Draft Digest Rookies of the Week: Paolo Banchero and Shaedon Sharpe See Productive Weeks

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.

With just under two weeks until postseason, this is the penultimate edition of this series for the regular season. It’s been a solid rookie class this season, with many players getting much better over the course of the season.

Once the regular season ends, rookies that make the playoffs will truly be put to the test, playing on a much bigger stage. In the meantime, everyone has a few more opportunities to solidify their case for an NBA All-Rookie Team.

Who brought home the hardware this week?

Eastern Conference

Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic)

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Stats Since Last Week: 2 GP | 17.4 PPG| 10.0 RPG | 4.5 APG | 50% 3PT

All season long, Banchero has been the best rookie in this class. However, there's always room for improvement. During many stretches of this season, the Magic rookie has been extremely inefficient. While he nearly always scores a ton of points, it can sometimes be on very high volume relative to his output of points.

This has been especially true from beyond the arc, as he's gone through parts of the year as one of the worst 3-point shooters in the NBA. He shot the ball well from deep this week, converting on half of his attempts. 

Getting it done on both ends, Banchero is the only rookie in this class to notch at least a 75 PSP and 70 DSI this season according to Cerebro Sports. Not only is he scoring, but he's showing upside on the defensive end as well. 

Western Conference

Shaedon Sharpe (Portland Trail Blazers)

Darren Yamashita / USA TODAY Sports

Stats Since Last Week: 4 GP | 25.3 PPG| 8.3 APG | 4.3 RPG | 50% 3PT

With Damian Lillard shut down for the season and Anfernee Simons out with an injury, Sharpe has really taken his game to a different level of late. He led all rookies in scoring this week, with over 100 points through four games. 

Not only did he score, but he also showcased incredible passing upside. Sharpe shot well from beyond the arc too, knocking down 50% of his triples on high volume. 

It will be hard to maintain this level of production next season with the roster fully healthy, but the rookie has stepped up as Portland's best player down the stretch of the 2022-23 campaign. 

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