NBA Draft: How Many Rookies Will Be Starters Next Season?
The Oklahoma City Thunder made a splash in the 2022 NBA Draft, taking three prospects in the lottery. With that in mind, rookies typically need to prove quite a bit to get real minutes in their first NBA season.
NBA Draft expert Jonathan Wasserman recently predicted which rookies taken in the first round of the recent draft will be primary starters next season. Even with younger players making early impacts in the modern NBA, he only pinned nine rookies to be in a starting role during the 2022-23 season.
- Paolo Banchero (Orlando)
- Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City)
- Jabari Smith Jr. (Houston)
- Keegan Murray (Sacramento)
- Jaden Ivey (Detroit)
- Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana)
- Tari Eason (Houston)
- Malaki Branham (San Antonio)
- Walker Kessler (Utah)
One of these rookies is Thunder center Chet Holmgren. Wasserman pegged Holmgren as a player that will be a play finisher and secondary featured option. He expects the 7-footer to play at least 30 minutes per night and affect the game offensively from the perimeter and defensively near the rim.
The NBA Rookie of the Year award always goes to a starter in a larger role, meaning these nine prospects could have the best shot at winning. Additionally, these prospects would be good candidates to make an NBA All-Rookie team, which highlights the ten best first-year players.
Overall, Holmgren being a primary piece of the Thunder rotation as a rookie would be an extremely impressive accomplishment.
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