After being traded to the Mavericks this season, PJ Washington proved himself thoroughly, especially in the playoffs. So far, Washington has averaged 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game, and has averaged 2.8 three-pointers on 40.7% shooting per game. And if you think that Washington was not selected until the 12th pick in the 19th draft, who are the 11 players in front of him, and what are the career achievements now?
11. Cameron Johnson
He averaged 11.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in his career
As an older rookie, Johnson was 23 years old in his rookie season, and he quickly made his way into the team's core rotation with his defense and shooting. Johnson reached the Finals with the Suns the following season, and he averaged 8.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in the playoffs that year, and his offense was quite efficient. Later, Johnson became a well-known 3D in the league, and after coming to the Nets, his tactical status has improved, and he averaged 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game against the 76ers in the playoffs last year.
10. Reddish
He averaged 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1 steal per game in his career
After Reddish entered the league, his overall performance can be described as a mess, especially his outside projection was a disaster, and he was once known as the "Ice Shooter". However, Reddish also had his highlight moments, averaging 12.8 points per game and shooting 64.3% from three-point range in the 2021 playoffs.
However, Reddish did not continue this form after that, and he was soon traded to the Knicks and the Trail Blazers, but the results were very mediocre. Joined the Lakers at the end of last year, Reddish originally relied on defense this season to gain Ham's trust, but then due to worse and worse offense and frequent injuries, he was finally abandoned, if he still can't improve himself later, it is not far from being eliminated by the NBA.
9. Hachimura
He averaged 12.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in his career
As Reddish's teammate this season, Hachimura's NBA career has been up and down over the years, and when he first entered the league, he was once regarded as the core of the team by the Wizards, but he failed to show the talent and strength to match. Traded to the Lakers last season, Hachimura played well in the playoffs, averaging 12.2 points per game, which also landed him a big contract.
This season, Hachimura didn't start until the end of the season thanks to Hamm's various experiments and rotations, and with his help, the team barely made the playoffs again. But in the first round against the Nuggets, Hachimura lost again, averaging only 7.8 points per game, shooting 39.5% from the field, and couldn't even score an empty basket in the game, and now it seems that he is likely to become a trade chip for the Lakers in the offseason.
8. Hayes
He averaged 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in his career
Hayes also plays for the Lakers this season, as an interior player, Hayes's strengths and weaknesses are very obvious, he can run and jump on the court, and he is also very mobile, but he does not shoot in the No. 4 position, and his body is slightly thin in the No. 5 position, plus the ball quotient is not high, he is also in and out of the rotation this season.
In the playoffs, Hayes averaged only six minutes per game when the team was in a drought, and it would be difficult for him to gain a foothold in the league if he didn't focus on improving his shooting or gaining weight.
7. White
He averaged 14.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in his career
White's experience in the NBA has been similarly tortuous, and on the face of it it seems like he can only play better when he starts, but the Bulls have only started him in 19 games over the past two seasons. Last season, White's average per game dropped to a career-worst 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists, but the team eventually chose to renew his contract and gave him more opportunities this season.
Coupled with LaVine's injury, White started 78 games this season, and he also seized this hard-won opportunity, averaging 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, all of which are career highs.
6. Culver
He averaged 6.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in his career
This player can be said to be a proper parallel commodity, his best performance was in his rookie season, averaging 9.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, and his performance has been declining since then, Culver was traded to the Grizzlies in 2021, but the situation still does not improve, and now he has left the NBA completely.
5. Garland
He averaged 18.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game in his career
Garland's rookie season that year can only be described as mediocre, averaging only 12.3 points and 3.9 assists per game this season, and in the end, he was not even selected to the All-Rookie team. However, since the second season, Garland has gradually begun to rise, and in the 2021-2022 season, he was also selected as an All-Star with an average of 21.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
With Garland's help, the Cavaliers also returned to the playoffs, but his playoff performance in the past two years has also caused a lot of controversy. In the more intense games, Garland's physicality is his weakest weakness, facing a high-confrontation defense, his shooting is easy to miss, and he can't break through, and if he wants to go further, he has to find a more suitable style of play.
4. Hunt
He averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in his career
Hunter is a player who knows a little bit of everything, but is not very proficient in anything, he averaged 12.3 points per game in his first season in the league, and now four years later, his improvement has not been obvious, averaging only 15.6 points per game this season. And as a 2.03 meter forward, Hunter's defense can only be said to be mediocre, and the rebounds are worse than some guards, and he only averages 3.9 rebounds per game this season.
3. R.J. Barrett
He averaged 18.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in his career
When Barrett first entered the league, his performance was far below expectations, he was very inefficient on the offensive end, and his organization and defense were not very impressive. After Brunson joined the Knicks, Barrett's role was even less important, even though he was the second-best player on the team in the 2023 playoffs, but he was traded to the Raptors in the middle of this season.
But Barrett, who seems to have returned to his hometown to play, has instead found his most suitable style of play and system, averaging 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in 32 games for the Raptors, shooting 55.3% from the field. With his shooting touch picking up, Barrett's physicality has also been put to better use, and now he is only 23 years old, and he still has a chance to make a name for himself with the Raptors in the future.
2. Morant
He averaged 22.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1 steal per game in his career
Although Morant was already a star at the time, his performance in the league was still eye-catching, he averaged 17.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in his rookie season, and his style of play was also quite eye-catching, and he finally won the best rookie by beating everyone. In the 2021-2022 season, he averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game, not only getting the most improved player, but also being selected as an All-Star and All-Star team.
Under Morant's outbreak, the Grizzlies have gradually ushered in the rise, but in the past two years, he has begun to "behave" off the court, which has also caused him to be banned by the league one after another. Not only did the team's record drop due to a large number of missed games, but his personal progress was also slowed down, which also put him apart from other young stars, and now when discussing the future of the league, Morant's name is almost nowhere to be seen.
1. Tsai
He averaged 24.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1 steal per game in his career
Cai En also booked the position of the 2019 class of the top pick early that year, and he can be said to be the only player in that class in terms of talent, and after entering the league, he did realize his talent, averaging 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in his rookie season. However, Chain is too brittle, and now he has played only 184 games in the league for five seasons, which has also greatly affected his development.
This season, Tsai averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.1 steals per game, and under the team's extremely careful use, he played in 70 games and set a career high, but he was injured again in the play-offs, which also led to the team's first round of playoffs being swept by the Thunder. Although Cai En is still very young, he is only 23 years old, but if he doesn't take care of his body, no matter how strong he is, it doesn't make sense if he can't play.