Four Factors: NBA Rookies You May Be Missing

Victor Wembayama is taking up all the headlines, but rookies Asuar Thompson, Marcus Sasser, Cason Wallace, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are also worthy of your attention

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My wife wouldn’t have called herself an NBA fan before we met, but she loved the UNC Tar Heels and understood the game. Now, Emily is an above-casual fan who confidently joins in a lot of NBA chatter. The arrival of Victor Wembanyama has pushed her fandom to a new level, as I’m sure is happening in many households. We’ve watched at least some of every Spurs game this year. She has opinions on Zach Collins.¹ It’s crazy. She can’t look away from the French teenager when he’s on the court and she’s not alone.

The reactions are similar to what people felt seeing baby Groot for the first time, almost any action or movement causing a small commotion. Actually, Wemby kind of looks like an adult Groot played by Tracy McGrady instead of Vin Disel. Wemby’s combination of never-ending limbs and perimeter skills is jaw-dropping. He’s unique in the original sense of the word: one-of-a-kind, unlike anything else.

However, there’s been plenty of digital ink spent on Wembanyama already. Here’s some of the articles/videos I’ve seen about him: Last Night, In Basketball; quotes on him after three games; film breakdown from comeback against Suns; one play showing his potential; on his potential defensive impact. Wemby is awesome and will win Rookie of the Year. But that doesn’t mean other rookies aren’t off to interesting and impressive starts. Here’s four first-year players that may not be getting their just due.

1. Blub-Ausar (like the Pokémon)

The Pistons look improved with Cade Cunningham back on the floor and Monty Williams on the bench. They’ve improved their offensive rating from 29th last year to 23th through seven games and their defensive rating from 28th to 17th. Those are baby steps if the stats hold up, but still steps in the right direction. Also, the Pistons are playing some beautiful basketball right now (in between a lot of turnovers and fouls).

The Pistons are excelling in two areas offensively: assists and rebounding. They’re third in the NBA in assist percentage (67.5%) and rank third in offensive rebounding percentage. 2023 5th overall pick Ausar Thompson is at the center of both those statistics.

Thompson is second among all rookies with 4 assists per game. He has fit right into a Pistons roster littered with good passers. Cunningham is making his case as an elite playmaker while Killian Hayes and Jaden Ivey are also solid table-setters. Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren move the ball well for bigs, as well.

Thompson is tasked with playmaking while not touching the ball much. He’s been doing that by whipping dimes as soon as the ball comes to him. He’s finding potential passes off the ball, drifting into gaps, and delivering well-paced passes at hard-to-find angles. He’ll need a bigger role to become elite, which may come as Detroit sorts out their roster.

Perhaps more impressively, Thompson leads rookies and ranks 2nd in the NBA with 4.3 offensive rebounds per game. He’s got the Dennis Rodman/Kevin Love gene of just knowing where the ball is going to end up. Despite not being the best athlete in his own family, Ausar is still an elite jumper and super strong for his age. He combines those talents with his keen eye for cuts and finding gaps. As he grows up, more of these rebounds will turn into highlight dunks and backbreakers for opponents.

Thompson plays the game the right way. He puts his enormous talent to work in whatever way can help his team. Hopefully, he (and his brother, Amen) are just the first products of the Overtime Elite program to bring this style of play with them to the NBA.

2. Don’t get Sasser with me

Marcus Sasser, the 25th pick in this year’s draft, has impressed me just as much as Thompson over the first few games. I fell in love with Sasser’s game at the University of Houston. He’s just so cold and found huge buckets out of nothing. I also studied the No-Middle Defense last March and Sasser was exemplified how to play in it as a guard. I felt like he could be a gem in the middle of the draft.

Last Wednesday night, my belief was vindicated. Monty Williams simply couldn’t take him off the floor as Detroit blew a 15-point lead against the Trailblazers. But don’t put that evil on Sasser. He was +1 in his minutes and was subbed for Joe Harris in the 4th quarter with the Pistons up 6. Williams went back to him, but it was too late as Portland had taken the lead and momentum.

