Draft Digest Rookie Ladder: Murray Climbs, Eason Reappears
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As we near the NBA All-Star break, the league’s newest class continues to make their mark.
Following a scorching performance versus the rising Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento's Keegan Murray has again jumped back up to No. 4 on the ladder, helping the blazing Kings to seven wins in their last eight tries.
Over the last week, Murray has averaged 18.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, including a 29-point, 10-for-12 shooting performance versus Oklahoma City and 20 points versus the Grizzlies. Murray shot 5-for-7 from 3-point land in both games.
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Trailing Murray at No. 5 is Jalen Williams, who appears to have hit the opposition’s scouting reports, as all valuable rookies eventually do.
Houston’s Tari Eason has against appeared on the list after a hiatus. Eason was hot to start the year, but has seen sporadic production for the bottom-ranked Rockets. Of late, he’s seen more consistent playing time and it’s yielded results: three double-digit scoring performances in his last five games on just under 50 percent shooting.
Perhaps most importantly, Eason has hit four of his seven 3-point attempts in that span.
Other risers include Utah’s Walker Kessler, who has continued his strong play with added opportunity.
The top again remains unchanged, with Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin and Detroit’s Jaden Ivey holding the top three spots. The top two, for now, have yet to be contested.
Here is the full Draft Digest rookie ladder:
1. Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
2. Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
3. Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons
4. Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
5. Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
6. Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz
7. Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets
8. Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs
9. AJ Griffin, Atlanta Hawks
10. Tari Eason, Houston Rockets
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