Compare Rookies
Let’s compare the possible NBA rookies. But as we do so, I add these words of caution. In his rookie season, T.J. McConnell outplayed De’Angelo Russell. Is he truly the better player? Likely no. But the team needed his play and so he had far more opportunities to excel. And that is the challenge in judging rookie play. How much of the performance is rookie adapting to the team style of play, and how much is the team adapting to the rookie style of play?:
| Rk | Player | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | eFG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lonzo Ball\balllo01 | 23 | 23 | 757 | 31.3% | 25.0% | 36.5% | 36.9% | 50.0% | 158 | 160 | 31 | 19 | 8.70 |
| 2 | De'Aaron Fox\foxde01 | 23 | 10 | 600 | 40.3% | 28.1% | 42.2% | 42.2% | 71.4% | 75 | 97 | 20 | 6 | 10.26 |
| 3 | Markelle Fultz\fultzma01 | 4 | 0 | 76 | 33.3% | 33.3% | 33.3% | 50.0% | 9 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 6.00 | |
| 4 | Josh Jackson\jacksjo02 | 25 | 4 | 533 | 38.9% | 24.6% | 44.2% | 42.3% | 52.2% | 91 | 25 | 32 | 5 | 9.08 |
| 5 | Malik Monk\monkma01 | 19 | 0 | 335 | 34.5% | 32.9% | 36.5% | 43.9% | 75.0% | 29 | 36 | 5 | 3 | 7.47 |
| 6 | Jayson Tatum\tatumja01 | 25 | 25 | 760 | 51.1% | 51.3% | 51.0% | 59.7% | 82.8% | 133 | 36 | 24 | 21 | 13.92 |
As you can see, Markelle Fultz with just four games of play is certainly not atop the performance charts just yet. But just wait, he will make a believer of you yet.