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Also read: 5 Best NBA Rookies of all-time
Every new season we witness new talents and skills from Rookies in the NBA. It's every Basketball player's dream to be in the NBA one day to showcase their skills. Year by year this game is becoming tough and reaching new levels of competition. Players have to prepare themselves according to the increasing competition, and hence we are watching amazing talents nowadays.
New players have more competitive nature, are ready to work more and are ready to challenge anyone at any level in this game. This 2017-18 NBA season has become more tough and complicated because of veterans getting traded to other teams.
The Boston Celtics now have star players like Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and the Rookie Jayson Tatum. The Houston Rockets have added the Point God Chris Paul, the Oklahoma City Thunder added 2 All-Stars Paul George and Carmelo Anthony.
Almost all the teams have shuffled to a great extent and this has become tough for the rookies to show their talents and skills. Here are the top 5 rookies so far this season according to their stats :
#5 Lauri Markkanen (Chicago Bulls)
With a huge 7 feet structure and a wingspan of 6'11", the Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen has been tremendous so far in the game. Lauri was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, was the 7th pick in the 1st round, and then got traded to the Chicago Bulls. Right now, Lauri is averaging 14.6 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, and 1.4 assists per game. With 6 double-doubles in this season so far, he has been a tough rookie to play against.
As the Chicago Bulls are rebuilding their team, Lauri is leading the team in scoring and his rebounding skills are just an add-on to his skills.
#4 Dennis Smith Jr. (Dallas Mavericks)
Dennis Smith Jr., the rookie was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 9th pick in the 1st round and he is living up with a hype like no other. With 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game, Dennis Smith Jr. is a driving force for the Dallas Mavericks' roster. Right now Smith is the most explosive player in Dallas' team.
While he is on the bench, the Dallas Mavericks feels some missing explosiveness which Smith has. With J.J. Barea, Smith becomes more of a playmaker than a scorer. While Smith makes some smart plays for Barea, Barea takes shots and drives to the basket.
Dennis Smith Jr. has a lot to learn about this game, being a 19-year-old Guard, he is doing fairly good in terms of his offensive skills, but still has a long way to go as an NBA player.
#3 Kyle Kuzma (Los Angeles Lakers)
The Los Angeles Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma has performed way better than what was expected from him as a rookie by his team. With a height of 6'.9" and a wingspan of around 7 feet, his physical strength, quickness, and skills fit best for the franchise's requirement for a Power Forward. He is averaging 16.7 points and his 7 feet wingspan is adding 6.1 rebounds per game in his stats sheet and for the team as well.
He is not the best finisher at the rim right now as compared to the other elite athletes of his size. He has some issues on both ends of the floor which are being tested in every game, he has to improve a lot.
Still, Kyle has a lot of potentials and can make a space for himself in this league. The Lakers' roster is young right now with all the players having a great desire to improve and win games. Kyle's shooting and passing abilities enable him to play a fair amount of offense for the Lakers. He is developing himself every single day, and there is no doubt he can be one of the best Power Forward in the league.
#2 Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
Jayson Tatum, the 2nd pick by the Boston Celtics in the 1st round in the 2017 NBA Draft, has been great so far in this season for the team. He has been a major 4th quarter contributor to the team and doesn't have to carry a lot of burden on his shoulders for the team right now.
Jayson is right now averaging 13.7 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, and 1.4 assists per game. He is shooting around 50% from the field, a high percentage of 47.8% from the 3-point line and 84.5% from the free throw line.
His length and footwork skills have helped him at both ends of the floor. He always likes to score contested shots and wants to make the key shots for his team. He wants to be guarded by the best defenders and wants to guard the offensive players in the league. His highly competitive nature helps him to add strength to his team. His defensive ability helps the team to put him on the floor for as much time as they want.
As for Jayson's current performance, his team wants him to keep doing whatever he is doing right now. Jayson is patient and unselfish enough to let the veterans of his team take the crucial shots and make the best plays. He surely has a great potential of being an amazing player, but still, he has a lot of time and opportunity waiting for him for his development.
#1 Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
Ben Simmons, the Rookie Point Guard of the Philadelphia 76ers, was the 1st pick in 2016 NBA Draft but was out for the entire season due to the foot injury during the pre-season. He returned in the 2017-18 season and since then he is playing amazingly as he was expected to play. Ben Simmons is 6'10", was reported at 6'8" when he was drafted in 2016 since then he grew 2 more inches without even playing.
Ben Simmons is averaging 18.1 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game and 9.1 assists per game in this season so far. He is leading all the rookies in scoring. At the defensive end too he is doing an amazing job which means he has become a tremendous two-way player. When he was drafted he was compared with elite NBA players like LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Oscar Robertson. As we are watching him play like this there is no doubt why he was compared with them.
Ben Simmons's great Court vision and passing ability have helped him in passing the ball to his teammates to score. The defender cannot just leave Ben for even a second which could lead to a basket. Simmons off-ball scoring is a kind of nightmare for his opponent as Ben's body athleticism helps him in off-ball scoring for the team.
Ben still has to improve a lot of his skills and he can do well. He is a hard passionate worker and he knows that "sky is the limit".He lacks shooting ability but is a great playmaker for the team.
But what about the other Rookies?
This NBA season has been a roller coaster ride for almost all the teams and players as well. The rookies who couldn't show their skills yet still have three-fourths of the season left to have their impact on the game. Other rookies like Lonzo Ball who is the 2nd pick in the 2017 draft by the Los Angeles Lakers had a good impact on the game but had many rough games in terms of shooting. He was the most controversial among all the rookies but he still has a long way to go. Markelle Fultz, the 1st pick of the 2017 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers is out indefinitely with shoulder soreness and scapular muscle imbalance in his right shoulder. He played a couple of games this season and is now out indefinitely.
Which other Rookie(s) to keep our eyes on?
Other Rookies have also done well so far. They are developing and improving themselves for the league. The other rookies on which we can keep our eyes are:
#1 Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
Donovan Mitchell can be compared to Dennis Smith Jr. in terms of offensive skills, but Donovan has a bigger body and a strong defensive end. Still, he has to improve in terms of passing and overall offense. He wasn't expected to be this much good but he has already blown so many minds with his game. Right now he is averaging 14.9 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, and 3.1 assists per game.
#2 De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
Fox has been as much good as the top rookies right now but had an electrifying performance so far. He's been helping his team off the bench and is contributing 10.2 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per game and 4.4 assists per game so far to his team.
Guess the Lakers players!
