Draft Digest Rookies of the Week: Banchero and Murray Emerge as Franchise Altering Talents
Each week, the Draft Digest team picks an NBA rookie from each conference as the best player of the week.
Given the season started in the middle of the week, we waited to give out the award until a full week of action had unfolded. It’s already clear that there’s a ton of talent in this class, as it’s already shaping up to be one of the deepest we’ve seen in recent years.
Who brought home the hardware this week?
Eastern Conference
Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic)
Brett Davis / USA TODAY Sports
Stats Since Last Week: 5 GP | 24.0 PPG | 7.6 RPG | 3.2 APG| 1.6 BPG
Banchero has emerged as one of the most impressive rookies in recent history as it relates to starting an NBA career. Not only did he become the first player since LeBron James to produce 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in his debut game, but the Duke product also is one of just seven players in history to score 20 or more points in their first five career games.
The biggest question about Banchero entering the NBA was his defense, which already looks much better than it did in college. Using his size, strength and power, the rookie looks like a legitimate two-way contributor to this point.
Western Conference
Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings)
Darren Yamashita / USA TODAY Sports
Stats Since Last Week: 2 GP | 17.5 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 100 FT% | 43.8 3P%
There were questions about whether or not Murray was taken too early in the 2022 NBA Draft, but after what he's shown in Summer League and the regular season to this point, he appears to be well worth the No. 4 overall selection.
Although he's coming off the bench, Murray is playing a ton of minutes and is making an impact despite being a rookie. If the Kings are going to make the postseason, it will likely be due to him continuing to emerge as a huge contributor.
Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.