As the season wraps up and teams fight for playoff seeding, it’s time to dive into awards. We’ll start with the All-Rookie teams.
Keep in mind that the new 65-game limit doesn’t apply to All-Rookie teams. They’re positionless, too.
All-Rookie First Team
Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets)
Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)
Chet Holmgren (OKC Thunder)
Cason Wallace (OKC Thunder)
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat)
Those first three will likely make up the top three of the Rookie of the Year standings. We’ll cover Wembanyama and Holmgren more when we get to that award, but I think it’s fair to say that they’re two of the best rookies we’ve seen in recent years.
Miller, like Wemby, is the rare rookie that has taken on a massive offensive load for a terrible team and maintained a respectable efficiency. His 51.9 effective field goal percentage isn’t outstanding, but he’s had to create a lot of his own shots. He’s averaging 17 a game and scoring from all three levels.
Wallace and Jaquez are valuable role players for contending teams. Wallace is one of the unsung heroes of the Thunder’s success, coming off the bench as their sixth man and sometimes starting second halves in place of Lu Dort. He’s shooting 42 percent from three and 58 percent from inside the arc — excellent efficiency.
He’s also a very, very good defender who can handle difficult assignments. He’s a defensive weapon, rather than prey to be hunted. The Thunder have needed his 20 minutes a game off the bench and will need him more in the playoffs.
Jaquez isn’t shooting threes as well as he did early in the year, but he’s been a consistent presence for the Heat throughout the year. His size and strength give them lineup versatility, and his bully-ball game has been a nice source of offense. When he creates a shot directly from a post-up, the Heat have scored 1.26 points per possession — fourth among 76 players.
All-Rookie Second Team
Dereck Lively II (Dallas Mavericks)
Brandin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors)
Keyonte George (Utah Jazz)
Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets)
Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons)
Lively nearly made my first team. He’s been a revelation for the Mavericks, a crucial ingredient for their push to make the Western Conference’s top six. His ability to be a lob threat for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving changed the scope of the team, and while he has his weaknesses defensively, his rim protection numbers are above-average.
Unfortunately, he’s only played 55 games and could be out for the remainder of the regular season. Daniel Gafford had taken his starting spot anyway.
Podziemski took Klay Thompson’s starting spot for a stretch of time and seized it, shooting well from three and finding ways to score a variety of floaters inside the arc. He fits the Warriors’ ball movement system — tough for any rookie — and has held up on defense, though he is a guy that opposing stars target. He’s now coming off the bench again.
George is your classic case of a high-usage, low-efficiency rookie guard who struggles defensively. His season isn’t all that different from Scoot Henderson’s — they’re both among the least efficient scorers in the NBA, turn the ball over a ton, and make mistakes defensively. It’s all normal stuff for rookie guards. I chose George over Henderson because his efficiency is meaningfully better (47% eFG compared to 43%) and because he was a contributor to Utah’s success early in the season.
The Thompson twins both deserve a spot. Amen is a lock. His insertion into the starting lineup has been a catalyst for Houston’s rampaging win streak after Alperen Sengun went down. Amen does everything — he brings the ball up, he sets screens and rolls to the rim, he flies in from the weak side for dunks. He can guard anybody on defense. Sometimes that means he’s on the opposing center, other times he’s on the primary option.
Ausar is out for the season, but he plays winning basketball for a losing team and already is an elite perimeter defender. Detroit is five points better defensively with him on the court. He envelops opposing scorers with his athleticism and ability to recover. He’s one of the best Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defenders.
Plus, Ausar is a heady offensive connector and rim threat. He’d be better served on a team that accommodated his strengths. Both twins have a lot of room to grow from the perimeter.
Honorable mentions
Henderson was the first cut; he’s flashed impressive playmaking skills, but he has a long way to go toward being a productive NBA player.
Trayce Jackson-Davis plays like a longtime NBA vet for the Warriors and has taken Kevon Looney’s rotation spot. He has instant chemistry with Chris Paul and, like Podziemski, fits Golden State’s movement offense.
Bilal Coulabily was a bright spot for the porous Wizards with his hounding defense; hopefully his shooting improves. The same goes for Portland’s Toumani Camara. Gradey Dick has sharpshooter skills for Toronto and has looked increasingly comfortable lately. Jordan Hawkins provides instant spacing for the contending Pelicans.
Anthony Black credibly started games for the Magic earlier in the year and didn’t look out of place as a perimeter stopper. Ben Sheppard has settled into a three-and-D role off the bench for the Pacers. (Jarace Walker and his physical defense isn’t far behind.)
GG Jackson, a second round pick, has been a success story for the injury-riddled Grizzlies, taking tough defensive assignments and confidently launching shots — with respectable efficiency, too. He’d be on here if he had played more than 42 games.
The same goes for Cam Whitmore, who took time to settle in but has been productive since cracking Houston’s rotation. He doesn’t shy away from conflict and has never met a shot he doesn’t like. His blinding speed and chemistry with Houston’s other young guns (Thompson, Jalen Green) created a fleet-footed whirlwind of a second unit.
Final shoutouts to Portland’s 27-year-old stretch five Duop Reath and Cleveland’s bench cooker point guard Craig Porter Jr., who helped keep the Cavs afloat amid injuries.