Rookies Get The Chance To Shine In Last Regular Season Game

Rookies all across the league made the most of newfound opportunity on the last day of the regular season.

The last day of the NBA’s regular season brought complete chaos. Every team was in action, and games were wrapped up by the early part of the evening. Outside of two contests with postseason implications, most games featured end of rotation players getting the bulk of the minutes. As a result, many of the league’s rotational players took the day off, leaving ample room for others to shine.

Rookies all across the association took advantage of this newfound opportunity to record gaudy stat lines:

Kenneth Lofton Jr., Memphis Grizzlies (Undrafted)

42 Points, 14 Rebounds, 17-25 Field Goals

For an undrafted guy, Lofton Jr. has really made a name for himself. We can trace his fame back to the FIBA U19 tournament back in the summer of 2021 in which he dropped 16 points to lead team USA over Victor Wembenyana’s French squad to win the gold medal. Since then, he’s been a star at Louisiana Tech, had dominant summer league performances, won G League Rookie Of The Year, earned a four-year NBA contract, and now set the 2022 rookie class single-game season high in scoring with 42 points.

Dominick Barlow, San Antonio Spurs (Undrafted)

21 Points, 19 Rebounds, 8-11 Field Goals

The NBA’s first real player out of the Overtime Elite, Barlow can do a lot for the program’s reputation. He got off to a good start with yesterday’s performance. The 6-foot-6 forward dropped 21 points on just 11 shots. Additionally, he grabbed 19 boards, falling one rebound shy of being the third rookie of the last decade to have a 20-20 game with points and rebounds.

Ousmane Dieng, Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 11)

22 Points, 8 Rebounds, 9 Assists

Like Lofton Jr., Dieng got his first career start last afternoon. The 6-foot-9 ball handler has had “jumbo creator” hype since his days with the New Zealand Breakers, and we finally saw some of these flashes materialize in Oklahoma City’s victory at Memphis. In a near triple-double, Dieng really showcased the unique skill set he can add to the Thunder’s young core.

Other Notable Performances:

Caleb Houstan, Orlando Magic (No. 32 Pick): 21 Points, 5-11 3 Pointers

Bryce McGowens, Charlotte Hornets (No. 40 Pick): 22 Points, 9-10 Free Throws

Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers (No. 6 Pick): 26 Points, 6 Assists

Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets (No. 15Pick): 22 Points, 10 Rebounds, 9-10 Field Goals

Jaden Hardy, Dallas Mavericks (No. 37 Pick): 25 Points, 5 Rebounds, 5 Assists

Malaki Branham, San Antonio Spurs (No. 20 Pick): 24 Points, 8-15 Field Goals

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