For all intents and purposes, the NBA Rookie of the Year race will be a sprint between 7-foot unicorns, Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. But make no mistake, this rookie class has more to showcase than a 2023 redshirt and 2024 lottery picks.
Wembanyama came out of the gate as advertised. He possessed the jumper, the step-backs, and the handle to embarrass post players and wings alike. His ability to consistently block shots also rose to the forefront. See Wembanyama's 27-point, 14-rebound, 10-block triple-double.
The only things hindering his game were San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich's minutes restrictions, and his players seemingly freezing the big man out on occasions. Wembanyama's biggest trophy opponent comes in the form of Oklahoma City's Holmgren.
Fresh off missing the entire 2022–23 season, with a Lisfranc injury, Holmgren is spending his first official year as a major contributor to the Western Conference's No. 2 team—as their leading rebound and block artist and third-leading scorer.
Fellow rookies like Amen Thompson, Dereck Lively Jr. and Jordan Hawkins have helped their teams all season, while Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson have begun to show up to the NBA contribution party. But what about the rising stars outside of the lottery? Here are five of them to keep an eye on.
5. GG Jackson, Memphis Grizzlies
True high school basketball enthusiasts will remember Gregory "GG" Jackson II as the top prospect of the 2023 class, but newcomers know him as the guy with the greatest reaction to a Shaquille O'Neal interview.
The Memphis Grizzlies second-round pick has made a name for himself after turning the team's injury woes into personal success. Jackson's 11.3 points per game may seem low, but since being recalled from the G-League, he has had five 20-point games, including two on NBA on TNT broadcasts and one that resulted in signing a four-year contract the next day.
4. Cam Whitmore, Houston Rockets
From the youngest player in the league, GG Jackson, to the fifth-youngest, Cam Whitmore, the unannounced mission seems to be making teams second-guess their decision to skip them. Every analyst will tell you that Whitmore had just as much potential as anyone in the draft; however, selection day saw him slide to No. 20. Barely seeing the floor to start the season felt like justification for the critics.
But once Whitmore began to touch the court, his aggressive, attacking style made him a budding highlight darling. Scoring is a niche that he has displayed at a 14.1 point per game clip since gaining consistent play at the tail end of December. And as his minutes go up, so will his numbers. Both Whitmore and Jackson are poised to be future bucket-getters if they can stay focused.
3. Keyonte George, Utah Jazz
Keyonte George's name may not ring bells as the Utah Jazz quietly sit right outside of the play-in tournament standings, however the No. 16 pick is doing his best to replicate the bench punch of his teammate and former Sixth Man of the Year, Jordan Clarkson.
Although George's 11.7 points per game on 39.1 field goal and 34.8 three-point percentages leaves more to be desired, his assists (4.3) and rebounds (2.8) have been comparable to Clarkson. So have his multiple 30-point performances.
2. Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors
One thing the Golden State Warriors have not done during their runs is rely on a new set of youngsters not named Steph Curry, Klay Thompson or Draymond Green. But as they try to right their ship on the fly, third year player Jonathan Kuminga and No. 19 pick Brandin Podziemski have successfully stepped up to address the perceived lack of depth.
Podziemski, for his part, started out playing significant minutes off the Warriors bench as a spark plug shooting 43.9 percent from three. Now he sees himself in the starting lineup as Thompson's replacement.
His impact goes beyond offense, though. The 6-foot-4 guard is not afraid to stick his face in the fray, defensively, to get extra possessions. This is exemplified by his league-leading 27 charges drawn.
But as they try to right their ship on the fly, third-year player Jonathan Kuminga and No. 19 pick Brandin Podziemski have successfully stepped up to address the perceived lack of depth.
1. Jaime Jaquez Jr, Miami Heat
If the pundits are being honest, there would only be one NBA freshman capable of making the Rookie of the Year conversation a three-man race—and that is the Miami Heat’s Jaime Jacquez Jr. As a four-year college senior, Jaquez was expected to be able to contribute right away, but no one expected him to be relied on to contribute to a team that was in the NBA Finals a season ago. However, the 18th pick has easily acclimated to what has been coined the Heat Culture.
Not only is he an organizational fit, but he has studied the footwork and game of Jimmy Butler long before becoming a Miami draft option. And it shows on both ends of the ball. On offense, he may occasionally stretch out to three but spends most of his time attacking from 16-feet and under. Defensively, he competes and, win or lose, takes on any matchup challenge with the stars.
Jaquez’s admiration for Butler has even landed them in hotels.com spots together.
The notoriety, the accolades, and the All-Star weekend acknowledgements have all been part of the UCLA product’s journey, but above all, his 12.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game have been crucial for Miami in the starting lineup and off the bench.
So much so, that when Jaquez missed time, this season the team openly struggled. The rookie has had nothing but a positive impact, which will be needed if the Heat want to make noise in the postseason.