2018 NBA rookie final standings: Luka Doncic, Trae Young leads the most talented class



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1

Statistics: 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.1 interception, 43% FG, 33% of 3P

Good: Game, vision of the court, bounce, score, star quality
Needs improvement: Conditioning, defense
Bottom line: You learn everything you need to know about Luka Doncic by listening to NBA players and coaches talk about him. My favorite quote this year was Draymond Green, one of the best defensemen in the league for years: "This guy is fine, yeah, he got it, he'll be a problem, he already has a problem" after having faced him the first time. But he was only one of many to sing the praises of the Slovenian star. Doncic demonstrated his ability to be the focal point of an offense, both as a scorer and facilitator, and helped his transitional game by crushing the pane steadily. He became the only rookie in the NBA, except for Oscar Robertson, averaging more than 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game, putting him in a rarefied air. Trae Young started late, but the Rookie of the Year trophy has always been in Doncic throughout the season. 2

Statistics: 19.1 points, 8.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 42% of FG, 32% of 3P

Good: Elite passes, 3-point shooting, floating game
Needs improvement: Defense, efficiency
Bottom line: After about a month, it seemed like the Mavericks had made a big flight by getting Doncic out of the Hawks on the night of the draft in exchange for Young, but now it looks like Atlanta is in very good shape. Young exploded on the scene in the second half of the season, racking up points and huge help totals, but it was his clutch performance that really showed his superstar potential. Young scored 3.3 points per game in clutch situations (five-point games at five minutes) according to NBA.com, placing him at the top with players like Paul George, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. His 33 points in the clutch were also among the best in the league for players who shot at least one per game. All this to say that Young is already a very good player in the NBA with huge potential, and in any other season he would probably be the rookie of the year. 3

Statistics: 16.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 0.9 blocks, 58.5% of FG

Good: Efficiency, bounce
Needs improvement: Rim protection, consistency
Bottom line: Ayton was lost in the depressing Valley of the Sun for his rookie season, but he managed to accumulate the monsters in an efficient, low-maintenance way (at 58.5% of the field), featuring a solid jumper from mid-range possibly interval. He became the only rookie in the NBA, aside from Shaquille O 'Neal, to get an average of over 16 points and 10 rebounds in over 55%, so Ayton was not left out. Concerns about his defense proved to be right, especially as a rim defender, where he awarded 1.087 points per possession according to Synergy Sports Technology to the bottom of the league among centers having as many minutes as Ayton. That being said, he has blocked almost one shot per game and improved his pick and roll defense over the season. Doncic and Young may have exceeded expectations, but Ayton has proven to be more than an essential part of Phoenix's progression. 4

Statistics: 13.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 51% FG, 36% 3P

Good: Defense, efficiency, 3-point shooting
Needs improvement: Avoid foul problems, rebounds, consistency
Bottom line: Jackson was in a strange position in his rookie year on a Grizzlies team that started at 12-5, then went into late tank mode. His season was interrupted due to an injury to a quad end of February, but Memphis and the rest of the NBA saw enough Jackson to know that he was going to be a special player. His length and his defensive instinct are out of the rankings, he is able to anchor a defense both in the paint and on the perimeter, and his offensive repertoire is much more refined than expected for the second youngest player in the NBA. He scored a respectable 36% on 2.4 points at 3 points per game, making two games in a single match. Doncic, Young and Ayton seem to have reached their goal earlier, but some people will tell you that Jackson is still the best prospect because of his age and potential. 5

Statistics: 10.8 points, 3.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 interceptions, 48% of FG, 37% of 3P

Good: Maturity, mid-range game, limitation of turnovers, defense
Needs improvement: Force, game
Bottom line: Gilgeous-Alexander's statistics do not reveal exactly how much he's doing on a basketball court. If he had not helped the team to win, he would not have definitely announced the departure of Doc Rivers during his 10th NBA match. As it stands now, he's one of the playoff players – something no other rookie can say this season, with the exception of teammate Landry Shamet. He is known for his team's success in these rankings, as well as for his ability to play both ways. Rangers are rarely successful defensemen in their rookie season, but SGA was a force with its length and size. He plays with maturity beyond his years and is certainly a vital asset for a team of Clippers looking to make big moves this season. 6

Statistics: 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 50% FG, 31% of 3P

