Draft Digest Rookies of the Week: Two Players Not Selected in 2023 NBA Draft Earn Top Honors
Each week, the Draft Digest team picks an NBA rookie from each conference as the best player of the week.
While the top picks in the class generally get the most coverage by the national media, there's been quite a few players taken in the second round or even undrafted that have started to become real contributors on their respective teams. On the flip side, some of those lottery picks that are most watched have also began to emerge as future All-Stars.
The NBA season is nearing the 25% mark, but there's still a long way to go. As this happens, more rookies will continue to make an impact around the league.
Who brought home the hardware this week?
Eastern Conference
Craig Porter Jr. (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Stats Since Last Week: 4 GP | 15.3 PPG | 5.8 APG | 3.0 RPG | 40% 3PT
The most recent rookie to emerge of late has been Craig Porter Jr., who has been a real difference maker in Cleveland. In fact, he put together a 21-point game against the Denver Nuggets this week in a big win. Porter hadn't shot many threes this season, but did knock down two of his five attempts from deep in his most recent contest. With each passing game, he continues to show more upside on the offensive end of the floor.
What makes the Cavaliers rookie so special is his defensive disruptiveness at the guard position. He's notched four steals this week, which isn't crazy for a player of his position. But his positional shot blocking is unique which is why he was also able to produce four blocks in the past four games.
Western Conference
Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder)
John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Stats Since Last Week: 3 GP | 23.3 PPG | 9.7 RPG | 2.7 BPG | 64.1% FG
At this point it's no surprise that Chet Holmgren is perhaps the best rookie in the NBA. He's been the second most productive player on an Oklahoma City team that has the most wins in the Western Conference. He had the best game of his young career this week, knocking down a turnaround triple as time expired in regulation to send a game against the Golden State Warriors to Overtime. Not only did the Thunder go on to win because of this shot, but the 7-footer scored 36 points in that contest along the way.
Holmgren's defense is real, which is why he's earned an 86 DSI according to Cerebro Sports as a rookie this season, second-highest of any first-year player. Between the ability to dominate the paint on defense while also being a wildly efficient offensive player, Holmgren has been special this season.
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