Looking Ahead: Next Steps for NBA’s Top Three Rookies
As the 2023-24 NBA season comes to a close this month, members of this rookie class will call an end to their first season. As they embark on the rest of their NBA journeys, they’ll need to continue to develop and define their careers. For the top three rookies from this past season, these developments are even more crucial.
Here’s one thing each of the top three rookies will need to work on as they take their next steps.
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs: Shot Selection
After a historically unprecedented Rookie Of The Year campaign, there isn’t much to nitpick about Wembanyama’s game. He’s already well on his way to NBA dominance. However, he can work to increase the quality of his shot diet. He had a season True Shooting Percentage of just 56.5%, which isn’t bad by any means. However, as a 7-foot-4 unstoppable physical force, he has a lot of room to plausibly improve his efficiency through taking higher percentage looks. Moving forward he can look to take more shots closer to the basket as well as more assisted attempts as he continues to ascend amongst the NBA’s best.
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder: Strength
For the Rookie Of The Year runner-up, the biggest weakness of his game is clear. It’s almost become cliche to suggest that Holmgren needs to add strength, but that doesn’t make it any less true. He excels at protecting the rim, but can be susceptible to getting overpowered down low and on the boards due to a lack of strength. More muscle would also allow Holmgren to add a new dimension to his game in terms of overpowering smaller matchups.
Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets: Defense
As Miller looks to help lead the Hornets out of their playoff drought, he needs to set the tone. He did a great job as a rookie to step up as a vocal leader and set the tone in terms of intensity. To further these efforts, he should look to leverage his physical tools into more consistent defensive impact. Over the course of the year, he had many stretches of impactful defense, but this success always seemed to wane eventually.
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