In honor of this week’s edition of Rookie Rankings running on Thanksgiving, it only seems fitting to think about what some of these teams have to be thankful for when it comes to their young players. For instance, the Indiana Pacers should be thankful for the fact that they have two rookies who could be starting for them right now in Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. Mathurin has Rookie of the Year potential and he’s still coming off the bench, but Nembhard has been starting and is making solid contributions on both ends of the floor.
The Orlando Magic should be thankful that at least right now it appears as though they nailed the No. 1 pick in taking Paolo Banchero. While Banchero is still sidelined with an ankle injury, he’s already proving to be far and away the best rookie this season. When you pair him with Franz Wagner, who also had a standout rookie season last year, the Magic seem to be forming an impressive young core. Teams like the Pistons should be thankful that the Kings passed on Jaden Ivey — though Keegan Murray is no slouch either — and the Trail Blazers should be grateful that Shaedon Sharpe is making such a strong impact off the bench already.
Now it’s time to break down this week’s NBA Rookie Rankings. Keep in mind that these rankings will reflect a rookie’s performance on a week-to-week basis only, not the collective season. These aren’t Rookie of the Year standings, but rather a reflection on what the player has done over the past week.
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