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The NBA is filled with talented youngsters who will look to make an impact in the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season. The NBA is pretty much overflowing with young talent, whether they were just drafted, haven't had an opportunity, or are looking to take that next step.
The NBA preseason is where these players can make their case to teams, coaches, and general managers to get NBA minutes. A strong preseason for young players could put them on the map to earn themselves some rotation or starting minutes when the regular season starts. On that note, let's take a look at five youngsters who impressed the most during pre-season.
#5 Bones Hyland, Rookie Guard, Denver Nuggets
Bones Hyland was selected 26th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Despite being a late first-round draft pick and being a rookie, the youngster has already made his presence felt on the Denver Nuggets roster.
In the summer league, Hyland showed up and played well above the position he was drafted at. He averaged 19.8 points and 4.8 assists in the four Summer League games he played in. The thing that stood out was his efficiency from the floor, shooting 46% from the field and 40% from three on 8.8 attempts.
The young guard has not slowed down one bit in the preseason. Despite not starting, Hyland still averaged 27.8 minutes in five preseason games. He put up 15.2 points and 4.6 assists in those five games while shooting 45% from the field and 34% from the field. There is a slight drop-off, but it is still pretty good for a rookie who is getting his first taste of the NBA.
A big reason why Hyland’s success is so critical is due to how impactful he could end up being to the Nuggets. With Jamal Murray going to miss a massive part of the season recovering from his ACL injury, this leaves a hole in the Nuggets team. If Hyland keeps playing the way he has been, he could be a big part of the group of guards attempting to replicate Murry’s production.
#4 Isaiah Joe, Second-Year Guard, Philadelphia 76ers
Isaiah Joe is entering his second season in the NBA after being selected in the second round by the Philadelphia 76ers. In his first season, he appeared in 41 games, averaging only 9.3 minutes in those games.
Even in the last 2021 NBA Summer League, Joe was just okay, averaging 14 points on 37% from both the field and three-point land. Joe only took 12.25 shots per game in his four starts in the Summer League, and 10 of those shots were from three.
However, the youngster has made a sizeable impact this preseason. In four games, he has averaged 24.4 minutes while averaging 16.75 points. Joe has stuck to his shot attempts pretty much exclusively coming from the three-point land, taking 8.8 shots per game and 6.8 of them being from the three-point line. The difference is that now Joe is shooting 59% from behind the arc.
It's not sustainable, but if Joe can keep this hot shooting hand going into the regular season, he could get more minutes. There will be minutes to fill at the guard position with the whole Ben Simmons trade saga still going on. On top of that, just being an efficient three-point shooter is something every NBA team needs. Joe could have used this preseason to move his name up the depth chart.
#3 Trey Murphy III, Rookie Guard/Forward, New Orleans Pelicans
Trey Murphy III was selected 17th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, who traded his draft rights to the New Orleans Pelicans. Murphy stands at 6-foot 8-inches, making him more of a wing player than any traditional position.
In the Summer League, the rookie looked ready for NBA play, averaging 16 points with seven rebounds in his four games. Murphy was also a dead-eye shooter from three, making 44% on 6.3 attempts.
As pre-season came around, his stats have only gotten better. He averaged 17.5 points with 6.5 rebounds in the preseason, and his three-point shooting has shot up to 53% on 4.3 attempts. Even though he is hot from three right now, he has struggled from the rest of the field. Murphy’s field goal percentage in the preseason is just 43% on 12.3 attempts per game.
It is unclear what role Murphy will play in the upcoming Pelicans season, but with Zion Williamson expected to miss some time, there will be some available minutes. Murphy has shown that he can shoot the lights out of the ball. Now it will just be about finding consistency in the NBA.
#2 Jared Butler, Guard, Utah Jazz
Jared Butler fell to the 10th pick of the second round in the 2021 NBA Draft. His draft rights were traded around a few times before landing with the Utah Jazz, where he could be carving out an excellent role for himself.
Butler has come out and has just been a bucket in this preseason, averaging 18 points and 4.3 assists in just 24 minutes per game over his three appearances. Despite only shooing 33% from three on six attempts, Butler has still put up points from everywhere else on the court. The youngster takes 15 shots a game, making 49% of them, while only taking two free throws attempts per game.
Butlers’ offensive ability looks legit, and if he can become more consistent from three, he could be helpful off the bench for the Jazz. He is on a team looking to make a playoff run, and it might be hard to find minutes for a rookie in the regular season. Butler, however, made the case that he was worth more than a second-round pick, leading all rookies to average points per game.
#1 Jordan Poole, Guard, Golden State Warriors
Yes, Jordan Poole is entering his third season at 22 years old, but what he is doing cannot be overlooked. In just 22.7 minutes per game, Poole is averaging 21.8 points per game. Poole is shooting 36% from three and 50% from the field. The youngster is averaging the fifth highest number of points per game this preseason.
The way Poole ended last season made it feel like he was on the verge of breaking out. He has averaged only 10.3 points per game in 20.3 minutes in his two seasons in the NBA. However, after last season’s All-Star break, Poole turned it on, his minutes increased from just 10.6 minutes per game to 23.4, and it was because he went from 6.8 points per game to 14.4.
It seems like the second half of Poole’s last season is the one that will likely show up this season. He will play a crucial role for the Golden State Warriors as they will be without Klay Thompson for some time and still think they are a team that can make a deep playoff run.
Guess the Lakers players!
