Victor Wembaneyama of the San Antonio Spurs and Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder dominate the headlines for the 2023 NBA rookie class. There's no question that his two rookies have earned all the accolades they've been receiving.
But it was easy to overlook what some of the other newcomers accomplished. Most of them are on bad teams so they are overshadowed and their minutes may be limited. This rookie class has the highest overall basketball IQ we've ever seen.
So for this week's analysis, let's take a look at some other top rookies who deserve praise.
While many teams focus on potential and future prospects, four-year college players are selected later. This was the case with Jaquez, whose determination and talent landed him in an ideal situation with the Miami Heat.
Jaquez is a typical Miami Heat player. He is a high IQ player on both ends of the court and brings a level of toughness not seen in most young players. But then again, Jaquez is no ordinary young rookie. He turned 23 last month.
One of the hallmarks of Jaquez's offensive skills is his pivot game. He has a wide range of movements, Demo in Sacramento.
The Heat have confidence in his ability to handle isolation plays, and they justified that trust by utilizing Josh Guidy's defense against Oklahoma City. The Heat swung the ball to Jaquez, who isolated Guidi in the corner. Jaquez drives towards him, posts him, spins and drives to the basket. Cason Wallace comes to help, but Jaquez shows his patience by losing both defenders on a pump fake and finishing to Holmgren.
Jaquez earned a spot in the Heat's rotation during his rookie season. He ranks third among rookies in minutes played per game. 29.4 He is averaging 12.7 points per night and shooting nearly 50 percent from the field.
Jaquez's maturity is a good fit for the Heat, and his success could encourage teams in need of immediate players to look more closely at fourth-year players.
No one will blame you if you haven't been watching the Charlotte Hornets this season. Their performance on the court was tough to watch. But here's what you're missing, Miller's great play.
I'm tired of comparing drafts and having high expectations, but Miller had a strong season. Paul George of the LA Clippers is a perfect comparison.
George screamed as Miller moved around the court. There's a fluidity to Miller's game.
In this clip from against the Detroit Pistons, notice how he moves when he pops off the ball screen. Miller comes off a screen as the defense drops and Cade Cunningham chases him up top. When Miller cleared a screen toward the sideline, he slowed down, put his body into Cunningham's body and separated, and finished with a floater in the lane.
It's hard to compare Miller's rookie season to George's. Miller has taken on a bigger role on a poor Charlotte team, while George has joined the playoff contender Indiana Pacers. But when you compare Miller's rookie season to George's second year. better understanding About their similarities.
Miller's influence is felt on both ends of the court. I said he's a two-way player. Unfortunately, that's tough to parse considering the Hornets are one of them. worst defensive team In the NBA.
Here's a clip of Miller missing the box out (a big mistake due to a corner crash) against the Brooklyn Nets, denying Jalen Wilson's shot and running through the lane for a transition 3-pointer.
Miller's season went largely unnoticed because the Hornets were terrible. But they have a cornerstone in Miller and can build around him.
The Thompson twins have impressed with their many skill sets this season. It's interesting that both excel in areas that should be the other's strengths.
Let's start with Ausar. Before the draft, he was heralded as the more defensive-minded brother and played that role on the court. But he also showed some great skills offensively.
In this example, Orser is in attack mode and Keita Bates-Diop of the Brooklyn Nets is guarding him. He got past Bates-Diop, lowered his shoulders, took a very low dribble with his right hand, then switched the ball to his left, got past Bates-Diop, and exploded for a dunk.
This was the type of play I expected from my brother Amen offensively. While Amen had some offensive highlights, it was his defense that surprised him.
The Houston Rockets didn't hesitate to give Armen challenging defensive duties for Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and George. It's a difficult matchup for any player.
Amen has shown great ability to fight through screens and fight regardless of the situation.
The video shows him fighting over a dribble handoff to Durant, taking up space and forcing Durant to kick the ball away. Then, when Durant posts up and gets the ball back, Jeff Green shows a double team and Amen jumps to the other side of Durant and strips Durant.
If you end up watching a Rockets game this season for any reason, take note of how active Amen is on the defensive end. He defends pick-and-rolls, rotates to stop drives, and plays in passing lanes.he 2nd place in deflection He ranks first among rookies in points per game, with his brother right behind him in third place.
The offseason will be a busy one for the Twins. Their 3-point shooting has been terrible this season, but there is room for improvement.Ausar is shooting 18.6 Percentage from beyond the arc, amen. 15.7 percent.
A few other rookies are worth a quick mention. Brandin Podzemski is great at getting the Golden State Warriors' offense going. Bilal Koulibaly of the Washington Wizards has been a consistent player on both ends of the court and was more than what was expected of him before he was drafted. Grady Dick is getting an opportunity and it's paying off for the Toronto Raptors.
(Photo of Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Brandon Miller: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)