Underrated NBA Rookies

sports

Jan 23

Expectations for rookies vary depending on their draft position and their team’s playoff contention status. Some may be asked to fill a specific role within a contending team or they may develop in the rotation of a rebuilding team with less clearly defined roles. Regardless of expectations, the 2020-21 NBA rookies will have opportunities galore in a season unlike any before it. The following are rookies that may not be household names but are playing better than initially anticipated.

G Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics

Pritchard was drafted 26th overall out of Oregon with the goal of giving the Celtics long-term depth at guard. However, with Kemba Walker out to begin the season, Pritchard has been forced to play important minutes early on. Shooting well over 40% from beyond the arc this season, he has earned the trust of head coach Brad Stevens to be a regular rotation piece.

Even with Walker’s return, Pritchard still should see consistent minutes going forward amidst a veteran backcourt. While Pritchard is a smaller guard, he has fared well defensively, learning under Stevens and defensive stud Marcus Smart.

Pritchard will need to continue his strong effort and shooting if he’s to play in crucial moments for the contending Celtics this season.

G Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies

With emerging star Ja Morant and a stable of promising guards in Memphis, consistent playing time seemed unlikely for Bane entering the season. However, Morant’s early-season injury changed the Grizzlies’ rotation, resulting in more playing time for the 30th overall pick. Bane has been magnificent from three-point range, which was his biggest strength entering the draft.

Through his first 13 games, he has made almost half of his threes, shooting a staggering 23 for 47 from downtown. Bane has shown a good feel for the pace of the NBA after four years of playing at TCU by moving well without the ball and limiting his turnovers.

His skill set is a good match with Morant and his future in Memphis looks bright.

G/F Jae’Sean Tate, Houston Rockets

Tate didn’t follow a traditional path to the NBA. He went undrafted out of Ohio State in 2018 and played a couple of years overseas in Belgium and Australia. GM Rafael Stone didn’t have any draft picks in 2020 and with James Harden’s trade demand, it was crucial to add promising youth to the roster.

Enter Tate, who has quickly become a favorite of new head coach Stephen Silas. He gives the Rockets a high-energy defender who can guard four positions with an efficient offensive repertoire averaging 8.5 points per game shooting 49.4% from the field.

Between the Rockets’ nagging injury bug and their jumbling roster in the wake of the Harden trade, this undrafted rookie has stood out as one of their most important and versatile players.

F/C Precious Achiuwa, Miami Heat

Miami is renowned for its culture and high-effort team. It’s no wonder they added a player who fits that mold perfectly by drafting Achiuwa 20th overall. The Memphis product has earned an important role in head coach Erik Spoelstra’s frontcourt, backing up All-Star Bam Adebayo and averaging 7.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

While Achiuwa’s shooting range is limited to around the basket and his free throw numbers leave much to be desired, he has contributed plenty to the contending Heat. His overall effort has resulted in defensive stops and his ability to win loose balls has energized the team.

Miami will be counting on Achiuwa to play big minutes in the playoffs while the starters take a breather. So far he has shown that he can fill that role at a high level.

G Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks

Seen by many as a reach at 25th overall, Quickley has put together a string of quality outings for the resurgent Knicks. The former Kentucky Wildcat has shown the ability to knock down shots from all over the court with his good shooting nights outnumbering his bad ones. His floater has been his most effective shot as a slightly undersized shooting guard at 6’3”.

Quickley has shown flashes of his playmaking abilities averaging 9.6 points and 2.5 assists per game and doesn’t turn the ball over much. In a veteran-laden backcourt, he is learning from players who have played all over the league as well as head coach Tom Thibodeau.

Quickley looks like a player the Knicks need to keep around as they progress through their seemingly never-ending rebuild.

Avi Carr-Gloth

Avi Carr-Gloth is a senior journalism major at Emerson College. He has aspirations of working as a sports broadcaster or in sports production. You follow him on Twitter or on LinkedIn for more of his content.