Good: Efficiency, offensive rebound, blocking the shot
Needs improvement: Inner Defense, post-up game
Bottom line: Bagley became the must-see television after the all-star break as the Kings' super-submarine. He averaged a double-double of 18.5 points and 9.2 rebounds, while shooting 39% of the points at 3 points in less than 28 minutes per game in his last 19 games of the season. His motricity and toughness, especially on offensive plateaus, are undeniable, but he struggled a lot to protect the rim, his opponents averaging 1.291 points per possession against the basket, placing him among the worst in the NBA according to Synergy. Even though he was offensive as a rookie, he still has room to grow. Despite a good ground shot, Bagley has not been effective with his post-ups. This will probably improve as he grows up and gets used to the NBA's home defenders. Some will argue that the Kings should still not be on Doncic, but Bagley is a fantastic addition to the young and promising core of the team. 7

Statistics: 16.7 points, 3.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 43% of FG, 40% of 3P

Good: 3-point shot, explosive
Needs improvement: Game, efficiency, defense
Bottom line: Sexton was not in the best situation as a rookie – a very used player in a tank team that sent his coach back six games after the start of the season – but he's gradually improved and played rather good at basketball towards the end of the year (20.8 points per game on 48% of shots after the break of the stars). He made a 3 at a rate much higher than most expectations, but struggled around the basket and initially took too many mid-range jumpers. He was frightfully defensive for a historically bad defense, but the most obvious and immediate area of ​​improvement for Sexton is his way of playing: a leader with an average of 3.0 assists or less in his use and the minutes are almost unknown, which has led some to believe that he is looming more like a double guardian in the future.

"It's something for which he's going to improve," said Larry Drew, Cavs coach, about how Sexton had created the game after his loss to the Warriors on April 5th. "He will begin to understand what the defenses are doing against him.He will understand how teams collapse when he drives basketball and will understand where his open outlets are once he does it." … It's a score – that he's the first leader, that's who he is, but I have every confidence in the world to get those help totals once 'he will have a real understanding of how teams play it.'

8

Statistics: 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 42% of FG, 39% of 3P

Good: 3 shooting points, making games, bouncing
Needs improvement: Defense, finishing around the basket
Bottom line: Huerter was the victim of big minutes in his rookie season and helped make Hawks one of the most exciting teams in the league by the end of the year. Huerter is a great guard who works well with Young in the backcourt. He immediately proved that he was the most coveted assassination shooter by the Atlanta brewer. points per possession on dribbling jumpers is among the leaders of the league, according to Synergy). Huerter also demonstrated his ability to put the ball on the ground and to involve his teammates, giving him a much higher cap than a shooter. Like most of the rookies, he struggled to defend himself, but Huerter came out as a long-time potential professional in his first NBA season. 9

Statistics: 9.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 43% of FG, 42% of 3P

Good: 3-point shooting, off-ball movement
Needs improvement: Finishing around the edge, manufacturing
Bottom line: The 6-foot-5-inch Wichita State product immediately played a rookie role with the 76ers and played it to perfection, opened the screens and dribbled like a clone of JJ Redick, then was traded to the Clippers and played even better. . Almost all the measures available for shooting were in the charts for Shamet, who became a permanent part of the Clippers' starting lineup almost immediately after his arrival. Its quick release and ability to work off screens is vital for floor movement and spacing. The next phase of his game will consist of learning to tackle close-ups and create for his teammates. But for now, Shamet has enjoyed a rookie season as good as expected, and he will gain valuable experience in the playoffs. ten

Statistics: 7.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 69% FG

Good: Blocking elite shots, twists, race on rim
Needs improvement: Offensive repertoire, defensive discipline
Bottom line: The 7-foot-1 rookie became a legend for blocking the ball after throwing nine balls in just 22 minutes in a loss to Orlando in November. This seemed to be the only area where he had shown a lot of promise, until he started to have more play time towards the end of the season and revealed a much higher ceiling. Robinson was almost double-double on average after the all-star break, scoring 11.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in seven starts to end the season. His series of 29 consecutive games with several blocked shots, which ended on the last day of the season, placed him alongside big names such as David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo. Robinson is extremely brutal – he is almost only offensive and is able to jump even the most subtle of false pumps, like many young blockers – but he has shown incredible potential to close the season.

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