Tag: Julian Strawther

Rookie Power Rankings: Chet Holmgren, Wemby and the emergence of Toumani Camara

Rookie Wire took a look at the top first-year players over the last two weeks of the 2023-24 season.

The top of the rookie class continues to perform at a high level through the first quarter of the season, while several other players have emerged with strong efforts.

Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren find themselves near the top of the NBA in a few categories. They have established themselves as the likely front-runners for Rookie of the Year, while the race for the All-Rookie teams looks to be highly competitive.

Others selected later in the draft have carved out large roles on their respective teams, which has resulted in some notable performances in the class. These players, highlighted below, have been key for their teams on the court.

To make sense of it all, we looked at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but to illustrate the best players week to week.

Nuggets rookie Julian Strawther in awe after dunk attempt by Spurs’ Victor Wembayama: ‘Life flashed before my eyes’

In the San Antonio Spurs’ recent loss to the Denver Nuggets, Julian Strawther was left in awe of Victor Wembanyama’s dunk attempt.

The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the worst teams in the league this year, but their season has been highlighted by the obvious talent of rookie Victor Wembanyama. The 7-foot-4 Frenchman has been dominating the league, showing off his crazy frame and never-before-seen skillset. Players are shocked by him every night.

In the Spurs’ most recent loss to the Denver Nuggets, fellow rookie Julian Strawther was on the wrong end of Wembanyama’s freakishness. The Spurs big man went up for a dunk attempt that Strawther didn’t see coming, and he was nearly put on a poster that would have gone viral.

After the game, Strawther expressed how in awe he was of Wembanyama on the dunk attempt.

Julian Strawther hilariously compared trying to block a Victor Wembanyama dunk to a near-death experience

Julian Strawther was SO relieved Victor Wembanyama didn’t put him on a poster.

Seeing San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama in person for the first time can be a humbling experience for a lot of people. The rookie stands at a listed 7-foot-4 and has a ridiculous eight-foot wingspan. Even in a league as athletic as the NBA, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick stands out as a uniquely gifted unicorn.

Denver Nuggets rookie Julian Strawther almost learned all of this the hard way on Sunday night. As the Nuggets squared off with the Spurs, Wembanyama found himself with an open lane for a vicious dunk at the end of the third quarter. But Strawther, who stands at a listed 6-foot-6, wasn’t just going to give it to him and stood in for a block attempt. Talk about showing courage.

Strawther is lucky Wembanyama wasn’t able to finish the dunk.

After a 132-120 Nuggets win, Strawther was asked about his thought process behind trying to challenge someone who is roughly 10 inches taller than him at the rim. Amusingly, he compared it to a near-death experience.

That’s quite apt, I would say:

You have to imagine Strawther won’t be the first NBA player to stand in and hope Wembanyama doesn’t humiliate them with a dunk.

Victor Wembanyama among 13 rookies to sign shoe deals with Nike

Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller headline a talented rookie class to sign with Nike this year.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama and Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller are among 13 rookies to sign shoe and apparel contracts with Nike, according to Nick DePaula of Boardroom.

Wembanyama and Miller headline a talented rookie class for the Swoosh, which includes Amen Thompson (Houston), Ausar Thompson (Detroit), Anthony Black (Orlando), Bilal Coulibaly (Washington) and Cason Wallace (Oklahoma City).

They join a star-studded roster, including signature athletes LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George and Sabrina Ionescu. It has been estimated that nearly 70% of players in the NBA wear Nike on the court.

The group of players signed to Nike nearly makes up half of the first round of draftees this year. Other rookies, such as Scoot Henderson (PUMA), Jarace Walker (Under Armour), Jett Howard (Jordan) and Gradey Dick (Adidas), have also inked with apparel companies.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1366]

Post-preseason NBA rookie power rankings: Wemby is an obvious No. 1, but it gets wild after that

It’s really hard to evaluate rookies this early in their professional careers! 

Let’s just get something out of the way: It’s really hard to evaluate rookies this early in their professional careers!

Players are still trying to find their role in the league and adjusting to the experience of playing against the toughest competition in the world. Coaches are still hoping to figure out the best to utilize these guys, many of whom are still very raw.

But we still wanted to have a baseline evaluation of the rookies we have seen so far, even if it might look a bit strange. Before you get too upset, though, let’s offer a quick reminder. Per ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, the NBA’s Rookie of the Year almost always goes to the first-year player who had the highest total combination of points, rebounds and assists per game.

During the preseason, that player was (obviously) Victor Wembanyama.

Our list doesn’t follow that model, but it may look a bit spicy due to some notable players being excluded. It is worth noting, though, that six of the 10 players we highlighted ranked in the top 10 among rookies in that very basic points/rebounds/assists formula.

Average it out to productivity per 36 minutes and then filter out everyone except for the 30 players who logged the most minutes and you will find eight of the following players.

Our rankings do, however, give more weight to scoring efficiency and turnovers. We also accounted for defensive metrics like blocks, steals and fouls. These are all important measures of impact on a basketball court.

You may be surprised to not find players like Miller or Henderson but both were still figuring out the kinks. That doesn’t mean they won’t get on here in the regular season once they find their rhythm. This is not predictive of their future success but rather an assessment of where they are at this moment.

