Draft Digest Rookies of the Week: Jalen Williams and Jaden Ivey Shine After the Break

Each week, the Draft Digest team picks an NBA rookie from each conference as the best player of the week.

Since the NBA All-Star break, several rookies have taken their game to a new level. Following a reset, it's always a good opportunity to turn a new page and elevate production.

Who brought home the hardware this week?

Eastern Conference

Jaden Ivey (Detroit Pistons)

Stats Since Last Week: 3 GP | 17.7 PPG| 5.3 APG | 5.7 FTA | 43.8% 3PT

Despite making the biggest mistake of his NBA career thus far and calling a timeout late in a game against the Chicago Bulls when the Pistons were out of them, Ivy has been one of the best rookies in the league since the break.

Jaden Ivey tried to call a timeout before Pistons final possession... but they didn't have any 😅 pic.twitter.com/yH7CEQoEnd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 2, 2023

As the season goes on, he's gotten progressively better on both ends, and averaged nearly 18 points per game over the past three games. When Cade Cunningham returns next season, Ivey should be ready to elevate Detroit's play alongside him.

Western Conference

Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Stats Since Last Week: 5 GP | 19.4 PPG| 5.0 APG | 4.6 RPG | 41.2% 3PT

An underrated defender, Williams has notched the most steals of any rookie this season and is top 10 in blocks. Leveraging his 7-foot-2 wingspan, he's extremely disruptive on that end. This has earned him a 78 DSI as a rookie according to Cerebro Sports.

In the absence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in recent games, Williams has also stepped up as a primary scorer. In fact, he's scored 20 or more points in five of his last nine games.

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.