Draft Digest Rookies of the Week: Walker Kessler Drives Efficiency, Duren Dominates Glass

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.

Over the past seven days, rookie centers have started to get more comfortable on the floor and are making a huge impact on the game. Winning the battle on the glass is key in winning, meaning bigs are still extremely valuable. 

Who brought home the hardware this week?

Eastern Conference

Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons)

David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

Stats Since Last Week: 3 GP | 6.7 PPG| 14.7 RPG | 1.0 BPG | 50% FG

While Duren hasn’t been much of a factor in the scoring department, he’s been one of the best in the league on the boards this week. The rookie has pulled down 44 rebounds in his past three games.

Duren has notched a 79 ATR (Around the Rim) rating on the season while also eclipsing the 80 mark in DSI (Defense Stat Index) according to Cerebro Sports.

The youngest player in the NBA, Duren has an extremely high ceiling as a dominant big. Over the past week, those flashes have been increasingly evident.

Western Conference

Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz)

Rob Gray / USA TODAY Sports

Stats Since Last Week: 4 GP | 9.5 PPG| 9.8 RPG | 3.3 ORPG | 66.7% FG

Kessler’s role still hasn’t reached its peak as the Jazz navigate the direction of the team. However, he makes the most of the minutes he does get on the floor.

Over the past week, the 7-footer appeared in four games and knocked down over 65% of his shots from the floor. He’s also averaged a near double-double and has been a great on the offensive boards.

As the season goes on, Kessler continues to prove why he was a first-round pick.

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