Detroit’s Jaden Ivey has made a fine start to his NBA career thus far. Photo: Getty Images.

We’re a month into the NBA season and that means it’s time to take stock of this year’s batch of rookies with the return of our monthly Rookie Rankings.

Prior to the season starting we were robbed of the chance to watch the ‘proto-Wembanyama’ in Chet Holmgren due to a Lisfranc fracture.

It’s so unfair on Chet – a true unicorn – that he won’t debut in the NBA until a player that does what he does, only better, Victor Wembanyama, takes his bow.

That doesn’t mean we haven’t seen some exciting play from these rooks, though.

Paolo Banchero’s debut was LeBron-like, Bennedict Mathurin is a Sixth Man of the Year candidate and Shaedon Sharpe gives us all Vince Carter flashbacks.

This class contains some very real top-end talent.

1. Paolo Banchero – Orlando Magic

The first overall pick has lived up to even the most hyperbolic predictions to this point in his rookie campaign.

On opening night Banchero became the first rook to begin his career with at least 25 points, five boards and five assists since LeBron did it back in 2003.

A 33-point, 16-rebound effort against Sacramento saw him become just the second teenager to ever post a 30/15 line (again, LeBron is the other to do so) and his sideline game is as flashy as his on-court product.

Banchero is currently sitting with a left ankle sprain, but prior to his injury was averaging 23.8 points, 8.3 boards and 3.6 assists.

There are five other players currently hitting those numbers in this young season and they’re all superstars: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Pascal Siakam, LeBron James and Joel Embiid.

Heady company, indeed.

2. Bennedict Mathurin – Indiana Pacers

Banchero might have a shot at being an All-Star as a rookie – something not even LeBron managed – but Mathurin has a legitimate chance of taking home non-rookie-related silverware at the end of the season.

The rookie is yet to start a game so far, even after starting wing Chris Duarte went down, though he does play starter’s minutes (28.2 per game) for the Pacers.

His 19.9 points per game currently leads the entire league in bench scoring and he’s doing it on highly-efficient 46/45/83 shooting splits. He would have to be the early favourite for Sixth Man of the Year.

That 45.3 per cent shooting from beyond the arc is surely going to normalise at some point, but it does demonstrate the accomplished three-level scorer that Mathurin already is.

We won’t spoil the vibes by talking about Mathurin’s defence at this point.

3. Jaden Ivey – Detroit Pistons

No, Ivey isn’t having the rookie seasons of Banchero or Mathurin, but he has put forward a damn fine performance thus far.

The explosive fifth overall selection is posting 16.1 points, an even five rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals.

His athleticism has come as advertised, he’s already absorbing contact at the rim from bigger, more conditioned bodies and he’s able to maintain his shape and balance. He’s also just so incredibly fast.

Ivey was expected to be able to score fairly well as a rookie and his athletic gifts meant that he would likely help out on the glass.

The concerns with him were playmaking and defence, but he’s already far more advanced as a creator than many anticipated, as evidenced by his 4.1 assists (he also leads all rookies in potential assists).

His steal numbers are not coming from reckless gambles, either. He’s using his angles cleverly, playing solid positional defence and then letting his athleticism simply overwhelm opponents.

The fire to Cade Cunningham’s ice, Detroit’s backcourt is set in stone for a long, long time.

4. Keegan Murray – Sacramento Kings

The surprise fourth overall selection shone in the Summer League, leading some to speculate that he could win the Rookie of the Year.

Murray hasn’t quite lived up to those proclamations, though he’s been very good all the same.

After starting the first two games of his career on the bench, Kings coach Mike Brown very quickly realised that Murray is already a starting calibre player.

Outside of a small slump (that, it was later revealed, coincided with his grandmother suffering a stroke whilst in attendance at one of his games), Murray has been a rock solid tertiary option for Sacramento.

His shooting – 2.3 three pointers at 37.5 per cent – has helped space the floor for the dynamic De’Aaron Fox/Domantas Sabonis combination that has powered the Kings’ solid start.

Defensively he’s been fine and he has flashed some of the off-the-bounce game that served him so well at Iowa.

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5. Shaedon Sharpe – Portland Trailblazers

There were legitimate concerns surrounding Sharpe coming into the draft.

