We've reached the one-week mark of the NBA season, which means it's time to overreact to everything, make sweeping declarations about certain players and teams and form opinions that will shape the rest of the season. The first week of games may not be a good way to measure most things in the NBA, but what it does do is give us our first impressions of the rookie class.
Everything since the draft has been leading up to this moment, where we actually get to see how these guys stand against the best in the world, and the first week of games gave us some surprising revelations. Some suspicions were already confirmed, like the fact that there isn't one player from this draft class who is going to score a bunch of points right out of the gate like in years past. That may change, of course, but none of these guys jump off the page as being a 15-point-per-game scorer right now.
With the first week of games in the books, here's some first impressions from the 2024 rookie class.
Suns' Ryan Dunn has been the best rookie
The read on Dunn before entering the league was that he was one of the best defenders in his class, but his offense was limited. His limitations on offense is likely why he fell to 28th overall on draft night, but funnily enough he's leading all rookies in made 3-pointers. When the Suns started him against the Mavericks, he finished with 13 points, going 5 of 8 from the floor and 3 of 6 from deep. He still has a ways to go to be a respectable shooter, but as long as teams keep leaving Dunn open -- as the Mavericks did by sticking Luka Doncic on him -- he'll have ample opportunity to rack up reps and become a consistent threat.
Dunn's defense is where he's really popped off the screen. In that game against Dallas, he was tasked with guarding Doncic. The rookie wasn't locking him down by any means, but Dunn was holding his own fighting around screens, flying around the floor to the open shooter and doing the little things to make an impact.
Two days later Dunn was thrown into the gauntlet again, this time guarding LeBron James. Again, Dunn was aggressive in getting around screens and doing everything to try an make a winning play on defense. On one possession, the Lakers threw Dunn into four screens to create space for LeBron, and every time Dunn fought through them and didn't let James get a shot off.
Dunn's strength makes him capable of guarding stronger guys like LeBron, and his great anticipation and timing sets the blueprint of becoming an elite defender. Down the stretch of that Lakers game, Dunn only heightened his level of play. It felt like he was involved in every pivotal play in the fourth quarter, whether that was deflecting passes which led to turnovers, limiting second-chance opportunities by boxing out or running shooters off the 3-point line even if he was late in closing out on the perimeter.
In a rookie class where there isn't a clear standout, or someone who is going to score a bunch of points, Dunn's play has been illuminating and it will only improve as the season continues.
Reed Sheppard will have to earn minutes
Prior to the start of the season there was a strong contingent of people who believed Sheppard could win Rookie of the Year (I was one of those people). The Rockets were lauded for landing Sheppard in the draft as the No. 3 pick as he was the best shooter in the class, and would fit seamlessly into a young Houston team. But four games into the season and Sheppard has averaged under 10 minutes a game, and has totaled just 10 points.
It's clear that Houston coach Ime Udoka doesn't prescribe to the notion that just because you were a top-five pick in the draft you automatically get major minutes. And on a roster with a crowded backcourt with several guys who have built up trust and chemistry, Sheppard's going to have to prove he's deserving of minutes. Udoka even said as much after Houston drafted him.
"You're going to come in and get the playing time that you earn," Udoka said at Sheppard's introductory press conference. "I think you saw that last year. We implemented some young veterans, but the young guys, the core of this team, is really what's going to elevate us and push us going forward. Reed is in the same situation as the previous six draft picks -- compete, and guys will get what they earn."
As a offense-first player with a head coach that holds players accountable on the defensive end, it's going to be a long journey for Sheppard to see significant minutes. At 6-foot-2, Sheppard's size already makes him a target defensively, and in his limited run time he's already been targeted in one-on-one situations. Sheppard can't change his height, and he's not going to become a lockdown defender, but if he can do enough of the little things: having active hands on defense, taking charges and generally being disruptive on that end of the floor, he'll earn his playing time.
Sheppard's shooting may become so indispensable for the Rockets that the defensive limitations may not end up mattering that much. But out of the gates, it's clear that Udoka wants to see Sheppard develop more before trusting him with more minutes.
The top two picks have struggled on offense
Zaccharie Risacher (the Hawks' No. 1 pick) and Alexandre Sarr (the Wizards' No. 2 pick) have shown glimpses of becoming valuable players in this league, but I think more than anything what this first week has shown us is that neither is going to immediately put up a bunch of numbers.
Sarr's offensive game may take longer to develop in part because of the roster around him right now. His two lead guards, Jordan Poole and fellow rookie Bub Carrington, aren't exactly equipped to help him develop, and the Wizards aren't an organization known for growing talent. It may be awhile before Sarr is contributing significantly on offense, but the silver lining is he's shown promise on defense out of the gates. He's third among rookies in total blocks, already showing he can be a quality rim protector at this level.
For Risacher, he was touted as a 3-and-D prototype, and so far he's struggled shooting from deep. He's connected on just 3 of 14 attempts from beyond the arc, so it may take some time before he's a real threat in that area. But he is making up for it on defense. Risacher had two blocks and two steals against the Wizards in the first week, finishing the game a +14, and showing that even when his shots aren't falling he's still going to make an impact in other ways. That's promising to see, but you typically expect to see more from a No. 1 overall pick.
