NBA Rookie power rankings: Ausar Thompson right in the mix
NBA Rookie power rankings week 1
#4: Victor Wembanyama
This might be the last week Wembanyama is ranked this low, as we’ve already seen some “holy s***” plays from the Rookie of the Year frontrunner. There are really only two things that can stop him from winning this award: The Spurs holding him out of games to keep him healthy and the fact that the Spurs might be really bad. They got smoked by 40 points in their last game and the Clippers were able to hold the rookie in check.
Wembanyama is filling the stat sheet, averaging 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1,7 blocks and 4.7 turnovers per game. He’s only shooting 44 percent from the floor, lower than you would expect for someone his size, and a mere 23 percent from 3-point range on over four attempts per game.
The scary part is that he hasn’t even played that well yet, so these numbers are really the baseline for what Wembanyama will be this season, but he does have a big target on his back after all of the hype, so expect teams to make him a focus.
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#3: Brandon Miller
Brandon Miller has a solid argument to be at the top of this list, as he is leading all rookies in scoring with 17.3 points per game, is 4th in rebounding and second in efficiency. He’s shooting 47 percent from the floor and just under 44 percent from long range.
He looked like the best Hornet on the floor in their recent loss to the Pistons and has been everything Charlotte was hoping for when they made him the second pick in the 2023 draft.
He only falls to three because the two guys ahead of him have been slightly more impactful overall and are on better teams so far, though that could certainly change from week to week.