Draft Digest Rookies of the Week: Scoring Outbursts Showcase Upside of Two Offensive-Minded Players
Each week, the Draft Digest team picks an NBA rookie from each conference as the best player of the week.
Being an impactful rookie goes beyond scoring, as playing well on both ends and filling the right role is key. Even then, there are sometimes performances in the scoring department that cannot be denied. That's been the case for two rookies in particular of late, who have found ways to generate buckets in a hurry, albeit on teams that struggle to win.
Who brought home the hardware this week?
Eastern Conference
Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets)
© Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Stats Since Last Week: 6 GP | 25.0 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 2.2 APG | 42.9% 3PT
The Hornets were sellers at the deadline, which will only continue to benefit Brandon Miller. He has already emerged as a primary scorer despite being a rookie in Charlotte, but now will have even more opportunity to be a volume shooter with players like PJ Washington, Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier and others no longer on the roster.
Scoring is what Miller is best at, which continues to become increasingly evident as he's become a regular 20-point scorer already. The remainder of this season may not matter in terms of wins and losses for the Hornets, but will provide valuable reps for the dynamic wing.
Western Conference
GG Jackson (Memphis Grizzlies)
© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Stats Since Last Week: 5 GP | 15.6 PPG | 4.6 RPG | 1.2 BPG | 42.0% FG
The youngest player in the entire NBA, GG Jackson has immense upside, but still slipped to the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft. He was one of the best high school prospects in the country before one season at South Carolina, but had an underwhelming freshman season. This played out in favor of Memphis, who appears to have a potential cornerstone piece if he can continue to round out his game on both ends.
Knocking down 38.3% of his triples as a rookie, Jackson has earned a 77 3PE from Cerebro Sports so far this season. He's much more than a perimeter shooter though, with legitimate three-way scoring upside that is being flashed much earlier than expected in year one. In fact, the 19-year-old scored 27 points in a game earlier this week.
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.