When Oklahoma City chosen Jalen Williams with the twelfth general decide in 2022, many followers and analysts regarded on the decide as a attain, questioning why OKC would take a participant from a WCC faculty not named Gonzaga within the lottery. Williams has answered these questions as a rookie, showcasing his ball dealing with, playmaking, versatility on protection and skill to end above the rim.
Even after breaking a bone in his face 5 minutes into his first skilled contest, inflicting the Santa Clara product to miss over every week of motion to begin the season, Williams has fired out of the gate. In his 36 video games this season, the Perry, Arizona, native is averaging 11.6 factors, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.9 steals per sport with only one.6 turnovers in 27.7 minutes per contest.
Williams’ subject aim proportion has additionally been very spectacular, because the 6-foot-5 wing is pulling down nearly 51% of his photographs. On protection, Williams has proven a capability to use his lengthy wingspan to hassle wings on the perimeter whereas additionally hanging with forwards within the paint.
After starting this season coming off the bench, Williams has develop into a daily starter on the crew, cracking the primary 5 23 occasions.
Thunder legend Russell Westbrook notched 65 begins throughout his rookie season in 2008-09, averaging 15.3 factors, 5.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per sport with 3.3 turnovers in 32.5 minutes per sport. Westbrook, nonetheless, shot 39.8% from the sector that 12 months, 12% decrease than Williams’ present marks.
Westbrook’s first skilled season was a a lot completely different setting, although, because it was the squad’s first 12 months in OKC. The Thunder completed with a 23-59 document, solely 5 extra wins than the 2022-23 Thunder have midway by way of the present NBA season.
This landed Oklahoma City the third general decide, with which the crew chosen future MVP James Harden.
The younger Arizona State product confirmed flashes off the bench as a rookie, however did not produce the identical statistical output as the opposite guards on this listing due to the crew’s dynamic. Westbrook and celebrity wing Kevin Durant have been the younger leaders of the 2009-2010 Thunder, having already proven proof of undoubtedly shiny futures within the affiliation.
Harden averaged 9.9 factors, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per sport with only one.4 turnovers and a 40.3% subject aim proportion in 22.9 minutes per sport as a rookie. The present 76er didn’t document a begin that season, however appeared in 76 video games because the crew’s sixth man.
Coming out of Australia, then-19-year-old Josh Giddey burst onto the scene in his first 12 months within the NBA. The former NBL standout averaged 12.5 factors, 7.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 0.9 steals per sport.
Giddey shot 41.9% from the sector as a rookie in 2021-22 and turned the ball over 3.2 occasions in 31.5 minutes per sport. The 6-foot-8 level guard performed and began in 54 video games final 12 months earlier than being shut down with hip issues.
Both Harden and Giddey have been named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team whereas Westbrook’s spectacular season earned the UCLA product NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.
While these gamers performed in numerous eras of Thunder basketball beneath completely different head coaches and in fully completely different conditions, it’s nonetheless useful to take a look at the usual set by those that proved to be productive gamers within the NBA as a reference level for a way present rookies are performing early of their careers.
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