NBA 2019-20: 8 best performing rookies so far
Every year, the NBA welcomes rookies from all over the world to show their skills in the league. A total of 60 players are selected on the Draft day out of hundreds of draft prospects by the teams during the off-season. They are then tested in the summer league and the preseason so that the teams can work on the rookies to nurture their skills in order to make them ready for the upcoming NBA season.
Usually, the top draft picks perform the best during the season, get the best contract out of their rookie season and often become the face of their franchise in the future. However, every year we see some rookies who get drafted really low but still surprisemost people with their skills.
Last season, Luka Doncic, who was the 3rd overall pick in the 2018-19 NBA draft, averaged 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists per game for the Dallas Mavericks and made the case as to why he should have been the 1st overall pick. He also won the Rookie of the Year award and like him, we have some more surprising rookies who have come out of nowhere this season and are proving to be of great value for their respective teams. Let's have a look at 8 of them.
#8 PJ Washington
The recent addition to the Charlotte Hornets' roster with the 12th overall pick, PJ Washington is a solid offensive talent with quick wet jumpers from downtown and is really a solid transition shooter. Coming out of Kentucky, Washington averaged 12.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game, which made him a clear top 1st round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
With the Hornets however, he is averaging 12.1 points, 5.1 boards, and 1.8 assists a game right now. Washington's offensive game looks very solid as he is shooting nearly 50% from the field, 42.5% from the 3-point line, and his effective field goal percentage is 56.6%.
Washington is locked in for a great rookie season and is getting a lot of experience form Devonte' Graham and Miles Bridges as they have come out of their rookie season and are making a great jump in their career. The Hornets' future is not as bad as it looked earlier in the off-season when Kemba Walker left the team.