Draft Digest Roundtable: Biggest Rookie Steals From 2022 NBA Draft

Which rookies do the Draft Digest team think were the biggest draft steals at this point in the 2022-23 season?

Where players are selected in the NBA Draft never is linear to how successful their respective careers are. There's always players that are taken much higher than they should have, and others that end up being steals relative to their draft slot. From there, there's also a good portion of players that ultimately land exactly where they should have. 

This week, the Draft Digest team gives their thoughts on which rookies have been the biggest steals to this point in their first season. 

Derek Parker

Of course there were plenty of better overall players selected in the 2022 NBA Draft, Indiana's Andrew Nembhard best fits my ideal definition of "steal."

The rookie has averaged 8.0 points, 3.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds in just 26.3 minutes per game this season, shooting 47% from the floor and 38% from three. He's been more than a serviceable backup guard and could serve as a legitimate piece moving forward, be it for Indiana's future or another team in search of strong guard play. And all for the price of a second-round pick.

He isn't the upside swing several first rounders were, but he still projects to be a solid player for a long time. I think he'd garner looks just past the lottery, knowing what we know.

Nick Crain

After being one of the biggest risers in the pre-draft process, it already appears as if Thunder rookie Jalen Williams should have gone higher. Following being selected No. 12 overall in the recent draft, he's been a top ten rookie and is making the case for an NBA All-Rookie First Team nod. 

Winning the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month Award for October and November shows just how good he's been. Through his first 33 games of the season, Williams is fifth in points, fourth in assists, top 15 in rebounds and top 10 in steals per game among first year players. 

Bryce Simon

Andrew Nembhard was the first pick of the second round but finds himself in the top 10 in multiple rookie categories. He is seventh in minutes per game and those 26.3 per game are meaningful for an Indians Pacers team that is currently in the playoffs. 

Nembhard is also top 10 among rookies in points, 3-pointers made, assists and steals per game. Finally, he comes in eighth overall in Cerebro Sports' overall C-RAM metric. 

Based off what we have seen so far it would be safe to say that he would be a selection over other guards selected at the back end of the first round.

One other name to mention is Walker Kessler. It would be interesting if he would already move ahead of fellow big man Mark Williams, selected seven spots ahead of him, in a re-draft.

Arya Chawla

Jalen Duren has been the biggest steal to this point. In the 12 games since he’s been inserted into the starting lineup, he’s been averaging nearly nine points and over eleven rebounds on incredible efficiency. 

He’s a monstrous athlete with a quietly advanced skillset, making him a budding two-way force. The former Memphis Tigers center would certainly not fall to pick 13 again in a hypothetical re-draft. Instead, he would be picked closer to the top five, as he originally should’ve been on draft night.

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