Draft Digest Rookies of the Week: Pair of Guards Break Out Offensively
Each week, the Draft Digest team picks an NBA rookie from each conference as the best player of the week.
Over the past week, first-year players have already started to look more comfortable than the week prior. This should be expected for some of the premier rookies as the season goes on, continuing to establish themselves as key pieces of their respective franchises.
Although the NBA Rookie of the Year Award appears to be a two-man race between Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren at this point, there's been several other rookies that have shined recently.
Who brought home the hardware this week?
Eastern Conference
Marcus Sasser (Detroit Pistons)
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Stats Since Last Week: 3 GP | 18.3 PPG | 4.0 RPG | 3.3 APG | 44.4% 3PT
Although the Pistons are loaded at guard, Sasser has already found a way to earn minutes as a rookie. Since the start of the month, he's earned significantly more time on the court and has produced at an extremely high level.
In the past week alone, Sasser has notched two separate games with at least 22 points. In his most recent outing, he scored 26 points against the Milwaukee Bucks. He has also rebounded well for his position and dished the ball well during this stretch.
Western Conference
Jordan Hawkins (New Orleans Pelicans)
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Stats Since Last Week: 3 GP | 20.0 PPG | 4.3 RPG | 46.3% 3PT | 90.0% FT
After a slow start to the season offensively, Hawkins has really started to hit his stride. He's earned more opportunity due to injuries the Pelicans have faced and has proven himself.
In what was the best game of his career thus far, Hawkins scored 31 points against the Denver Nuggets this week while knocking down seven of his 14 triples. He's also been solid on the perimeter as a defender for a player of his experience. Hawkins has posted an 86 3PE and 69 DSI through eight games this season according to Cerebro Sports, which is indicative of how well he's shot the ball from deep and his ability to contain defensively.
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