NBA 2023/24 Rookie Rankings: March
It is with a heavy heart that I present this edition of the Vendetta Sports Media NBA Rookie Rankings. Why? Because with under a month of regular season basketball remaining, this will be the last rookie rankings of the season, which means no more blanket reporting on what is and has been an incredibly fun class of first year players.
This part of the season, though, does present some interesting little wrinkles where rookies are concerned. With teams beginning to jostle for post season seeding (or ping pong ball seeding) we often see some rookies have their minutes cut or be shelved altogether. On the flip side, we see other teams feature their freshmen in the name of ‘development’.
So, for the final time in season 2023/24, let’s rank some rookies!
As always, these rankings do not reflect an entire season of play. Rather, they only concern play since our last rookie rankings in February.
Chet Holmgren – Oklahoma City Thunder (LR: 3)
The race between Holmgren and his slightly lankier rival has been as entertaining as any rookie race in living memory. Holmgren is a defensive menace, but not as transformative as Wemby. Victor has been very good in a broken offensive system, yet Chet is making efficient contributions to a league leading attack. How to parse the two of them?
Chet’s last game, a masterpiece against the Jazz, is emblematic of why it is so difficult to keep him out of top spot this month.
Holmgren’s 35 point, 14 rebounds performance saw him earn a new career high on the glass and miss his personal scoring best by a single point. Shooting 12/18 from the floor, he was one make from a career high, whilst his 10/12 effort from the free throw line set a new high in both makes and attempts.
Literally, the only thing lacking from Holmgren’s game right now is the muscle to hold his ground against dreadnoughts inside and even that has not proven a serious issue. The kid is a star.
2. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs (Last Ranking: 1)
He may have slipped to 2nd place in these monthly rankings but he surely has Rookie of the Year sewn up now, folks.
Since our last check in on this rookie class, Wembanyama hasn’t been at his most prolific or efficient at the offensive end of the floor, with every performance against Brooklyn (33 points, 14/26 from the floor) balanced by a Dallas (12 points 3/13) and Denver (17 points, 4/12, rescued by 8/9 from the stripe).
Defensively, though…oh, my! Since the last rankings, Wemby has corralled 11.8 boards, 1.8 steals and 4.3 blocks. Utterly preposterous. He has even started to say the quiet part aloud:
“I know that Rudy (Gobert) has a very good chance of winning it this year and it would be deserved. But let him win it now, because afterward it’s no longer his turn.’
3. Amen Thompson – Houston Rockets (LR: 9)
It took a while, but the Amen Thompson Experience is upon us.
After missing 20 games at the top end of the campaign and then struggling to find a consistent role within a surprisingly deep Rockets roster, Thompson’s rookie season looked like a busted flush. He remained ready, though. Now, a perfect storm of injuries (Tari Eason, Alperen Sengun and fellow rookie Cam Whitmore) has opened up not just playing time, but a perfect role for the young Phenom.
In direct contrast to the cramped confines that twin brother Ausar was forced to navigate in Detroit, Amen has thrived playing as a small ball centre for Houston. Playing as a screener allows Thompson’s ninja-like speed and elasticity to come to the fore as he explodes towards the rim. Defensively, he is undersized in the role but this is a dude who, in the same game, blocked the jumpshots of Kevin Durant and Bol Bol. Only a freak of an athlete could even dream of doing that.
Long term, Sengun is the man in Houston, which pushes Thompson back to either the three of four position. Whilst Jabari Smith Jr provides nice frontcourt spacing for Thompson, he simply must develop as a shooter in some capacity to realise his –and the Rockets – full potential.
4. Brandon Miller – Charlotte Hornets (LR: 2)
The 2nd overall pick was red hot through February and though he has cooled off some in March, he’s still performing wonderfully well. The attraction of Miller over Scoot Henderson – looking a wiser decision by the game – was obvious: Miller’s best case scenario is as a huge, high scoring wing with a sweet stroke. To that end, he is producing. Miller has averaged 16.9 points since our last check in and has scored in single digits only once since January 26th (that game being one where Miller was ejected 15 minutes in for an elbow to Tyrese Maxey’s face).
There are warts to his game, of course. His decision making in the middle of the floor is suspect and he is not a great finisher in traffic, prone to being bumped off his line all too easily. He’s also a wire thin 21 year old feeling his way into the league with defences squarely focused upon stopping him.
Miller is going to be something to behold in a few short years.
5. Keyonte George – Utah Jazz (LR: 4)
No, he wasn’t the point guard that many teams had their eyes on in the draft, many seeing him as an undersized off guard, but the shifty and elusive George has shown enough to be Utah’s point guard of the future.
George still struggles to balance his playmaking responsibilities with his more natural scoring instincts, often to the point of misbalancing his game towards passing, something that impressive young Jazz coach Will Hardy is trying to fix. To that end, he ranks 2nd amongst rookies with 4.4 assists per game (trailing only Scoot Henderson) and 5th in scoring.
