Kia Rookie Ladder

Kia Rookie Ladder: Learning lessons await at All-Star Weekend

The 2022 Draft class, along with NBA G League standouts, will get the chance to shine in Salt Lake City this weekend.

Steve Aschburner

Steve Aschburner

Archive

Pistons rookies Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey will both compete at All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City.

For those following the members of the Draft Class of 2022 who populate this Kia Rookie Ladder, take a good look at your favorite NBA newcomer if he’s heading to Jordan Rising Stars at All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City.

The young man you see today likely will look a little different by the time his NBA team resumes play next week.

There’s something about being present, rubbing elbows with the league’s greatest players and getting some shine in the brightest spotlight most of them have known yet as pros. The 2023 affair in Utah won’t feature any Top 75 list like the diamond anniversary celebration a year ago in Cleveland. But plenty of active legends will participate, with other notable NBA alumni dropping in.

“Anytime you can get a chance to be a part of All-Star weekend, you can’t say no,” said Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, the Ladder leader. “Especially me, being a rookie, first year, never experienced it before, it’s always been the dream to just be a part of that whether it was Rising Stars or as a reserve. I’m definitely excited to get there and just see what it’s like.”

Fans who subscribe to NBA League Pass and devotees of the NBA App might forget that for some of the Rising Stars rookies, national attention this season is rare. They play on teams that don’t frequent the TNT, ESPN and ABC broadcast schedules.

For New Orleans’ Dyson Daniels, who participated as an NBA G Leaguer last year, there was the added intrigue of testing himself against the relative grown-ups.

“There’s a lot of great players out there and just the physicality of it — it was still very physical out there – so I’m gonna have to go get in the weight room to get stronger,” Daniels told NBA.com after the Cleveland event. “The pace of going up-and-down and guarding one-on-one is definitely something I’m not used to that extent, but it was good for me just to learn how to get better.”

It was good for NBA scouts to get a look at Daniels and other G League players, as they will again this year in the mini-tourney held Friday night at Vivint Arena. Of particular interest on Coach Jason Terry’s squad of G Leaguers will be guard Scoot Henderson, a top prospect for the 2024 NBA Draft.

Jonathan Kuminga, another G League alum, didn’t enjoy his Rising Stars performance (two points, no rebounds, 1-of-4 shooting). But he acknowledged: “It’s part of the journey. Something to add to your resume.”

Then there was R.J. Barrett, who in the 2020 Rising Stars carried the flag both for the New York Knicks (no actual All-Stars that season) and his native Canada. He put up 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting with six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Said Team World coach Adrian Griffin afterward, “He was one of the guys that, when I looked at his eyes, he wanted to go after it. That says a lot. I think any time that you could step on the floor and have an opportunity to compete, you should compete to win, and I thought he had that mentality.”

For those getting the chance this weekend, there will be some further ripening going on. Meanwhile, here is the latest Ladder heading into the break:

The Top 5 this week on the 2022-23 Kia Rookie Ladder:

(All stats through Tuesday, Feb. 14)

1. Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

Banchero has already established himself as the centerpiece Orlando can build around.

Season stats: 19.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.6 apg
Since last Ladder: 15.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.3 apg
Last Ladder: 1
Draft pick: No. 1 overall

There’s development and then there’s learning, and Banchero showed a bit of the latter at Chicago Monday. Two weeks earlier at home against the Bulls, he shot 3-of-14 and finished with just nine points in a dismal Magic defeat. But in his next look at Chicago’s tactics, he scored 22 at United Center and helped Orlando win 100-91. The ROY front-runner saw his season scoring average dip below the 20 ppg threshold, but he still leads the Class of 2022 in points, minutes, field goal attempts and free throw attempts. He also gets credit for the Magic already surpassing their victory total (22) from last season.

2. Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers

Season stats: 17.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.4 apg
Since last Ladder: 15.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg
Last Ladder: 2
Draft pick: No. 6 overall

Geez, for a down week — 0-4 for the Pacers, a dip in scoring, 23.1% from the arc and a cumulative minus-10 — Mathurin sure got some highlights and milestones. Like this. And this. And this one here. Let’s remember, too, that if we throw out that curtailed performance at Miami (2 points in 13+ minutes), Mathurin averaged 19.7 ppg and 32 mpg for the week.

3. Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder

Season stats: 12.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.9 apg
Since last Ladder: 17.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.0 apg
Last Ladder: 3
Draft pick: No. 12 overall

With playmaking and panache, Jalen Williams 'looks like a steal' for the Thunder.

“J-Dub” — which apparently is enough nickname to distinguish him from teammate Jaylin Williams’ “J-Will” — was the highest-scoring rookie of the week. He shot 52/50/100 in the Thunder’s two games with 12.5 field goal attempts and 2.5 steals per. And just when you’d think it’s time for him and other rookies to go splat, OKC coach Mark Daigneault said of this Santa Clara steal: “He’s hit an enormous stride, not a wall. He’s been impressive. And he keeps getting better.”

4. Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz

Season stats: 8.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.0 bpg
Since last Ladder: 12.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 0.8 apg
Last Ladder: 4
Draft pick: No. 22 overall

This doesn’t mean much to the Ladder committee but it apparently does to many, that Kessler is the highest ranked rookie in fantasy-sports circles. It was calculated that Utah’s trade of Jarred Vanderbilt would mean more PT for Kessler and that happened, with 32 minutes at Toronto and 35 at New York. He’ll join the Jazz entry in Saturday’s Kia Skills Challenge.

5. Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons

Season stats: 8.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.1 apg
Since last Ladder: 16.7 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.0 apg
Last Ladder: 7
Draft pick: No. 13 overall

Jalen Duren scored a career-high 30 points with 17 rebounds vs. San Antonio last week.

Just in case you might not think Duren’s 30 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks against San Antonio were special enough, there’s this: the 19-year-old became the second-youngest player in NBA history behind only LeBron James to go for 30+ and 15+ in a game. So yeah, he climbs into the Top 5 here. Duren leads all rookies in rebounds (438) and double-doubles (12), while ranking fifth in offensive boards (170) and eighth in dunks (113).

The Next 5:

6. Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons

Season stats: 15.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.6 apg
Since last Ladder: 15.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.3 apg
Last Ladder: 6
Draft pick: No. 5 overall

Nineteen straight scoring 10+, plus Kia Skills Challenge invite.

7. Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings

Season stats: 11.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.1 apg
Since last Ladder: 9.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.3 apg
Last Ladder: 5
Draft pick: No. 4 overall

Four games since scoring 30 on Feb. 6: 37 points on 13-of-31.

8. Jabari Smith, Jr., Houston Rockets

Season stats: 11.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.2 apg
Since last Ladder: 13.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.3 apg
Last Ladder: 9
Draft pick: No. 3 overall

Another rough shooting week, and a loud night in Philadelphia.

9. Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs

Season stats: 10.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.5 apg
Since last Ladder: 14.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.5 apg
Last Ladder: 10
Draft pick: No. 9 overall

“The outlines of a future star are here.” – The Athetic’s John Hollinger.

10. Tari Eason, Houston Rockets

Season stats: 8.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.9 apg
Since last Ladder: 8.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.0 apg
Last Ladder: 8
Draft pick: No. 17 overall

Ranks 9th in off. rebound pct. (12.6) and sixth in steals pct. (2.6).

11. Malaki Branham, San Antonio Spurs

Season stats: 8.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.9 apg
Since last Ladder: 14.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.0 apg
Last Ladder: 11
Draft pick: No. 20 overall

Big night in ‘Land for former Mr. Ohio Basketball (18p on 8-of-11).

12. Shaedon Sharpe, Portland Trail Blazers

Season stats: 7.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.6 apg
Since last Ladder: 13.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg
Last Ladder: N/A
Draft pick: No. 7 overall

Four straight double-doubles plus Dunk of Year nominee for this.

* * *

Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.

Related

Latest