The London, Ontario native had wilfully withdrawn from his lone collegiate season at Kentucky, leading to speculation about his maturity, his NBA readiness and, given scouts didn’t get to see him play against high-level collegiate opposition, just how good a basketballer he actually was.

As it turns out, he’s really quite good.

Sharpe doesn’t do a whole lot outside of score at this point. Then again, he wasn’t expected to: Sharpe is a pure bucket getter.

He’s shooting a white hot 46.7 per cent from deep thus far – that will regulate somewhat as the season progresses – and is already putting together a highlight reel to be envied.

6. Jabari Smith Jr – Houston Rockets

Smith was never meant to be a superstar. The attraction in drafting Smith was that you were getting an uber role player – a vastly overqualified second banana.

What piqued the interests of scouts was Smith’s combination of elite shooting and defence, combined with just enough juice off the bounce to take over when needed.

After a decent first few outings, practically none of those factors have shone through.

Defensively, the 6’10” Smith has proven too weak to stand up to other power forwards either on the block or on the move.

His rebounding and shot blocking numbers are fine on the surface, though when watching him play you just don’t see him rebound in traffic or make difficult rejections.

Offensively that jumper still looks smooth as silk but the ball just won’t go in the hole right now.

Smith is shooting just 30 per cent from deep and 32 per cent from the floor overall.

To be fair to the young man, he is a player that is reliant on others setting him up and his Rockets may be the single worst team in the NBA at moving the rock.

I’m sure that Smith will improve as the season progresses. Frankly, he’d want to.

7. Walker Kessler – Utah Jazz

When the Jazz shipped out Rudy Gobert it was expected that they would struggle to protect the paint without the NBA’s premier defensive big man on side.

One of the army of players they received for the three-time Defensive Player of the Year looks to have already staked his claim to being Utah’s long term defensive anchor.

Kessler is playing just south of 15 minutes per game so far, but is leading all rookies in blocks per game (1.6).

His per-36-numbers are 13.5 points, 13 rebounds, 3.9 (!) blocks and if he’s putting up those sorts of numbers in a few years’ time, the Jazz will have themselves yet another All-Defense big man, following in the footsteps of Gobert, Mark Eaton and Andrei Kirilenko.

8. Tari Eason – Houston Rockets

Eason is making himself very, very difficult to leave on the pine.

The energetic rookie is settling into his role as a high-end 3-and-D role player.

He is fourth in the entire NBA in deflections per 36 minutes and leads all rookies in FiveThirtyEight‘s catch-all RAPTOR metric.

Eason is already an accomplished thief, averaging 1.5 steals a game in just 18 minutes a night, whilst at the other end he’s shooting a red-hot 41.4 per cent from beyond the arc.

With the array of young offensive talent scattered around the Rockets roster, Eason brings something different – and vital – to Houston’s rebuilding effort.

9. Jeremy Sochan – San Antonio Spurs

Jeremy Sochan’s Summer League and pre-season performances must have had Spurs brass at least privately concerned, such were the US-born Pole’s struggles.

Come the real games, though, and Sochan has looked the goods. He’s like a compressed spring, ready to uncoil at any opportunity and is energy all over the floor is a bellwether for these young Spurs.

He’s willing to guard anybody and everybody, too.

In a game against Minnesota, he marked Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards and Gobert for extended stretches.

At 6’8” with underrated strength, boundless enthusiasm, dyed hair and the No.10 on his jersey, there is a temptation to draw comparisons to Dennis Rodman.

They’re very different players, though and the Spurs will hope that they’re quite different away from the court, too.

10. Jalen Duren – Detroit Pistons

Duren won’t impact the Rookie of the Year race thanks to an almost comically low usage rate.

What he has done to this point, though, is prove himself to be an elite rebounder and an intimidating rim protector.

One the youngest players in the entire league (he recently turned 19), Duren is averaging 7.4 boards and 1.2 blocks in just 21 minutes a night, which translates to 12.5 rebounds and an even two blocks per 36 minutes – that’s young Dwight Howard levels of production.

Now, with starting centre Isaiah Stewart out for the next fortnight or so with a toe injury, Duren will get his chance to play extended minutes and really show what he is capable of.

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