3 NBA rookies who could average 20 points per game in the 2021-22 season
![Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green were the top two picks in the 2021 NBA draft [Source: FanSided]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/09/5eeb3-16308370401923-800.jpg?w=500)
NBA players are getting more buckets than ever before. That's because it has become increasingly easier to score points due to the lack of attention in defense.
The league used to be a game of different systems matching up against each other, with each player having a specific role. Now, it's all about putting the ball in the hoop. Many would suggest it's because of Stephen Curry and his back-to-back MVP seasons as the Golden State Warriors dominated their way to 73 wins in 2015-16.
In a five-year span from 2011 to 2016, only ten players averaged over 25 points per game. Some of the names were Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, among others. These players did so just 23 times in that five-year span.
Now in the next five years between 2016 and 2021, the number of players to average over 25 points per game exploded to 25. And there have been 58 such instances in that span.
Positionless basketball has become the new norm as the league realised that shooting threes and spacing would lead to championships. With players developing more skills and teams deploying creative ways to score, defenses have struggled to keep pace. So 20 points per game from a cornerstone player has become the norm rather than the exception.
Which rookies could average over 20 points a night in the 2021-22 NBA season?
Before the NBA became so offense-heavy, even MVPs and All-Stars didn't average 20 points per game. That includes the likes of Steve Nash, John Stockton, Manu Ginobili, among others.
Now even role players and non-All-Stars put up incredible numbers. Terry Rozier, Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant are just a handful of players who dropped over 20 points per game in the 2020-21 NBA season. And they weren't even close to All-Star consideration.
So expecting a rookie who has been drafted into a rebuilding franchise to drop 20 points per game is akin to asking for the bare minimum.
Now players like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody might be remarkable bucket-getters. But they won't get the opportunity to get many shots if they play alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.
However, there are a few rookies who could get the keys to their team's offense and likely drop over 20 points a night in the 2021-22 NBA season. Here's a look at three such players:
#3 Cade Cunningham
Cade Cunningham will be the main force in the Detroit Pistons offense. Coach Dwane Casey will likely give him the green light to do whatever he wants on the floor. He should get around 15 shot attempts per game. Given his incredible skill set, Cunningham could average over 20 points per game this campaign.
Along with his scoring attributes, he is also an elite passer, so he could take a different approach to the game as well.
Cunningham could set up Killian Hayes, Jerami Grant, or Saddiq Bey for buckets and not go for scoring a lot himself. However, he could be the cornerstone player leading the Pistons offense and establish himself as an NBA Rookie of the Year candidate from the get go.