Every year in the NBA draft, there is always a group of outstanding young players, some talented players are expected to enter the NBA with a high pick and successfully cash in on their talents, and some players may not be remarkable at first, but as the season progresses, they have proven their strength with practical actions. Therefore, it is not difficult for a player's draft pick at the beginning to fully explain everything, and many times it is often the draft pick that is lower or even the draft player is lost, but the player can start low and go high and successfully play his value.
Today we're taking a look at the top five most surprising rookie players in the NBA regular season this season.
5th place: Kionte George
Draft pick: 16th pick in the first round in 2023.
Team: Jazz, 26-27, 11th in the West.
Player performance: George played in 47 regular season games this season, averaging 11.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 24.3 minutes per game, shooting 38.6% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range and 82.1% from the free throw line. This season, George ranks sixth among rookies in points per game, and although he can shoot 53.6% from the field, he is only average among rookies by shooting less than 4 percent.
George has scored in double figures in 25 games this season and has recently scored in double figures in seven games in a row. George's highest score of 30 points this season came on December 12, 2023, against the Thunder. In July 2023, the Jazz signed a 4-year, 18.82 million rookie contract with George, and then if George wants to go further, it is necessary to control the number of turnovers and improve his shooting stability.
Fourth place: Whitmore
Draft Pick: 20th pick in the first round in 2023.
Team played: Rockets, 23-29, 12th in the West.
Player performance: Whitmore played in 28 regular season games this season, averaging 11.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 16.9 minutes per game, shooting 47.8% from the field, 40.3% from three-point range and 67.7% from the free throw line. Whitmore ranks fifth among rookies in points per game this season and has a true shooting percentage of 59.2 percent.
Whitmore should be the biggest jewel in this draft, and his draft pick plummeted due to the lack of optimism about his knee injury history in the draft report, otherwise he could be a strong contender for the top 10 or even the top 5 picks. Whitmore has scored in double figures in 18 games this season, with a season-high 25 points coming against the Raptors on Feb. 3, 2024. In July 2023, the Rockets signed Whitmore to a four-year, $15.6 million rookie contract.
3rd place: Podemsky
Draft Pick: 19th pick in the first round in 2023.
Team: Warriors, 25-25, 10th in the West.
Player performance: Podzemski played in 44 regular season games this season, averaging 9.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 26.1 minutes per game, shooting 45.6% from the field, 35.5% from three-point range and 64.2% from the free throw line. This season, Podemski ranks 9th among rookies in points per game, 3rd in assists per game, and 30th in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. As a guard, he averaged 5.8 rebounds per game to rank fourth among rookie players, and he also grabbed 1.5 frontcourt rebounds, ranking sixth among rookie players.
Podemski has scored in double figures in 23 games this season, and has scored in double figures in eight consecutive games. Podzemski's season-high 23 points were scored against the Timberwolves on Nov. 15, 2023, and Jan. 14, 2024 against the Bucks. In July 2023, the Warriors signed a 4-year, 16.24 million rookie contract with Podemski, and his maturity performance in the game that surpassed most rookie players earned him stable playing time, especially in Paul's injury for a long time, whether it was a starter or a substitute, he could have a relatively stable performance, and his development prospects were very optimistic about the Warriors management.
2nd place: Jaime Harkes, Jr
Draft pick: 18th pick in the first round in 2023.
Team played: Heat, 28-25, 8th in the East.
Player performance: Halkes played in 47 regular season games this season, averaging 12.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 29.4 minutes per game, shooting 49.4% from the field, 33.1% from three-point range and 81.9% from the free throw line. This season, Harkes is averaging the third highest number of rookies in points per game, and his true shooting percentage is 57.9 percent.
Hakes has scored in double figures in 31 games this season, as well as a strong run in double figures in 19 consecutive games. Hakes' season-high 31 points came against the 76ers on Dec. 26, 2023. In July 2023, the Heat signed a four-year, $17 million rookie contract with Harkes, who has been at the top of the rookie list since the beginning of the season, and he will also participate in the upcoming All-Star Slam Dunk Contest.
1st place: GG Jackson
Draft Pick: 15th pick in the 2023 second round.
Team: Grizzlies, 18-35, 13th in the West.
Player performance: GG Jackson played in 21 regular season games this season, averaging 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 18.7 minutes per game, shooting 43.5% from the field, 37.9% from three-point range and 69.4% from the free throw line. GG Jackson ranks seventh among rookies in points per game this season, and he is also averaging 1.6 three-pointers per game for a true shooting percentage of 56.2%.
GG Jackson had limited playing time at the start of the season, mostly in garbage time, and didn't have many opportunities to perform. Due to the wave of injuries suffered by the Grizzlies, GG Jackson was called on the verge of being called on and began to get more opportunities to play, and GG Jackson's average playing time in the last 15 games skyrocketed to 23.4 minutes per game. GG Jackson has scored in double figures in 11 games this season, with 3 games to score 20 points. GG Jackson's highest score of the season was 27 points, which was completed on February 9, 2024, against the Bulls. It was because of the recent amazing performance of GG Jackson that the Grizzlies signed him to a four-year, 8.5 million contract extension in early February 2024.
(The above data is as of February 12, 2024)
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