The end of the regular season brings to a close the initial campaign of this rookie class. It’s a time for reflection, an understanding of how far these players have grown over the course of the year. It’s also your final opportunity to yell, scream and fight over the Rookie of the Year.
No matter who wins, this was a unique battle. Cooper Flagg was handed a ton of responsibility in Dallas, took his bumps from the league, and responded with a force that won’t be forgotten. Kon Knueppel displayed an unexpected level of consistency for a better-than-expected Hornets team. Both had their historic moments, and the fact they competed against each other spoke volumes. The bigger picture, though, is both teams have to feel good about adding an important piece to their foundation.
Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg battled for Rookie of the Year all season long. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
As we turn the corner into Year 2, there is a responsibility to salute Year 1. Growth can be messy, but should never be ignored. This class left a mark on this season. The best players figured out how to problem-solve on the blow. Some players may have more questions to answer, but there is now an understanding of what they can do, how that may help their team going forward, and how they can get better in the offseason. Here’s a final look at what the top rookies did over the course of this year.
1. Kon Knueppel, Hornets
Knueppel is the first rookie in NBA history to lead the entire league in 3-pointers made (273). But the strength of his season has been his consistency: he led all rookies in 20-point games this season (36). That consistency opened the playbook up for Charlotte.
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One of my favorite things to track with the Hornets is how they force defenses to chase Knueppel off screens. Start him in the corner, set a flex screen with a pindown in the middle of the floor. Start him on the block, set a screen near the elbow and allow him to curl into space on the wing. Those actions give him the space to get to his shot, drive or flow into pick-and-roll.
No matter what, forcing a defense to chase Knueppel around the court has been a win for the Hornets offense.
And while the consistent shot has brought Knueppel to the dance, the secret sauce is in the footwork and drives.
Defenses seeing him moving toward the 3-point line will sell out to take away the shot. His footwork to plant and use a simple shot fake or a look at the rim opens up the drive to add a layer to his offensive attack.
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Knueppel’s ability to make shots has gotten the attention, but what comes after that is so important.
2. Cooper Flagg, Mavericks
No matter how loud the noise may have been coming in, Flagg managed to deliver a louder exclamation point on his first season. Flagg led the Mavericks in total points, rebounds, assists and steals, becoming the first rookie since Michael Jordan to lead his team in all of those categories. That’s something that should not be ignored, and neither should Flagg’s maturation.
His confidence and comfort stood out as the season progressed. An example of that was his left-hand drive. Looking for an opportunity to attack after Dallas calls a play, Flagg starts with a drive left, gets back right and, with a hesitation, gets back to his left hand again to turn the corner.
That aggression (14.5 drives per game post All-Star break, according to NBA.com’s tracking data) opened up the playbook for Dallas: get Flagg off-ball and get to the same result; run a pindown for Flagg at the elbow with the left side open; work to clear the left side of the floor. If a defender wants to go under on an early wide pindown, Flagg knows he can work to get back left with space and attack. If a play breaks down, you can see the trust he has attacking.
The other growth from Flagg came in the playmaking department.
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In pick-and-roll against the Clippers (below), Brook Lopez showed and Flagg immediately loaded up to hit Marvin Bagley on the roll. Dallas also used Flagg to attack matchups, but when he saw a small and didn’t want to switch, he still looked to attack and make a play. If bigs were in a drop, Flagg worked to set up an angle, attack the space and make a decision once the big engaged.
At the start of the season defenses threw different coverages at him to disrupt his rhythm. Those reps paid off over the course of the season because Flagg had an understanding of what a defense wanted to do.
3. VJ Edgecombe, 76ers
It seems easy to forget just how much Edgecombe was able to contribute in his rookie campaign. On one hand, it may speak to the talent involved at the top of the Rookie of the Year conversation. On the other, it may mute his overall impact.
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As much as we could talk about his attacks in transition and his ability to get buckets, my mind goes to his development off-ball. His consistent understanding of how to open things up when he is spaced on the perimeter speaks volumes: if someone else is in pick-and-roll, lifting from the corner to the wing to open up spacing, but also being ready to make defenses pay when they close out. This is the benefit of playing next to Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George: finding a way to attack the gaps they create.
On ball, Edgecombe found a greater comfort setting defenses up — fighting ball pressure, waiting for a screen to get set and navigating space — to get to his spot and take the shots he wanted.
Edgecombe finished the season with a 12-game stretch where he averaged 19.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists. The context of what this year’s version of the Sixers were demanded a different version of Edgecome than expected, and he delivered consistently all year long.
