Draft Digest Rookies of the Week: Kessler Continues to Impress, Griffin Lifts Hawks to Perfect Record

Who were the most impressive rookies across the NBA over the past week?

Each week, the Draft Digest team picks an NBA rookie from each conference as the best player of the week.

In most rookie classes, there’s always quite a few players that get selected outside of the lottery that end up being steals at their position. Furthermore, they’re typically drafted by teams that are looking to compete now or had a great record the year before.

This class already appears deep, with many first year talents making an impact.

Who brought home the hardware this week?

Eastern Conference 

AJ Griffin (Atlanta Hawks)

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Stats Since Last Week: 4 GP | 10.8 PPG | 2.5 RPG | 58.3% 3PT | 68.0% FG

Over the past week, Atlanta went 4-0 and got major contributions from Griffin. Despite being a rookie, he’s found ways to earn minutes and space the floor for the Hawks’ offense.

What most impressive are the numbers he’s put up in less than 20 minutes per game this week. He hasn’t needed major minutes to make an impact. During these past four games, Griffin has gone 7-of-12 from deep with his stepback game looking unguardable. His 77 3PE according to Cerebro Sports is one of the best in this class.

While he’s still been more of a role player that’s contributed as a scorer, the ceiling appears high. The Hawks made a quality pick in last summer’s draft on Griffin.

Western Conference 

Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz)

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Stats Since Last Week: 4 GP | 15.3 PPG| 13.3 RPG | 5.8 ORPG | 77.1% FG

Kessler has helped lead Utah to a 3-1 record this week, playing almost 30 minutes per game and being a primary piece of the rotation. He’s notched double-doubles in three of these four contests.

In what was likely Kessler’s best NBA game, he put together a 20-point and 20-rebound game against Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves this week.

One of the fastest rising rookies in this class, the 7-footer has found ways to dominate on both ends. He’s a rim protector and glass cleaner, which is of tremendous value for the Jazz.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.