Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder have dominated the 2023 NBA rookie class headlines. There is no question that these two rookies have earned all the accolades they have received.
But it’s been easy to miss what some of the other rookies have accomplished. Most of them have been overshadowed because they are on bad teams, and their time on the floor might be limited. This rookie class has the highest collective basketball IQ we’ve seen in quite a while.
So in this week’s analysis, let’s give some attention to the other top rookies who deserve some credit.
While many teams prioritize potential and the future, four-year college players are selected later. This was the case for Jaquez, who found himself in an ideal situation with the Miami Heat due to his determination and talent.
Jaquez is the quintessential Miami Heat player. He is a high-IQ player on both ends of the court and brings a level of toughness not seen in most young players. But again, Jaquez is not your average young rookie. He turned 23 last month.
One of the aspects of Jaquez’s offensive skills is his pivot game. He possesses a wide range of moves, which he demonstrated in Sacramento.
The Heat have confidence in his ability to handle isolation plays, a trust he justified by exploiting Josh Giddey’s defense against Oklahoma City. The Heat swing the ball to Jaquez, who is isolated on Giddey in the corner. Jaquez drives at him, posts him up, spins off of him and drives to the basket. Cason Wallace comes to help, but Jaquez shows his patience by pump-faking to lose both defenders and finishing over Holmgren.
In his rookie season, Jaquez has earned a spot in the Heat’s rotation. He is third in minutes per game among rookies at 29.4 minutes a night and is averaging 12.7 points per game by shooting almost 50 percent from the field.
Jaquez’s maturity pairs well with the Heat, and his success might have teams paying more attention to four-year college players if they need an immediate impact player.
No one will blame you if you haven’t been watching the Charlotte Hornets this season. Their performance on the court has been tough on the eyes. But here’s what you’re missing, the stellar play of Miller.
I am weary of draft comparisons and setting lofty expectations, but in Miller’s case, he has been good this season. Paul George of the LA Clippers is the perfect comparison.
The way Miller moves on the court screams George. There is a smoothness in Miller’s game.
In this clip against the Detroit Pistons, watch the way he navigates coming off a ball screen. Miller comes off the screen with the defense in a drop and Cade Cunningham chasing over the top. As Miller clears the screen toward the sideline, he slows down, cuts off Cunningham by getting into his body and finishes with a floater in the lane.
Comparing Miller’s rookie season to George’s is difficult. Miller has a larger role on a bad Charlotte team, and George joined a playoff contender in the Indiana Pacers. However, comparing Miller’s rookie season and George’s second gives us a better understanding of their similarity.
Miller’s impact is felt on both ends of the court. I did mention he was a two-way player. Unfortunately, that is hard to parse, considering the Hornets are among the worst defensive teams in the NBA.
Here is a clip of Miller missing a box out (a great corner crash) against the Brooklyn Nets, but he makes up for it by rejecting Jalen Wilson’s shot and running the lane for a transition 3-pointer.
Miller’s season has gone largely unnoticed because the Hornets are terrible. But they do have a cornerstone in Miller, who they can build around.
The Thompson twins have been impressive with their many skill sets this season. It’s fascinating that both are excelling in what was supposed to be the other’s strength.
Let’s begin with Ausar. Before the draft, he was noted as the more defensive-minded brother and has delivered on that end of the court. But he also has shown some impressive skills on the offensive end.
In this example, Ausar goes into attack mode with Keita Bates-Diop of the Brooklyn Nets guarding him. He drives on Bates-Diop, lowers his shoulder, takes a very low dribble with his right hand before switching the ball to the left, blows past Bates-Diop and explodes for the dunk.
This was the type of play I expected from his brother, Amen, on the offensive end. There have been offensive highlights for Amen too, but defensively is where he’s surprised.
The Houston Rockets have not hesitated to give Amen challenging defensive assignments in Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and George. Those are difficult matchups for any player.
Amen has shown great ability to fight over screens and battle regardless of the situation.
In this video, he fights over the dribble-handoff for Durant, takes away any space and forces Durant to kick out the ball. Then, when Durant posts up and gets the ball back, Jeff Green shows a double-team and Amen jumps on the other side of Durant and strips him.
If for some reason you find yourself watching a Rockets game this season, pay attention to how active Amen is on the defensive end. He defends pick-and-rolls, rotates to stop drives and plays the passing lanes. He is second in deflections per game among rookies, and his bro is right behind him in third.
The offseason will be busy for the twins. Their 3-point shooting, which has been horrific this season, needs to be an area of improvement. Ausar is shooting 18.6 percent from beyond the arc, and Amen is at 15.7 percent.
Some other rookies deserve a quick mention. Brandin Podziemski has been great at drawing charges for the Golden State Warriors. Bilal Coulibaly of the Washington Wizards has been consistent on both ends of the court — more than what was expected of him before he was drafted. Gradey Dick is getting opportunities, and it’s paying off for the Toronto Raptors.
(Photo of Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Brandon Miller: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