But during preseason, for example, Henderson led all rookies in turnovers and personal fouls committed. Miller, meanwhile, had an effective field-goal percentage of below 40.0 percent (the league average was at 54.5 percent last season). It’s worth acknowledging, though, that they do have tougher roles on their teams than some of their competition.

Otherwise, here is how we would rank the upcoming rookies based on their play during the preseason:

5 rookies (Julian Strawther!) who have played surprisingly well during the NBA preseason

The Nuggets may have found a GEM in Julian Strawther.

The NBA preseason is a great opportunity for franchises to see what they have in their young players and several are using the time wisely.

While we knew we could expect greatness from Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, there are some other prospects who we would consider as more pleasant surprises thus far.

Based on what we have seen on the court during these exhibition matches, here are a few of the players who have stood out as potential rotation pieces that we may not have initially anticipated to see get minutes during their first professional campaigns next year.

NBA 2K24: Ratings revealed for the first round of the 2023 NBA draft

The official player ratings and other features for NBA 2K24 have been unveiled as the popular video game hit stores on Friday.

The official player ratings and other features for NBA 2K24 have been unveiled as the popular video game hit stores on Friday across all platforms around the world.

The latest installment of NBA 2K features three distinct editions, each honoring Kobe Bryant. The game, for the first time, also allows for crossplay, meaning users on different gaming consoles can still play with their friends online.

In addition to many of the new features and updates unveiled in the game, fans are equally as excited to see the initial player ratings. Of course, with a new group of players set to enter the league, many are curious to see how the rookie class would be graded.

The franchise, led by marketing director Ronnie 2K, previously revealed the ratings for several first-rounders this year. With the game officially available for purchase around the world, the grades for each rookie have been unveiled.

Here are the ratings for the first round of the 2023 NBA draft.

2023 NBA Draft: Bulls should trade in for Gonzaga’s Julian Strawther

The Chicago Bulls should trade into the 2023 NBA Draft in hopes of selecting Gonzaga wing Julian Strawther.

As of now, the Chicago Bulls don’t have a pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Their first-round pick belongs to the Orlando Magic by way of the Nikola Vucevic trade, and their second-round pick was stripped from them by the NBA, as they determined Chicago violated tampering rules when signing Lonzo Ball in 2021.

However, they have been staying active ahead of the draft. Chicago has interviewed plenty of high-profile prospects and just recently scheduled a workout with Wake Forest guard Tyree Appleby. But if they are going to trade into the draft, they should target Gonzaga wing Julian Strawther. He would be the perfect fit in Chicago.

Arturas Karnisovas is determined to compete with the current core, and if that’s the case, he needs to add win-now pieces, and getting one on a rookie contract would be even better. Strawther could be that guy.

The 6-foot-7 wing just wrapped up his third season at Gonzaga and put up great numbers. He averaged 15.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 46.9 percent shooting from the field and 40.8 percent shooting from behind the three-point line.

Adding wing depth will be crucial for the Bulls this summer, and Strawther’s three-point shooting would be a great addition to the squad. Having catch-and-shoot guys on the perimeter will be a necessity.

Strawther is also a plus-defender, and with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic leading the charge in Chicago, they need solid defensive players up and down the roster.

Considering Strawther is widely projected to go in the late first round or early second round, the Bulls would have to make a significant deal, but it would be worth it to land the former Bulldog.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

2023 NBA Mock Draft 5.0: 58 projections after the early entry withdrawal deadline

Rookie Wire took a look at where the next draft class stands following the early entry withdrawal deadline.

The NBA pre-draft process crossed another important checkpoint on the schedule with the early entry withdrawal deadline coming and going this week.

Prospects had the opportunity to test the waters and meet with teams to gain feedback on their potential draft stock. To maintain their remaining college eligibility, they had to withdraw from consideration by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.

The deadline saw several potential second-round picks withdraw from the draft and return to school. With name, image and likeness playing a prevalent role in college basketball, players were likely swayed to stay one more year to work on their games and capitalize financially.

[lawrence-related id=87858]

The 2024 draft is also projected to be weaker than in past years, which also may have played a role in some players opting against turning pro. They likely believe they will have a greater chance of being a first-round pick next year.

With several players off the board, teams can prioritize workouts and interviews with those individuals remaining in the draft. As a result, players’ stock will continue to fluctuate with less than three weeks to go until the draft.

Rookie Wire took a look at where the draft stands following the early entry withdrawal deadline. Team needs were taken into consideration for these picks.

Projecting who the Boston Celtics will select with the No. 35 pick of the 2023 NBA draft

Take a look at a new projection on who Boston might elect to use their No. 35 overall pick on using an aggregate mock draft and known workouts.

With the 2023 NBA draft lottery finally having come and gone, the Boston Celtics know where it is that they will be selecting with their sole pick of the 2023 NBA draft, a second round pick that came to them by way of the Portland Trail Blazers thanks to a complicated set of pick protections related to moves made in the 2022 offseason.

That pick will likely be used for a player able to contribute in the deep rotation immediately or to fill the third two way slot opened up for all 30 teams in the league in the new collective bargaining agreement adopted by the Association recently.

And with the lottery being set comes a fresh set of projections of who Boston and other teams might select — let’s take a look at what the folks at HoopsHype believe the Celtics might elect to use that No. 35 overall pick on using their aggregate mock draft and known workouts.