I think we can pinpoint the moment when Sasser earned more minutes going forward. At the end of the first quarter, Sasser stepped up to guard Malcolm Brogdon full-court. Last year’s Sixth Man of the Year put the rookie in a blender before hitting a three. On the next possession, Brogdon had Sasser one-on-one on the fast break. Brogdon tried shaking Sasser, but got turned away. As Brogdon idly dribbled to let his teammates catch up, Sasser ripped him for a scoop-n-score. He picked up Brogdon immediately off the inbound after that. The play showed Sasser’s attitude: “there’s no breaks when I’m in the game.”

His constant energy and defensive pressure completely changed Detroit’s tone. When he shares the floor with other high-intensity players like Ivey, Stewart, and Duren, the Pistons can out-hustle a lot of teams. Obviously, he’s still adjusting to the NBA. But he has earned more minutes as he has played at least 23 minutes since the Portland game. Sasser may have jumped the first hurdle that late first- and second-round picks face: showing that he belongs in the league.

3. Rolling Thunder

With Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Josh Giddey taking up most possessions, the Thunder need to find two-way play finishers who don’t need the ball. Cason Wallace seem to fit the bill. He came out of Kentucky with a reputation for staunch defense and spot-up shooting. The Thunder’s 10th overall pick has lived up to the hype so far. He ranks 3rd in FG% for players with 25 FGA or more, behind centers Dereck Lively and Mark Williams.

My initial hypothesis for Wallace’s high shooting percentage was that he is just nailing wide open threes. But that’s only partly true. While he’s 6 for 7 on corner threes, Wallace is actually doing his damage in the paint. 10 of his 19 made field goals this year have come at the rim. The explanation is that OKC coach Mark Daignault likes to use him almost as a big when he shares the floor with Holmgren, Giddey, and Jalen Williams.

Wallace sets screens, but unlike some guard-sized shooters, he doesn’t exclusively pop (or ghost) the screen to the three point line or flow into more actions like Steph Curry. He is scoring at least once a game by rolling to the basket. Rolling is a great counter to the scouting report on Wallace that teams have now, which surely says that he’s a shooter. He is also scoring from the dunker’s spot and getting elbow touches out of horns sets. All of these actions put him in position to use his wide frame and strength to score like his teammate Lou Dort has done throughout his career.

Wallace is carving out a niche in an offense with enough creators. With Chet at center, the Thunder need players who can work around both his perimeter and post skills. Wallace could fit that description with his versatility. He’s another young, cheap player with upside that works with the Thunder’s vision. The jokes about OKC’s hoarding of draft picks will continue, but they have certainly made the most of their picks lately.

4. La Triple J

When the Heat drafted Jaime Jaquez Jr.², a lot of draft pundits labeled him as a perfect fit in the Heat Culture. Evidently, they were right. He is excelling at the things Erik Spoelstra values: passing, cutting, transition and constant energy. A 22-year old college star contributing early on isn’t too surprising, but it’s encouraging to see him do the things that got him drafted in the first place. Jaquez already leapfrogged Nikola Jovic, last year’s first round pick, in the rotation and has started in place of the injured Kevin Love a couple of times. The knocks on Jaquez have also showed up early in his career. He’s 3-of-15 from three so far this year and hasn’t flashed much athleticism. But Kevin Love and Caleb Martin both filled the wing opposite Jimmy Butler wonderfully in the 2023 playoffs. Jaquez seems like he could be a mix between Love and Martin. If he is and finds his stroke this year, don’t be shocked if he’s making big plays in the playoffs.

1. Well, kind of. She didn’t know his name, but didn’t think I should be calling him the center when he’s 5 inches shorter than the power forward.

2. The section title is a reference to a song called La Triple T by a pop star named Tini. It’s a very basic bitch song that I have been made fun of for liking.