Now that the regular season has finished, we have a full 82 games to reflect on the NBA’s best Freshman of the season. The 2023-2024 season of the NBA has just completed and it’s provided loads of player stats and data to better predict NBA All-Rookie Teams.
There’s obviously Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren – the two frontrunners for Rookie of the Year, we also have Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller, Amen and Ausar Thompson, Keyonte George, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Brandin Podziemski, Dereck Lively II, and Jordan Hawkins to name some of the standout rookies from the season. Here are the five standout rookies that we chose for our NBA All-Rookie First Team based on their regular season performances.
All-Rookie Predictions 2024
Victor Wembanyama It’s hard to believe that there was a question whether Victor Wembanyama would be Rookie of the Year at the beginning of the year. He certainly needed time to make an adjustment to NBA style of play, the San Antonio Spurs were (and are) an absolutely terrible team, and Coach Popovich wanted Jeremy Sochan to play point guard when it was clear Tre Jones was a better fit for everyone in the Black and Silver.
When Wemby figured out a few things and Tre Jones was added to the starting lineup for the Spurs, it became clear that the 7-feet 5-inch Wembanyama was special. He went off; posting unreal stat lines and doing things on the court that wowed peers a decade older than him.
No Shaq, he ain’t no Bol Bol.
At the end of his first season, Wembanyama played 71 games, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. His debut saw him scoring 15 points against the Dallas Mavericks. Notably, he posted a rare 5×5. He became the youngest player to record eight consecutive double-doubles, surpassing Dwight Howard’s record. Never hit the rookie wall. You get the point: Wemby should be named Rookie of the Year and barring some media stupidity, an unanimous selection for the 2024 All-Rookie Team.
Chet Holmgren started out the season as the favorite for Rookie of the Year. Playing for a Oklahoma City Thunder team that has spent the entire season at the top of the Western Conference. Holmgren has contributed significantly to OKC’s success; locking down their interior defense and providing spacing for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams on offense. The 7-foot-1 center/power forward was actually selected in the 2022 Draft, but didn’t appear in any games due to a season-ending injury.
That makes Holmgren appearing in all 82 games this season even more impressive. Even though that probably contributing to Chet hitting the rookie wall during the last quarter of the season. Holmgren still managed to post an average of 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 53% from the field. Holmgren’s numbers with a winning squad make him a lock for the 2024 NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Brandon Miller When the NBA Draft hit, many were surprised that Brandon Miller was chosen second by the Charlotte Hornets over Scoot Henderson. No one in the Charlotte organization has regretted selecting the promising shooting guard. Standing out at 6 feet and 7 inches, he not only showed his scoring, but his competitiveness.
Miller finished the season playing 74 games, averaging 17.3 points per game while shooting a respectable 44% from the field and the clear third best rookie in the Draft. His consistent performances throughout the season make him a lock for the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Brandin Podziemski Golden State Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski has made a strong case for inclusion in the 2024 NBA All-Rookie team after being drafted 19th in the NBA Draft. Despite head coach Steve Kerr’s historical reluctance to rely heavily on rookies, Podziemski has been an exception. While Podziemski’s 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists don’t jump off the page, his ability to influence the game with his energy, court awareness, hustle, moxy, and basketball IQ has added needed possessions to a team that turns the ball over a lot. His exceptional adaptability, leading the league in taking charges, and impact under Kerr’s guidance emphasizes his place on the 2024 All-Rookie first team.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. Jaime Jaquez Jr. started out the season as one of the biggest surprises of the draft. While his production slowed down toward the end of the season; his versatile shooting guard/small forward was a big reason the Heat were successful this season. Drafted one pick before Podziemski with the 18th selection, Jaquez Jr. outperformed his draft position by averaging 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in his rookie season. Jaquez has been pivotal in several games and was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in November 2023. His inclusion in the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars Challenge and the Slam Dunk Contest underscores his rising profile.
Honestly, had the season been 10 games longer, we would have placed Scoot Henderson on the first team over Jaquez.
All-Rookie Second Team 2024
With all due respect to GG Jackson and Cam Whitmore both of whom we didn’t play enough games for us (48, 47 games respectively), we chose Amen and Ausar Thompson, Dereck Lively II, Scoot Henderson, and Keyonte George for our All-Rookie Second Team. We think Trayce Jackson-Davis would have made this team with no problem had Steve Kerr played the rookie more earlier in the season.
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