Standout Rookies From The NBA’s Opening Week

In the first week of their NBA careers, which rookies have already made a name for themselves?

The NBA season kicked off this week with a Tuesday night double-header. First, the Denver Nuggets beat on the Los Angeles Lakers, then the Phoenix Suns got the best of the Golden State Warriors. While rookies like Maxwell Lewis made their debuts on opening night, neither game featured a prominent role from any first-year player. However, in the second leg of Wednesday night’s national television double-header, Victor Wembenyama and Dereck Lively II battled in their first NBA game as Lively II’s Dallas Mavericks defeated Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs.

Lively II came off the bench in this contest, but quickly earned his playing time, tallying 31 minutes in total. In this time, he scored 16 points and rallied in 10 boards, only missing one of his eight attempts from the field. In this seven-point win, the Mavericks outscored the Spurs by 20 points with Lively II on the court. He got inserted into the starting lineup for Dallas’ next game against the Nets. He finished this game with nine points and perfect shooting from the floor.

Wembanyama also made his long-awaited debut worth it in this game, recording 15 points. He followed this up with the highest scoring rookie performance thus far, though. On Friday night against the Houston Rockets, he put up 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.

Meanwhile, in Detroit, Ausar Thompson has been making serious noise for the Pistons. While not scoring at a high rate, the 6-foot-7 wing has been contributing in a big way. On the defensive end, he has already been a menacing force. In his debut game, he recorded five blocks. In the next match he filled the stat sheet with 13 boards and 6 assists. Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls he put up a similarly well-rounded performance, stacking up 12 boards and 5 assists. 

In addition to these three, many rookies have already caused ripples across the association. Chet Holmgren made news with his seven-block performance, Brandon Miller made an early statement with 17 points against Thompson and the Detroit Pistons, and Gradey Dick boasted a 16-point performance for the Toronto Raptors.

As the season unfolds, rookies will continue to break out as they find their footing in the league.

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