Although it was initially believed that the freshman class of 2022 He could have lower numbers than in previous years, but the passing of the games helped dispel that belief. After the month of February, the intense fight that will take place for her Rookie of the Year. Some of them are even starting to look like the best franchise values under reconstruction and others to comply key roles in the rise of teams.
With that in mind, the wording nba of Sports news choose his five favorites for Rookie of the Year expired in February. The grading system is very simple: 1st gets 5 points. the 2nd, 4; and so on.
Click here to see the votes and positions
#5 – Jeremy Sohan
- Statistics in February: 11.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists
Although he has not played a large number of games this February, the trend with the Polish player has him re-entering this ranking. Sochan is one of the hidden gems of this Draft class, an outfielder with tremendous defensive ability and gradually contributing more to the defense.
Since it started in 2023 on average 12.1 points on 42.6% shooting from the field, 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.7 steals. Discreet numbers, but no less relevant for that, reaching the 30-goal ceiling against the Suns and his two-game 5-assist streak.
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#4 – Walker Kessler
- Statistics in February: 10.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.2 blocks
The best interior of this Draft leaves the Utah Jazz as winners of the Rudy Gobert transfer. Young Kessler is the fifth who has the most blocks per night in the entire NBA despite playing 21.6 minutes. In fact, he is on his way to sign one of the best shooting seasons per 100 possessions and per 36 minutes by a rookie.
The Utah kicker is shooting just 58.7%, putting him on par with Defensive Player of the Year candidates like Jaren Jackson Jr (54.5%) or Nic Claxton (58.7%).
All this in a league that is anything but benevolent with interiors as great as Kessler’s, which exemplifies his high level.
#3 – Keegan Murray
- February statistics: 11.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.9 steals
Murray has been overlooked by many this season, being overshadowed by the Kings’ outstanding performance, but the #4 pick in the latest Draft has proven to be a very interesting rookie so far. The forward is on track to have one of the best outside hitting campaigns for a rookie, connecting on 41.4% of his 3-pointers.
And not only that, since Murray is projected to end up as the rookie with the most 3-pointers in historysurpassing Donovan Mitchell’s 187 in 2018. Averaging 2.5 turnovers and with 19 games to go, the Kings player could make his mark on a year to remember for the organization.
#2 – Benedict Mathurin
- February Stats: 13.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists
The Pacers player continues to lose strength as the season progresses, making it clear that what appeared in January was more of a mirage. Maturin is gone from average 19.5 points last month to just 14.1 in a significantly lower volume of play. His long-range efficiency has improved, but his contribution in other areas that don’t have as much to do with scoring has suffered.
Mathurin will remain in contention for the award, being the favorite to finish second, but it is clear that the season is long for the guard.
#1 – Paolo Bansero
- February Stats: 16.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists
Paolo Banchero’s worst month of the season was without a doubt. The Orlando Magic big man took a relative step back in February as a result of his poor three-point shooting performance. The #1 number of the last Draft has just been converted 1 of his 30 long range attemptsto which an improvable must be added 43% shooting from two.
These records correspond to a logical evolution in his game, as Banchero has had to shoulder more responsibility in attack while opponents have defended him with more respect. Orlando is on the rise and the outfield continues to make progress toward Rookie of the Year honors.
votes and positions
seats
| pos. | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paolo Bansero | twenty |
| 2 | Benedict Mathurin | 16 |
| 3 | Keegan Murray | eleven |
| 4 | Walker Kessler | 8 |
| 5 | Jeremy Sohan | 4 |
| 6 | Jaylen Williams | 1 |
voting
| pos. | Augustine Aboy (@AboyAgustin) | Sergio Rabinal (@S_Rabinal) | Juan Estevez (@JuanEstevez90) | Leandro Fernandez (@FernandezLea) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paolo Bansero | Paolo Bansero | Paolo Bansero | Paolo Bansero |
| 2 | Benedict Mathurin | Benedict Mathurin | Benedict Mathurin | Benedict Mathurin |
| 3 | Walker Kessler | Keegan Murray | Keegan Murray | Keegan Murray |
| 4 | Keegan Murray | Jeremy Sohan | Walker Kessler | Walker Kessler |
| 5 | Jaylen Williams | Walker Kessler | Jeremy Sohan | Jeremy Sohan |
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
