2022-23 NBA Awards Media Poll: All-Rookie Teams
Over the last few weeks, the NBA awards have been a hot topic of discussion around the NBA world.
The three finalists for each award were announced on Friday, April 14, but Fastbreak on FanNation has collected data from NBA media members around the country covering both the league at-large and individual teams.
These media members were asked to vote on their All-Rookie Teams this season with the voting process working as follows:
- 2 points for every first-team vote
- 1 points for every second-team vote
Below are the results from the voting that took place for the 2022-23 NBA All-Rookie teams at the conclusion of the regular season:
NBA All-Rookie First Team
Official results from Fastbreak on FanNation’s NBA Media Awards Polling 2022-23 - All-Rookie First Team
All-Rookie First Team Results: F Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), G/F Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder), C Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz), Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana Pacers), Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings)
This year’s rookie class was filled with high-level talents and the three finalists for Rookie of the Year in Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams and Walker Kessler were all selected to the All-Rookie First Team in the voting seen above, with Banchero and Williams receiving all 20 first team votes
Finishing the regular season leading all rookies in scoring (20.0 PPG) and field goals made (479), plus ranking second in total minutes played (2,430) and fourth in total rebounds (497), Paolo Banchero is the clear-cut favorite for Rookie of the Year and the Orlando Magic forward will undoubtedly be a unanimous select to the All-Rookie First Team.
Jalen Williams had a stellar rookie season with the Oklahoma City Thunder and made his impact felt on both ends of the floor, leading all rookies in the NBA in steals and ranking fourth in scoring.
With the Utah Jazz, Walker Kessler took over for three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and was a double-double machine. Kessler also proved he is a defensive anchor, as he not only led all rookies in blocked shots by a landslide, but he ended up ranking fourth in the league in blocks, trailing only Brook Lopez, Nic Claxton and the 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year in Jaren Jackson Jr.
Bennedict Mathurin and Keegan Murray round out the Top-5 in the voting for the All-Rookie First Team. Mathurin ranked second in the league this season in points scored off the bench for the Indiana Pacers and Murray set a new rookie record for threes made in a season with the Sacramento Kings.
NBA All-Rookie Second Team
Official results from Fastbreak on FanNation’s NBA Media Awards Polling 2022-23 - All-Rookie Second Team
All-Rookie Second Team Results: G Jaden Ivey (Detroit Pistons), G Andrew Nembhard (Indiana Pacers), F Jeremy Sochan (San Antonio Spurs), F Jabari Smith Jr. (Houston Rockets), C Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons)
Receiving the sixth-most All-Rookie points in the voting, Jaden Ivey ends up on the All-Rookie Second Team. With the Detroit Pistons this season, Ivey averaged 16.3 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 34.3 percent from three-point range.
Ivey finished the 2022-23 season ranking third in scoring (16.3 PPG), third in assists (5.2 APG), fourth in steals (61) and fourth in field goals made (409) out of all rookies.
Andrew Nembhard was a second-round pick by the Indiana Pacers, but he quickly stepped up alongside Tyrese Haliburton to serve a big role this season. Between his passing abilities and secondary playmaker abilities, Nembhard figures to be a key part of Indiana’s backcourt moving forward.
Jeremy Sochan from the San Antonio Spurs and Jabari Smith Jr. from the Houston Rockets each received 15 voting points for the All-Rookie teams. Sochan has shown flashes of his all-around potential in San Antonio and Smith Jr. has a chance to be a very good scoring weapon in Houston for many years to come, not to mention his length makes him a potential dangerous defender.
The final member of the All-Rookie Second Team is Jalen Duren from the Pistons, who has really impressed given his length and athleticism. Only 19-years-old, Duren still has plenty of room to grow, but he still managed to record 19 double-doubles and 31 starts this season.
