In keeping with tradition of years past, our Top 100 list doesn’t rank rookies. You’ll find some of them ranked here, as well as some notable second and third-year players to keep an eye on moving forward. The immediacy of a player’s contributions were slightly prioritized here, as we couldn’t pick every young player in the NBA. Older players who just missed the cut can be found on the Snubs list.
Rookies
Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Banchero’s powerful, skilled face-up game and creative skills made him the No. 1 pick, and that framework should fast-track him into next year’s Top 100 if all goes well. Improved shooting will be the key to stardom here, and the Magic will give him tons of leeway to figure it out.
Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
The other rookie who could have immediately warranted Top 100 consideration is Murray, who was arguably the best player at summer league. He can make a difference with or without designed touches and should thrive across lineup contexts as a result, making him a potentially very good supporting piece for the Kings right away.
Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets
It’s basically a matter of time with Smith, who has the physical and technical skillset to be one of the league’s best 3-and-D players, and the makeup to be much more than that. Stardom hinges on how comfortable he gets putting the ball on the floor, but he’s a special jump shooter and tough defender already.
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Holmgren is slated to miss the entire season due to a Lisfranc injury, but the hope is that it’s simply a minor setback for one of the more unique prospects in the league. The stretch big label doesn’t quite do him justice, but how his ball skills and jumper ultimately translate in the pros will be fascinating to watch. His defensive impact should give him a pretty high value floor regardless.
Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons
It may be two or three seasons before Ivey pulls it all together, but he’ll be one of the NBA’s best athletes on arrival and could be very hard to stop. He’s going to have to make better decisions and turn up his effort on defense, but good luck trying to keep him away from the rim.
Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
Mathurin had a promising showing at summer league and has a prototypical two-guard skillset, capable of scoring at all three levels. He’s going to benefit greatly from playing next to Tyrese Haliburton, and he’ll get pretty much all the shots he wants as the Pacers retool.
Dyson Daniels, New Orleans Pelicans
Daniels may not have a huge role this season, but keep him on the long-term radar as a multipositional utility wing who’s quite advanced for his age. His jumper remains the primary hurdle on the way to being a highly valuable complementary player.
Sophomores
Davion Mitchell, Sacramento Kings
Mitchell had a strong finish to his rookie year and should be a positive for the Kings as he gets more comfortable, supplying elite, high-energy on-ball defense and an offensive spark to go with it. His chemistry with De’Aaron Fox will be a key swing factor for Sacramento, but a leap into true high-end role player status feels doable.
Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have justifiably slow-played Kuminga’s pathway to playing time, but his physical gifts are among the best in the league. He’ll need to be more consistent to earn a serious role—and his minutes will tell the story—if he gets there, he could be a highly valuable two-way player
Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic
There’s no way around the fact that Suggs was not good as a rookie, but his predraft pedigree merits a second chance. He’s an elite athlete and brings toughness defensively, but he’ll need to either shoot well enough to live off the ball, or take a leap as a playmaker to better run a team. It’s pivotal he shows signs of progress in year two.
Josh Primo, San Antonio Spurs
Primo was the youngest player in the 2021 draft, and the Spurs have high hopes for him long-term as they reshape their roster. It may not be pretty, but keep an eye on him.
Chris Duarte, Indiana Pacers
Duarte’s sharp shooting ability makes him an interesting breakout candidate on the rebuilding Pacers, who have plenty of shots to go around. He’s shown enough diversity in his skillset to merit consideration as more than just a specialist, which may be his floor in the long run.
Third year players
James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors
This is a critical year for Wiseman, who missed all of last season and has yet to deliver a return on his lofty draft spot. The Warriors should make his life easy as a rim-runner, and he’s still enormous and athletic. But he’s been more of an idea than anything at this point in his career, and if he hasn’t earned consistent minutes by the end of the season, I’d be worried.
Patrick Williams, Chicago Bulls
Williams was among the youngest players in draft class and was always going to take some time, but last season was a big setback after he played just 17 games due to injury. He’s got a great two-way skillset for a modern role player, but the Bulls will also want to see him tap into his scoring upside.
Onyeka Okongwu, Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks eventually need to carve out more minutes to see what they have in Okongwu, who’s had a slow start to his career due to injuries and the fact he’s had to back up Clint Capela at center. Atlanta says they want to feature him more, and the upside is there for him to be more than just a reliable reserve, particularly if he starts to make jumpers.
More NBA Coverage:
