Rookies tend to struggle early on, as they look to adapt their bodies and mind to the NBA. Some of them fail to make that adjustment, and their development stalls as their confidence take a major hit.
Nonetheless, some of them tend to trend up as their teams make it to the All-Star Break. Sometimes is because their teams have already traded away some players and they have a longer leash, other times because they’ve had time to make adjustments to their game.
Notably, this season hasn’t been the exception to that rule, as we’ve seen some great talents explode in the last couple of months following a slow start to their careers. In the following paragraphs, we’ll show you what we’re talking about.
5. Kevin Knox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0ja4aGVUFQ
Kevin Knox entered the league as something of the likes of the second coming of Paul George, but he mightily struggled early on, especially with his shot not falling and him struggling so badly in defense.
Now, it looks like he’s not forcing things that much in offense and looks faster in the defensive end as well. So far, he’s averaging 12.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 dimes per game and his shooting splits are trending up.
4. Marvin Bagley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIxHkVPHomA
Ever since Marvin Bagley stepped up and became a starter for the Sacramento Kings, it became clearer and clearer why Vlade Divac took him with the 2nd overall pick ahead of players like Luka Doncic.
He may not be your average stretch-four and is a bit of a tweener to play at the 5, but has established himself as a solid rebounder and scorer, averaging 14.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game so far.
3. Collin Sexton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Soz6pAyxo_A
Collin Sexton drew a lot of hate earlier in the season. His teammates constantly called him out because of his poor shot selection and decision-making, but it looks like he’s grown from his mistakes right now.
Sexton’s playmaking still has a lot of room for improvement but he looks way more comfortable in the offense right now. So far, he’s averaging 16.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game for the Cavaliers.
2. Mitchell Robinson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDXeDkLmT8w
Mitchell Robinson is, to my eyes, the biggest steal of last year’s NBA Draft. We’re talking about that completely flew under the radar, but has the potential to become the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
He’s already taken down one of Patrick Ewing’s shot-blocking records for the Knicks and his minutes keep trending up thanks to his hustle and awareness. So far, he’s averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in just 19.0 minutes a night.
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1. Trae Young
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHdvl7zHc74
Early on, it looked like Luka Doncic was a lock to win the Rookie of the Year award. Now, it doesn’t look so clear with the way Trae Young has been playing the last couple of months for the Atlanta Hawks.
He’s one of the league’s leaders in assists and has already schooled dozens of the defenders with his Stephen Curry-ish ability to get buckets. So far, he’s averaging 18.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game.
