NBA Rookie Rankings Saddiq Bey breaks Pistons record Theo Maledon Aleksej Pokusevski shine for Thunder

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As we inch closer to the end of the regular season, the focus shifts to playoff seeding and postseason matchups. This becomes a time where rookies sometimes become an afterthought as it's uncommon to see first-year players play past the regular season. However, that doesn't mean that what these guys are doing isn't important. By this point in the season, some first-year players hit that "rookie wall," succumbing to the grind of their first full year in the NBA and their performances on the floor start to waver. But what we're seeing this season is consistent performances from many of the draft cla s' top players, and several late bloomers, like R.J. Hampton and Chuma Okeke down in Orlando. We may not be focusing as much on the rookies with the playoffs just around the corner, but there's still plenty of jaw-dropping and eye-opening performances from these guys on a week-to-week basis to keep your attention. Now moving on to this week's rookie rankings. These rankings will reflect a rookie's performance on a week-to-week basis only, not the collective season, so these aren't Rookie of the Year standings. With that straightened out, here is a look at the top rookies this week. MIN SF #1 PPG23.8RPG4.3APG3.8 Much has been made about ' second half surge this season, but he's actually been balling out for a little bit longer than that. You could pinpoint it to when the fired coach Ryan Saunders on Feb. 22, after which Edwards proceeded to score 20-plus points in three-straight games before the All-Star break. He's been allowed to a sert himself on offense more, and while it hasn't resulted in a bunch of wins for the Timberwolves, which isn't an indictment on Edwards, he's been able to break free a bit more and be a force on offense. Like this play against the Sixers: ANTHONY EDWARDS...The moves. Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) I don't think Edwards makes that Onyeka Okongwu Jersey effortle s of a move in his first few games of this season, especially against the second-best team in the East. The patience it took to navigate through traffic under control and euro step around seven-foot frame for an easy bucket, that's veteran-level craftine s. We've been able to see Edwards' continued improvement with each pa sing game, and it's been a treat to witne s. CHA PG #9 PPG18.6RPG4.0APG2.8 It feels as though every week Theo Maledon continues to climb up the rookie rankings, and ever since I wrote about him as one of the in the second half of the season, he's done nothing but prove me right. This week, that came in the form of a career-high 33-point performance. Career-high 33 points for Theo Maledon last night, showcasing his shooting versatility, intermediate craft and a few pa sing flashes: Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) He continues to display his ridiculous pa sing skills, his ability to score at all three levels and more importantly being able to play both on and off the ball. Perhaps no one has benefited more from untimely foot injury than Maledon, who is more than proving his worth with the this season. Paired with the next rookie on this list, OKC has found themselves some gems. OKC PF #17 PPG16.4RPG5.2APG2.8BPG1.2 Aleksej Pokusevski accomplished a rather sizable feat this week, Cam Reddish Jersey setting the franchise rookie record for most 3s made in a game (7), while simultaneously becoming the youngest player in league history to make seven 3-point shots in a game, pa sing LaMelo Ball and . Then, on top of all of that, Poku and Maledon became the first pair of rookie teammates to score 25-plus points each in the same game since 2021, when and Tristan Thompson did it. The accomplishments just keep stacking up for both of these rookies, and since inserting Pokusevski into the starting lineup, he's averaging 13 points, six boards and nearly three a sists while shooting 36 percent from 3-point territory. All of this while standing at seven feet tall. CLE SF #35 PPG14.3RPG2.3 Earlier in the season, defense is what was garnering his attention in these rookie rankings, but lately, his offensive game has started to develop. He's become more efficient since the All-Star break, which is crucial in his development as a defensive-minded forward. Coming into the NBA Draft, Okoro was getting compared to guys like , and Caron Butler, but in order to live up to those comparisons, Okoro needs to continue his development on knocking down mid-range and 3-point shots. His defense is his calling card, and it will only improve as he understands the game at this level better, but his shooting is