We are only three games into the NBA season, but the 2022-23 NBA rookie class is already making its mark, including two players from the Detroit Pistons.
In addition to watching Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren for three games, the Pistons have gotten to see both Bennedict Mathurin and Paolo Banchero, who are currently first and second in scoring among rookies.
Banchero in particular looks like a star right now, and considering he is still only a teenager, that’s pretty impressive.
But fans of the Detroit Pistons are excited that the team may have ended up with two of the top five guys, as both Ivey and Duren have looked great so far.
But where do they stand in current rookie rankings?
Detroit Pistons: NBA rookie scoring leaders
Here are the top five rookies in scoring as of right now, you may recognize a few names on this list:
- Bennedict Mathurin: 24 ppg
- Paolo Banchero: 23.3 ppg
- Jaden Ivey: 17.7 ppg
- Jabari Smith: 13.3 ppg
- Jalen Duren: 9.3 ppg
It’s only been three games of course but you have to be impressed by what Mathurin and Banchero have done so far.
But Jaden Ivey isn’t far behind at 17.7 points per game and the biggest surprise may be that Jalen Duren, the NBA’s youngest player, is in the top-5 in rookie scorers after three games.
This bodes well for the Pistons, who are hoping to take the next step in the restoration this season and now look to have three potential stars to build around.
NBA rookie rebounding leaders
Here are the top five rookies in rebounding after the first week of the season:
- Paolo Banchero: 8.7 rpg
- Walker Kessler: 8.0 reg
- Jalen Duren: 7.7 rpg
- Bennedict Mathurin: 6.3 rpg
- Jabari Smith: 6.3 rpg
You once again have to be impressed with Banchero, who is in the top five of pretty much every category right now for rookies and leads them all in rebounding.
But Banchero also leads all rookies in minutes, which is what makes Jalen Duren’s rebounding numbers so impressive, as he is playing 13 fewer minutes per game than Banchero, putting up these numbers in only 21 minutes per game.
Once Duren cracks the starting five and playing 30 minutes per game, he’s going to be a double double machine.
NBA rookie assist leaders
Jaden Ivey is dominating this category, and after watching him for only three games, I’d be shocked if he didn’t lead all rookies in assists this season:
- Jaden Ivey: 6 apg
- Paolo Banchero: 3.3 app
- Bennedict Mathurin: 2 apg
- Christian Braun: 1.7 apg
- Walker Kessler: 1.7 apg
Ivey has nearly double the assist total of the next closest guy, and would have even more if his teammates could finish some of the looks he has gotten them around the rim.
Ivey is also tied for the lead in steals, while Duren is third in blocks, again, while playing far fewer minutes than the guys ahead of him.
Not everything has gone well for the Detroit Pistons so far this season, but the rookies are ahead of schedule and are giving fans hope that this long stint of being terrible is finally almost over.