We’re at the point in the NBA season when a lot of rookies have clearly hit a wall. A few guys are scaling that wall and excelling in critical ways, writes Sam_Vecenie. Latest NBA Rookie Rankings ⤵️
. In that 17-game stretch, Mathurin averaged only 6.4 drives per game, fifth on the team.
After that stretch, though, something seems to have clicked. From that point onward, he’s been a constant attacking force. Since Dec. 28, Mathurin is averaging 19.4 points and 4.8 rebounds and shooting 45 percent from the field. Moreover, Mathurin is back to drawing fouls not just at a level that is good for a rookie, but at an elite level league-wide. Mathurin has taken 8.2 foul shots per game in his last 17 entering Thursday. That is 11th-best in the NBA over that time period.
Beyond that, Mathurin is also a menace in transition. He is top 20 in the NBA in points scored per game out on the break, and he’s third in the NBA among the 99 players with at least 100 attempts in transition in terms of percentage of time that he draws foul shots. If he gets a defensive rebound, you better believe he’s taking it down the court all the way to the rim. He is a heat-seeking missile for contact.
Kessler has not just been a great rookie; he’s been a terrific NBA player, largely because of his defensive value. Through Tuesday, Kessler has a plus-2.4 EPM rating on defense, tops among all rookies, and is therookie with a positive EPM on offense . In part, that’s because his role is extremely limited. But within that role, he makes no mistakes and actuallymore shots for Utah on the offensive glass than he misses or turns over per game . He’s not the only player in the league to do that.
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