The problems in George’s game are as obvious as the nose on George Muresan’s face: inefficient shooting and picking up his dribble. The first is to be expected for a rookie thrust into an unfamiliar role on a bad team. The second, though, is incredibly frustrating. George’s ability to turn the corner coming off a pick is magnificent, yet once he gets downhill he all too often stops dead and picks the ball up (something you’re told to avoid when you’re, oh, 10 years old) leading to either poor passes or travels. He will inevitably iron out those wrinkles and once he does, he should be a very good player in this league for a long time.
6. GG Jackson – Memphis Grizzlies (LR: New Entry)
I’m perhaps a little late to the party, in as far as this is Jackson’s first time gracing these rankings, but let me be clear: I love this kid! It is a fascinating thought exercise to ask where Jackson, knowing what we know now, would be picked in the upcoming draft.
Jackson, the 45th pick in the draft, was not expected to contribute a whole lot this season given both his age (he only turned 19 in December) and the apparent strength of the Memphis roster. However, with just about every key Grizzly missing time this season, Jackson has emerged as, at worst, a legitimate rotation piece. He made just the four appearances over the Grizzlies first 36 games. Since then, though, he has practically been an ever present.
Since our February rankings, Jackson has exploded to average an even 19 points, 4.1 rebounds and about one combined stock in 31 minutes a night, with very good shooting splits of 45/36/76. He’s enjoyed some monster games, too, including knocking down seven treys amongst a career high 35 points in his last start against the Warriors.
7. Vasilije Micic – Charlotte Hornets (LR: New Entry)
Sometimes, all one needs is an opportunity.
Micic, a 30-year-old Euro league vet, averaged 12 minutes a game as a backup on a stacked Thunder outfit. Moved at the trade deadline to Charlotte, Micic was given the opportunity to step into some of the minutes vacated by the perma-crocked Lamelo Ball; he has grabbed that chance with both hands.
Micic’s Hornets stint has seen him average 12.3 points on 48% shooting along with 5.5 assists. However, in his last nine appearances – all starts – he’s posting 16.3 points on 53/36/88 shooting splits with 5.1 assists. The Serb has also earned himself a highlight that he can replay to his kids and to their kids forever:
8. Brandin Podiemski – Golden State Warriors (LR: 5)
Podziemski, the 19th pick, has had an up and down rookie season, though both the ceilings and floors have been at far higher levels than many expected.
It takes a lot for a rookie to gain the trust of Warriors coach Steve Kerr, more again to learn the intricacies of his system. That Podziemski has started 25 of his 60 games, ahead of a sure-fire Hall Of Famer in Klay Thompson no less, is a feather in the 21 year old’s cap.
Podziemski’s primary skill is what in soccer is called a Raumdeuter which literally translates to ‘Space Interpreter’ (those Germans; they have a word for everything). That is an ability that is perhaps more important in the Warriors schemes than in any other offense across the league. That spacial awareness unlocks Podziemski’s passing and an underrated ability to finish at the hoop.
9. Taylor Hendricks – Utah Jazz (LR: New Entry)
Utah have certainly taken the most patient of routes to unleash their top 10 pick on the league but with the Jazz in, let’s call it, an experimental phase of the campaign, Hendricks has gotten his chance, starting his last 11 contests. As a starter, the 6’9″ forward is giving the Jazz 8.9 points (47/34/85 shooting splits), 6.7 rebounds and a little over a block per game.
The development of Hendricks is vital to the current vision of Jazz front office head Danny Ainge. Walker Kessler could be a perennial All-Defense candidate though has proven incompatible with John Collins, to the point where the latter has taken the starting centre spot. Collins is precisely the type of veteran who could make a contribution to a contender that is greater than his long term impact with the Jazz. If Hendricks can provide enough spacing and juice off the bounce to play alongside Kessler, whilst also protecting the rim well enough to man the middle next to Lauri Markkanen, then the Jazz have their big positions solved.
10. Jaime Jaquez Jr – Miami Heat (LR: Re-entry)
After dropping out of the last rookie rankings due to injury, Jaquez sneaks back into the final edition of the rankings. That injury, combined with the trade addition of Terry Rozier, has seen Jaquez take a lesser role in the Heat’s offense, though he’s still posting solid per game numbers (10.7 points, 4.8 boards, 2.5 assists and a steal) since the last rankings were published.
You also get the feeling that Heat master coach Erik Spoelstra is ever so slowly winding Jaquez back to full strength for yet another deep playoff push from a low seed. And, given his status as an older rookie, the playoffs are where Jaquez will be expected to produce.
Dropping out: Cam Whitmore, Ausar Thompson, Scoot Henderson Dereck Lively II.