4. Dylan Harper, Spurs
If you look at the tracking data from NBA.com, it tells a story about what Harper was able to add to the Spurs during their unbelievable hot stretch to end the season. He shot 60.4% on 2s overall, 52.6% on pull-up 2s and 46.3% on above-the-break 3-pointers.
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On film, his poise and composure consistently stand out. And his ability to generate a paint touch or finish without a screen has been important to the Spurs’ offense.
Over the course of the season, Harper’s confidence grew in pick-and-roll. Accepting how a defense wanted to cover him, dealing with the pressure and refusing to get sped up. The mix of hesitations and ball control left defenses pressuring but also wondering why they were out of position as Harper rose up to shoot or finish. He wasn’t afraid to hit first, understanding it was not always necessary, but working to not let the defense recover.
There is a command that he consistently brings to the table which has allowed the Spurs to put 48 minutes of great guard play on the court.
5. Cedric Coward, Grizzlies
Depending on how you feel about the Grizzlies’ season or the back half of Coward’s campaign, it can be easy to forget the flashes he displayed on the court. Either way, Coward started the season shooting lights out from 3 and finished the season making 3s and getting buckets.
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Coward’s ability to contribute on both ends of the floor may have flown under the radar for some. His off-ball work consistently stood out. If defenses worked to deny, he had no issue cutting backdoor. If he was spaced on the perimeter and defenses helped, he had no issue relocating into space to get a pass for a shot.
On top of his ability to space off-ball, Coward developed a way to layer in drives to add to his ability to find gaps. The ability to quickly try and attack is something that should help him going forward.
Another area where he found comfort was getting to his spot in pick-and-roll. He has the shooting ability and the size, but being able to get to a pull-up 2 or 3 that he wants to take could speak volumes going forward.
6. Maxime Raynaud, Kings
There were two rookies who recorded consecutive 30-plus point games this season. One was Flagg, the other was —checks notes — Raynaud. It’s hard to run the tape back to the start and imagine the contributions Raynaud would give the Kings.
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Raynaud is one of 10 players in NBA history to record 800-plus points, 450-plus rebounds and shoot 55% in his first year. We’ve talked about his ability to screen and roll, but he finished the season shooting 74.6% in the restricted area. It was fun to watch Raynaud work in space in the second half of the season. More comfort attacking in space, willing to mix in more drives and shooting 39.4% from 3 (on low volume) could lead to him being a more complete player.
7. Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans
Fears likely has one of the more interesting rookie campaigns to digest. Early on he displayed a consistency that was unexpected, but the rookie wall knocked on the door and he regressed to a degree before finishing the season on fire. He scored 28.8 ppg in the month of April on 50.5% shooting from the field with 5.2 assists to deliver a reminder of the potential he has.
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There may be pushback against scoring guards, but Fears showcased a blend of skill, playmaking and bucket-getting that can’t always be taught. The shiftiness that Fears displayed both on-ball and off-ball should serve him well going forward. The biggest deal would be for him to bottle that into a form of consistency.
8. Collin Murray-Boyles, Raptors
The beauty of Murray-Boyles’ rookie campaign lied in the tasks he was asked to complete for the Raptors. If they needed him to play the 5 and screen and roll, that was never an issue. If they needed him to guard [insert star player name here], that was never an issue. If they needed him to drive, that was never an issue.
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The effort that CMB gave defensively always stood out when he was on the court. High activity, high ball pressure, and working to navigate screens and all around make sure the opponent did not have a good time. The little things matter and being relied on to bring them every night is not always something you expect from a rookie.
9. Derik Queen, Pelicans
Time will tell what Queen’s true impact ends up becoming, but there is little to doubt with the talent and potential. Queen finished the season with three straight double-doubles, including a 30-point, 22-rebound performance against Minnesota.
There is a skill and craft to Queen’s game. Footwork, patience and timing allow him to operate on drives and in the post. The passing continues to be the portion that should be bookmarked. If he can find the consistency defensively with his skill set, you can see the vision if you’re a Pelicans fan.
10. Ace Bailey, Jazz
Only time will tell the value of repetition and what it could mean for Bailey going forward. The most important thing is he got the opportunity to learn on the fly on both ends of the floor, and it will be on him to learn the lessons from this season. While the consistency may not have stuck, there is no doubt that Bailey gave the effort to improve offensively and defensively.
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The bucket-getting may have brought him to the dance, but he got a season of learning on the job under his belt. Shooting 40.3% from 3 over the month of March on 8.5 attempts let’s you know what could ultimately come together when all is said and done.
Honorable mentions: Tre Johnson, Wizards; Egor Dёmin, Nets; Hugo González, Celtics; Ryan Kalkbrenner, Hornets; Ryan Nembhard, Mavericks; Sion James, Hornets; Nique Clifford, Kings