NBA rookie report: 5 promising first-year players on the rise, including Zach Edey

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Last week, we highlighted five NBA rookies who have made a mark on the season in one way or another.

Naturally, there are more rookies to discuss, even if they are a smidge further away than the first group, or simply don’t project to reach similar heights.

So, here are five more names that deserve your attention.

Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies, 9th overall pick

At 7-foot-4, and with a 300-pound frame, Edey occupies a ton of space near the basket on both ends of the court, which is reflected in his 9.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. In addition, he’s canning 57.3% of his shots. Oh, and he’s doing all of that in just 20.5 minutes per game.

Some pre-draft concerns, such as lacking foot speed and being too big to effectively guard in space, still have some merit, but that seems more insignificant by the day considering how efficient the Canadian is.

Edey might not have All-NBA-type upside, but there’s absolutely a world where he could become a no-nonsense, 30-minute starter who averages close to an effective 18/10 line down the road.

Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls, 11th overall pick

Buzelis might deserve to be in the primary rookie group, exclusively due to his upside and relentless motor. But quite simply, we haven’t seen enough consistency out of him yet.

That doesn’t mean the talent isn’t there, as the highly athletic 6-10 wing is seemingly unearthing new skills every month, which is about the only bright spot the Bulls have this season. His 6.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in just over 15 minutes speak to Buzelis becoming a quality per-minute producer. There’s an argument to be had that the local Chicagoan could have one of the biggest Year 2 leaps of anyone in this class.

With Zach LaVine now elsewhere, and the Bulls turning ever so slightly into a new direction, it’s time to unleash Buzelis for the remainder of the season. It’d be borderline malpractice if he isn’t playing 25 minutes per game the rest of the way. Head coach Billy Donovan needs to explore the limits of his rookie’s game so the team knows what it can expect moving forward.

Carlton “Bub” Carrington, Washington Wizards, 14th overall pick

At just 19 years of…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/nba-rookie-report-5-promising-first-year-players-on-the-rise-including-zach-edey-153159506.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-02-24 15:31:00

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