Last year, Herb Jones shocked the NBA as a second-round pick who entered the league and had an immediate impact. After his selection at 35th overall by New Orleans, Jones went on to average 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals at 29.9 minutes per game.
Jones, who was eventually named to the NBA All-Rookie second team, offered extremely valuable defensive basketball and complimentary offense to a Pelicans squad that overperformed their preseason expectations and made it to the playoffs.
It’s safe to say that, entering the 2022 NBA draft, every team would like to find their own version of Jones: A rookie with the ability to prosper and contribute meaningful minutes immediately if given the chance.
Here are five possible options that could meet that criterion in 2022.