure their top-10 protected pick remained with them, which they then traded to dump a bad contract and draft Lively No. 12. This pick was criticized by many, given Lively was a late first-round pick on many draft lotteries to begin with and his terrible season on Duke last year.
Lively has already outperformed his entire Duke tenure in just six games, being the center that the Mavericks have wanted next to Luka Doncic since they drafted him in 2018. He’s shooting 77.4% from the field and has been a nightmare above the rim. After outplaying Victor Wembanyama in their debuts, Lively has solidified himself as the Mavs starting center and is one of the biggest reasons why the team is 5-1 to start the season after missing the playoffs last year.
2. Chet Holmgren – Oklahoma City Thunder
2023-24 Stats: 17.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.3 blocks
The 2023-24 Rookie of the Year race was widely expected to be a two-horse race between Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. Both players are living up to the billing, with Chet in particular terrifying opposing teams. The Thunder are much further along in their rebuild, with every single game that Holmgren is playing being a must-win for the franchise. They want to take their first step towards becoming a winning franchise, and going to the playoffs with rookie Chet will be one of their primary goals.
Holmgren is technically a sophomore but never ended up playing a game last season due to a Lisfranc injury. In his rookie campaign, he’s showing all the reasons why many expected him to be a generational prospect himself. The Thunder are doing well to start the season with a 3-3 record, with Chet averaging his numbers on 62.5% from the field and 56.5% from three on 3.8 attempts per game. Given Chet is not the superstar on this roster, his numbers are incredibly impressive and look to indicate his capability of being a win-now player on this young Thunder roster.
1. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs
2023-24 Stats: 20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.7 blocks
The man LeBron James dubbed an alien has lived up to the hype so far. Even during his rough debut against the Mavericks, Wemby showed flashes of what makes him so incredible, hitting some incredible shots on 6/9 shooting. His efficiency has trailed off, with the Spurs looking to figure out the full extent of his skill before coaching him into a specific role, as Gregg Popovich confirmed to Fadeaway World. Everything that people believed he could do at the NBA level is coming true, as Wembanyama projects to be a prospect we’ve never seen before.
He has already shown up in winning moments for the Spurs, leading them to consecutive wins over the Phoenix Suns. The first game saw Wemby make a clutch put back dunk that set the Spurs up for the win, with the second seeing him outgun Kevin Durant in a 38-point explosion. He will have his rookie peaks and valleys, but there is no doubt that Wemby is still the front-runner for Rookie of the Year. His Spurs are 3-3 to start the season, the same as Chet, with better numbers. So far, Wembanyama is ahead, but we have a long season ahead.
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