In terms of functional rookies so far: 1. Wemby (Spurs) 3. Miller (Hornets) | Chet... (i don't count him as a rookie, sorry) 5. Ausar (Pistons) 6. Anthony Black (Magic) 7. Bilal (Wiz) 12. Dereck Lively (Mavs) 14. Jodran Hawkins (Pels) 18. Jamie Jaquez (heat) #recently he popped off. Always subscribe to more NBA PED tests on Heat role players. 19. Brandin Podziemski (gsw) ...there are other guys. Gradey Dick more in the camp of Amen and Cam who's been sent back and forth between g-league. Sadly I wouldn't put Henderson there, he's contributing but not good considering his pick #. Chet / Wemby are #1 and #2 in NBA's roty contention. But due to how absent Amen has been, I don't see Amen cracking the top 10 in rookie ladders. Previous years: Jalen, Alp, Tari, and Jabari were still in top 10. Our team is deep, so playing time is limited, that said, other guys in current rookie draft class, are tangibly contributing. Analogies have been given before: Draftees are like new cars, as soon as they are driven off the lot, their value depreciates, reality of NBA competition sets in. Top lottery rookies also could cost the same as a functional vet role players now, Plus more strict cap rules. These one-and-done rookies are asked more to earn their keep. Lot of "golf" handicap is given to rookies because they are rookies. This is why a whole separate award category is carved out. It's a cost given for the sake of investment. We pay Aaron Holiday 2.3 mil. Age 27, technically in his career prime. He might be at his ceiling, but if meritocracy, where the name is stripped off and only the production is seen, he outplays his contract for sure. If by production, most rookies don't deserve the minutes they are getting (over the more experienced players).
Why sputtering Spurs remain a disaster even with Victor Wembanyama San Antonio's problems start with the lack of a reliable lead ball-handler in the starting lineup. The Spurs (3-19) — who host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night — tasked power forward Jeremy Sochan with playing point guard to open the season. The second-year player has faced challenges in this new role, however, averaging 4.1 assists and 2.5 turnovers per game. The 7-foot-4 forward's shot selection is questionable — he has a 43.1 field-goal percentage on a team-high 16.3 attempts per game. His three-pointer is awful, too (25 percent on 5.1 attempts per game). Wembanyama's over-aggressiveness kills the flow of an offense that prides itself on ball movement and the idea of passing up a good shot to get a great shot. https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/arti...667282?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=sportspyder
I still get a kick out of watching Wemby stand behind the backboard and reach up and lay it in - so insane
The problem with taking the long term approach to Wemby is with his size and frame we don't know how long his career will last. Spurs should be making every year of his career count cuz I don't know if he can have a 10 year long career before the injuries kick in.
He's got some nice court vision too. I think he'll be a top5 passing center (in the league, not all time). Perhaps not quite as good as Sabonis/Sengun, but 1 tier below.
Ball Boy needs to sue for the death threats he’s getting. Wemby needs to go humble himself on the bench. Dude spends more time taking photos and meeting celebs than anyone I’ve ever seen.
