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Many in the NBA fraternity believed that the 2019 draft class was going to be all about Zion Williamson with others, maybe watching from a distance. However, with Ja Morant winning the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year, one was forced to shift focus on other players from that year. In this article, our focus will be to rank 5 best players in the NBA who are only playing their second season.
NBA 2020-21: Top 5 second-year players right now
Despite Zion Williamson's aura and the expectations surrounding him coming into the 2019-20 NBA season, it was Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant who took everyone by surprise by his output. Of course, Morant stayed healthy throughout the year, while Williamson played just 24 games in the season.
Ofcourse, both Zion Williamson and Ja Morant will be dominating this list, but who are other 3 sophomores who will join them in this TOP 5 list.
#5 Coby White (Chicago Bulls)
Coby White was the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Even though the 20-year-old started only one game for the Chicago Bulls last season, he showed signs of superstar potential.
In the 2020-21 NBA season, Coby White has started in each of Chicago Bulls 13 games, and his numbers are very impressive.
Last season, White averaged 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists per game on 25 minutes per night. He struggled with his shooting efficiency last year, but the 2020-21 season has been much better for him.
He is currently averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, and six6assists per game. Moreover, his shootings splits are 41/36/84, and he has been playing great as the Chicago Bulls' starting point guard.
Among the 2019-20 rookies, White ranks sixth in points per game in his career with 13.7.
#4 Tyler Herro (Miami Heat)
Tyler Herro had a tremendous rookie year in the NBA, coming up huge for the Miami Heat in their run to the 2020 NBA Finals. Even though he struggled defensively at times, it was Herro's extraordinary shooting, which bailed the franchise on multiple occassions during last post-season.
Herro averaged 14 points per game in last year's regular season in 55 appearances (eight starts). Moreover, his shooting splits were solid: 43/39/87. In the 2020 NBA Playoffs, he averaged 16 points per game with similar shooting splits (43/38/87).
This season, Tyler Herro has started in 10 games already and is averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game. He is currently shooting at 48% from the floor, but what has taken a hit is his 3-point shooting and free-throw percentage, both of which are down from last season.
Still it's very early in the season and from what we have seen so far, expect Tyler Herro to start lighting up arenas across the United States.
#3 Michael Porter Jr. (Denver Nuggets)
Even though he was the 14th pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, Michael Porter Jr. made his NBA debut in the 2019-20 season after a back injury kept him on the sidelines for the entire 2018-19 campaign.
The coach of the Denver Nuggets, Michael Malone, eased Porter into the rotation of the team, starting him only in 8 games during the regular season. In the 2020 NBA Playoffs, Porter became a valuble asset to the Denver Nuggets as they made their way to the Western Conference Finals. In the 2019-20 post-season, he averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds per game.
He is an athletic 6' 10'' forward who has good skills on offense. Even though he has missed a few games this season due to the health and safety protocol, he is averaging 20 points and 7 rebounds per game in 4 appearances. Moreover, even though the sample size is small, his shooting splits currently stand at 57/42/88.
#2 Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies)
Ja Morant won the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year award, and it won't be a stretch to say that he has been the most successful player from his class. Which is why he comes in at the 2nd spot on our list.
Morant had a tremendous rookie season. He averaged 18 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds on his way to the winning ROY award. Morant started the 2020-21 campaign in red-hot form, but then an ankle injury sidelined him for Grizzlies next 8 games.
Still, in four games this season, Morant is averaging 24 points, 6 assists, and 2 rebounds per game.
#1 Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)
Zion Williamson was the most hyped athlete in the 2019 NBA Draft class and is rightly Number 1 on our list. The 20-year-old struggled with a knee injury in his first season in the NBA and played just 24 games. Still, in that small sample size, Zion was extremely dominant on the floor, having no trouble over powering some of the veterans in the league.
As a rookie, Williamson averaged 23 points per game in 24 appearances with great efficiency (58% from the field). This year, the New Orleans Pelicans have had a dissapointing run so far with Zion Williamson's performance being the lone bright spot.
Even though he was just a dominant scorer last season, Williamson has evolved and is averaging 23 points and 8 rebounds per game in the 11 appearances he has made so far. Moreover, he continues to be an efficient scorer, making an astonishing 57% of his field goals.
Also read: 5 Legends who did not win the NBA MVP award in their careers