where he will be able to cement himself in a starting lineup for years to come. DET PG #14 PPG14.0RPG6.0APG2.0 It was only a matter of time for R.J. Hampton to end up on this list after being traded to the . Hampton didn't get a ton of playing time in Denver, understandably so given the ridiculous depth on that team, but with the Magic, he's been given the space to develop his game, and in his first career start he didn't disappoint. RJ Hampton's 1st career Start16 PTS (career-high)7/13 FG4 REB3 AST2 STL | Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) Even better, it came against the team that traded him. Standing at 6-7, Hampton's a jumbo-sized point guard who can also slide down and play the other backcourt position, and in that game against Denver, he displayed all the skills that made him a first-round pick last year. His athleticism, speed and pa sing were out in full force, and his 3-point shooting has only improved since being traded. The might've gotten the star player in the trade, but the Magic got a young, exciting guy who they can make part of their core for the future. ORL PF #3 PPG13.7RPG5.0APG3.5 Speaking of core pieces in Orlando, has been a revelation since the trade deadline. His offensive production is of course what's going to stand out first, but his defense has been just as impre sive. A sampling of how Chuma Okeke has made an impact as a pa ser and defensive John Collins Jersey playmaker during this recent stretch: Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) He's always locked in on that end of the floor, anticipating what the opponent is going to do and oftentimes disrupts plays. He has incredibly active hands when guarding someone one-on-one, which results in surprising steals or tipped shots, and his size allows him to hold his own a little bit in the paint against bigger guys. HOU SF #8 PPG13.5RPG5.0APG3.5 With LaMelo Ball potentially out for the season, other rookies have taken advantage of the spotlight in his absence. Edwards certainly leads the pack of first-year guys who have turned it on in recent months, but has been just as deserving of that spotlight. He doesn't put up as gaudy numbers as Edwards or Ball, but he's been arguably the most consistent this season of any rookie in his cla s. He plays arguably the best defense of any rookie in his cla s, and ranks just behind Ball and in steals per game amongst rookies. I'm not saying he should win the award, but he's certainly in the top five of rookies this season. ATL SF #41 PPG13.3RPG2.3 How was week? Oh, he just casually set a record for most 3-pointers by a rookie. He's been called "a keeper," and "an NBA starter" by coach Dwane Casey, and he's certainly not wrong in that a se sment. Here's a stat to show just how ridiculous Bey's 3-point shooting actually is this season. In NBA history there have only been nine rookies to attempt six or more 3s a game, Bey currently has the highest 3-point percentage of all of them, per Stathead. Here are the top five names on that list: PlayerYear3PA/GFG3%Saddiq Bey 2020-216.0 37.9% 2012-136.1 36.8% Allen Iverson 1996-976.0 34.1% 2017-187.0 34.0% 2018-197.1 32.7% Pretty ridiculous company to be in for Bey, and there's still a month and a half left of the season for him to distance himself even further from others on this list. TOR PG #22 PPG13.0RPG5.5APG5.3SPG2.5 hasn't had consistent playing time all season for the , but due to an injury to starting guard , it pushed him up the depth chart, where he's played over 30 minutes in each of his last four games. He even got the first start of his career to fill in for who was suspended for a game. He got near a double-double in that start, putting up nine points and eight a sists, but the game a few nights prior was what really opened some eyes in Toronto. Malachi Flynn did a bit of everything (16 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 4 STL, 3 BLK) in Toronto's comeback win! | NBA Canada (@NBACanada) Flynn was stuffing every aspect of the statsheet, getting boards, steals, a sists and racking up 16 points while shooting 50 percent from deep. In what feels like a lost season for the Raptors, Flynn is at least proving his worth to be on this team past this season. WAS SF #9 PPG12.3RPG7.7 In a win over the Magic this week, Deni Avdija had perhaps the most complete game of his rookie season in a 16-point outing, and we can all thank for that. Apparently, , according to teammate , which will certainly teach the rookie to be Jeremy Lin Jersey more aggre sive when he has a good look in the game. Against Orlando, he not only shot the ball, but he shot it efficiently, going 6-for-10 from the field and 4-for-7 from long range.
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