Note: This is not a redraft. It is how good the rookies are now. Obviously I’d take scoot higher in a redraft, but he is not playing well right now and that is all this is based on
All Stars
Victor Wembanyama
insane shooter, passer, and defender, already a borderline top 20 guy, clear 1 for me
Chet Holmgren
incredible shooter and defender with great movement skills, one of the best players on one of the best teams in the nba, he’s a stud
Good Starters
Brandon Miller
already a quality contributor and a high scorer on the hornets, he’s clearly 3rd for me
Quality Player with Bright Future
Dereck Lively II
lost his starting spot to Gafford, but had a great start to he year, came out of the draft ready to contribute, a great rim protector and lob threat, great fit with luka and contributes to winning more than the guys below him
Keyonte George
Legit scorer who’s become surprisingly efficient late in the year for someone with his shot selection and experience. Shows major flashes of being a star, plays with in redoble pace and flash, an incredible scorer and passer
Jaime Jaquez
been in a slump since the injury, got his starting spot taken by Nikola jovic but before that he was a good starter for the Heat, incredible footwork, committed to winning, plays hard, nice jumper, has a bright future as a big contributor
Brandon Podziemski
reminiscent of Jalen Brunson with his incredible footwork and shooting, he’s already a good player on a contending team, amazing passer, been playing a bit less lately but still has had an impactful season. Solid defender too
Cason Wallace
want to put him higher, great 7th man for one of the best teams in the nba, great defense and passing, coming around as a shooter, been a valuable connective passer and cutter, wouldn’t be mad if someone put him as high as 4
Ausar Thompson
elite elite athlete and defender, incredible help side rim protector, the best non-big man defender in the draft, can guard 1-4, super strong and incredible movement skills, the worries come on offense. He’s solid at some things but his shooting is terrible and it’s keeping him from being higher
Below average starter/Good bench player
Amen Thompson
Incredible athlete with finishing, not a PG like most people thought he would be, willing passer who’s good at it, like his twin lacking a jumper, also an amazing athlete who can play help defense really well, however not given a ton of responsibility on that end
GG Jackson
showing major flashes of being who we thought he’d be as a high draft pick, his offensive game is really coming around, he’s a great athlete who can play defense, good rebounder, solid shooting splits, still wish his passing was better
Cam Whitmore
efficient scorer in the limited playing time he gets, 12 PPG on 18 mpg is very impressive. Great athlete who can get to the rim using creative dribbling, decent defender, however his passing is really what’s holding him back. It’s awful. He doesn’t pass
Bilal Coulibaly
I’ll admit I’ve probably watched the least on bilal than the rest of these guys but I know he’s a great defender who’s already capabale of handling a tough assignment, his shooting is starting to come around but I still wish it was better
Scoot Henderson
he’s still this high because he’s been a solid (albeit terribly inefficient) scorer and playmaker, but he’s been a terrible player overall this year. Can’t put someone too low with his raw stats, but his impact numbers are awful and his defense hasn’t been what’s it’s been cracked up to be
Jordan Hawkins
holding onto a rotational spot on the pelicans right now because of his off ball movement and shooting. While the stats haven’t been super impressive, he has gravity moving off ball as teams don’t want to let him get open. Not a great defender or rebounder but impactful as a shooter
Vasilje Micic
underrated guy, he’s a solid on ball defender, very good ball handler, doesn’t turn it over much, smart passer and overall player, while he lacks size he has intangibles and IQ, he has a nice jumper and is one of the best guards, arguably the best, on the hornets besides LaMelo.
Decent Bench Guy/Borderline Rotational
Gradey Dick
struggling to keep minutes on a struggling raptors team, he’s a traffic cone on defense but he’s had some high scoring nights. He’s been given a lot more offensive responsibility recently and, aside from some very poor shooting nights, has been fine with it
Anthony Black
Good connective passer and defender but doesn’t bring much else to the table at the moment. Nothing has translated like people have wanted it to. Still a poor shooter and he’s struggling to stay in the rotation because of that among other disadvantages.
Craig Porter Jr
He’s a decent ball handler and passer and shooter, doesn’t get much playing time and he’s not a great defender. Solid backup guard for the Cavs
Duop Reath
I might be forgetting about a better rookie here, but if I’m not Reath is getting solid minutes as a backup level big on Portland, solid rebounder but isn’t very special at anything
Honorable mentions: Andre Jackson, Julian Strawther, Ben Sheppard, Bruce Sensabauagh, Taylor Hendricks, Jarace Walker