The first returns for NBA All-Star voting came back last week and what do you know, two rookies made the top 10 on the frontcourt list for the Western Conference. Neither names are surprising, as Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren earned the eighth and ninth spots, respectively, but it is eye-opening to see just how far along both guys are in their development. It’s unlikely that either player will crack the ASG starting lineup, but it’ll be interesting to see if at least one of them makes the roster as a reserve. If Wemby or Holmgren make the All-Star roster, it would be the first time the NBA has had an All-Star rookie since Blake Griffin in 2011.
You could say we’re overdue for a rookie getting that honor, and given how impressive both guys have played this would be the year to break that streak. However, picking one over the other is a difficult task. Holmgren has been leading the Rookie of the Year conversation due to his efficiency and impact on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that sits second in the Western Conference. But while Wembanyama’s Spurs aren’t winning much, he’s doing things we’ve never seen before for someone of his size and build. He’s consistently improved each game, he’s already shown the ability to take over games when needed, and he’s faring incredibly well given the amount of responsibility San Antonio is giving him. We’ll have to see if the coaches make either player an All Star, and if one of them makes it there will surely be an endless amount of conversation over who was picked.
Now let’s move on to this week’s rankings. Keep in mind that these rankings will reflect a rookie’s performance on a week-to-week basis only, not the collective season. These aren’t Rookie of the Year standings, but rather a reflection on what the player has done over the past week. With that straightened out, here is a look at the top five performers from the NBA’s freshman class:
Wembanyama recorded his first career triple-double when he played the Pistons, but in typical Wemby fashion it was anything but ordinary. I can’t quite figure out which is more eyebrow raising, the fact that Wembanyama was on a minutes restriction when he put up the 16-point, 12-rebound and 10-assist triple-double, or the fact that he did it in 21 minutes, making it the second fastest triple-double ever in the NBA. He also became the youngest center in league history to put up a triple-double, raising the accomplishment to an even higher level.
Everything about the performance was a perfect example of why he’s such a special and unique player. It’s not every day you see someone with this length have so much control over their body and finish with a soft touch around the rim, while also making it look like he’s playing against literal children:
That outstretched shot is over 6-foot-10 Jalen Duren just to give you context on how ridiculous that looks. Wembanyama may have only played 21 minutes, but he made sure to make the Pistons’ lives hell during his time on the floor. It wasn’t just that he got whatever he wanted, it was like he was toying with Detroit, seeing how creative he could get with his shots and passes. How else would you explain this sequence where he gets the block, runs the offense in transition and dishes this pretty no-look dime to Jeremy Sochan for the dunk:
Or this assist where he nutmegs Bojan Bogdanovic to Julian Champagnie for the finish:
Wemby with the nutmeg dime 👀 pic.twitter.com/8rrjEnG7zY
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 11, 2024
It legitimately looked like a warm up for Wemby, which speaks to his greatness but also says a lot about the state of the Pistons, who are once again building up a losing streak that is currently at six games.
The Thunder’s win against the Heat Wednesday night provided a great example of how difficult Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are to guard in the pick-and-roll. If you send the double at SGA, that means you run the risk of leaving Holmgren open as the roller, which results in easy feeds under the rim for the rookie.
Gilgeous-Alexander might’ve been a little late with the pass, but later in the second quarter, he made sure to get it off quicker which resulted in a tough lob finish from Holmgren.
The real reason this works is because of the attention SGA warrants from the defender, and Miami’s gameplan was likely something along the lines of “don’t let him beat us.” That clearly didn’t work as Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points, and the pick-and-roll partnership between him and the rookie resulted in Holmgren also finishing with 23 points.
But even when Miami plays the pick-and-roll straight up, it’s still difficult to keep Holmgren from scoring especially when you don’t have the size to defend him. Bam Adebayo was the most common defender on Holmgren, and even he got caught lacking when the rookie showed how great he can also move without the ball and be a solid cutter.
The Heat were without Jimmy Butler so their defense really had to scramble in order to account for all the offensive weapons OKC possesses. Things might’ve been different had Butler played, because if Adebayo wasn’t tasked with so much on both ends of the floor perhaps there wouldn’t have been as many easy opportunities for Holmgren to score. But regardless, Holmgren took advantage of several mismatch opportunities and showed how dangerous he can be if you don’t have someone stuck to him all game.
Jaquez should finish in the top three in Rookie of the Year voting, but if Kevin Love has his say, he’d probably be at the top of that list.
“Think of all the rookies, he certainly has been incredibly consistent,” Love said. “He’s right up there with [Chet] Holmgren. Wemby [Victor Wembanyama] has been in and out. But among those three, they’ve had a pretty remarkable rookie year.”
Love isn’t the only teammate of Jaquez to shower him with praise, as Jimmy Butler shared he wasn’t surprised that Jaquez has stepped up in his absence as he’s “gonna help this organization for a long time after I’m gone.”
Jaquez’s rapid ascension has been a pleasant surprise — and a much-needed one — for a Miami team that has been without Butler for 13 games this season. He’s got a great feel for the game and what he needs to provide at any moment. Whether that’s being aggressive and getting a bucket, feeding his teammates and make the right read on passes or doing the little things like setting hard screens, disrupting passes, communicating on defense and moving well without the ball.
The Pelicans beat the brakes off the Warriors Wednesday night and Hawkins certainly played a role in running up the score with 14 points off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. He finish the game with a plus-25, and was one of eight New Orleans players to finish in double figures. It was kind of fitting to watch Hawkins catch fire from 3-point range while playing against the greatest 3-point shooter in league history in Stephen Curry, as well as one of the greatest in Klay Thompson. Not to say that Hawkins is on that level, but already in just 33 games, he’s proven to be one of the best young shooters in the NBA.
Against the Warriors he also showed that he is more than just a spot-up shooter, as he can attack off the bounce to create for himself and get to the rim. He doesn’t do that often, but it’s a luxury for the Pelicans to know that if the defense runs him off the 3-point line he can still get a bucket in other ways.
Whitmore has split his season between the G League and the NBA, and that has more to do with getting the young guard opportunity than it is about his development. That’s because in the recent G League Winter Showcase (which is a four-day tournament featuring 31 games) Whitmore averaged 26.2 points a game, which ranked first in the Showcase. You can see when he steps on an NBA court that he’s a notch above G League competition, and he’s shown that in the opportunity he’s gotten with the Rockets.
This week he had a season-high 16 points against the Bulls, where he once again displayed ridiculous efficiency from just about everywhere on the floor. In 13 games with Houston, Whitmore is shooting 53.7% from the field and 42.4% from 3-point range. That game against the Bulls is where Whitmore also got the most minutes all season at 33, and he’s slowly starting to make himself a permanent part of the rotation for Houston.
