5 youngsters who impressed the most in the 2021-22 NBA preseason
The NBA is filled with talented youngsters who will look to make an impact in the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season. The NBA is pretty much overflowing with young talent, whether they were just drafted, haven't had an opportunity, or are looking to take that next step.
The NBA preseason is where these players can make their case to teams, coaches, and general managers to get NBA minutes. A strong preseason for young players could put them on the map to earn themselves some rotation or starting minutes when the regular season starts. On that note, let's take a look at five youngsters who impressed the most during pre-season.
#5 Bones Hyland, Rookie Guard, Denver Nuggets
Bones Hyland was selected 26th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Despite being a late first-round draft pick and being a rookie, the youngster has already made his presence felt on the Denver Nuggets roster.
In the summer league, Hyland showed up and played well above the position he was drafted at. He averaged 19.8 points and 4.8 assists in the four Summer League games he played in. The thing that stood out was his efficiency from the floor, shooting 46% from the field and 40% from three on 8.8 attempts.
The young guard has not slowed down one bit in the preseason. Despite not starting, Hyland still averaged 27.8 minutes in five preseason games. He put up 15.2 points and 4.6 assists in those five games while shooting 45% from the field and 34% from the field. There is a slight drop-off, but it is still pretty good for a rookie who is getting his first taste of the NBA.
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Bones Hyland drops 18 PTS in the third quarter!
@nuggets lead in the fourth on NBA LP. https://t.co/c7OPrL1Taq
A big reason why Hyland’s success is so critical is due to how impactful he could end up being to the Nuggets. With Jamal Murray going to miss a massive part of the season recovering from his ACL injury, this leaves a hole in the Nuggets team. If Hyland keeps playing the way he has been, he could be a big part of the group of guards attempting to replicate Murry’s production.
#4 Isaiah Joe, Second-Year Guard, Philadelphia 76ers
Isaiah Joe is entering his second season in the NBA after being selected in the second round by the Philadelphia 76ers. In his first season, he appeared in 41 games, averaging only 9.3 minutes in those games.
Even in the last 2021 NBA Summer League, Joe was just okay, averaging 14 points on 37% from both the field and three-point land. Joe only took 12.25 shots per game in his four starts in the Summer League, and 10 of those shots were from three.
What a fun two-way sequence from Isaiah Joe. https://t.co/VynVcwE6ea
However, the youngster has made a sizeable impact this preseason. In four games, he has averaged 24.4 minutes while averaging 16.75 points. Joe has stuck to his shot attempts pretty much exclusively coming from the three-point land, taking 8.8 shots per game and 6.8 of them being from the three-point line. The difference is that now Joe is shooting 59% from behind the arc.
It's not sustainable, but if Joe can keep this hot shooting hand going into the regular season, he could get more minutes. There will be minutes to fill at the guard position with the whole Ben Simmons trade saga still going on. On top of that, just being an efficient three-point shooter is something every NBA team needs. Joe could have used this preseason to move his name up the depth chart.