Last week, we talked about early dynasty risers and fallers. I intentionally left rookies off of either list, which gives us a chance to talk about some of them here. These 10 rookies have played well early on, and their dynasty value has certainly improved from the preseason. We won’t be too critical of the rookies that have struggled, especially since this was considered a weaker class.
It’s easy to get excited about rookies putting up crazy stats, but that just hasn’t happened often this season. Some of these are the obvious choices for rookies that have been impressive so far, but even a few fun flashes can help you land on this list. This isn’t me saying to go try to trade for all of these guys. Just giving credit where credit is due about two months into their rookie years.
Jared McCain, G, PHI
McCain was one of the best rookies to start the season, and while his long-term outlook is still fantastic, he’ll be out indefinitely after tearing his left meniscus. He currently leads all rookies in points and 3-pointers per game and is averaging 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.2 triples per game. An extended absence will probably keep him from winning any awards, but he will be a vital part of the 76ers’ future. They were able to get him with the 16th pick, and he’ll share the backcourt for a long time with another guard that they selected outside of the lottery in Tyrese Maxey. I went more in-depth on McCain earlier this season, which can be found here.
Donovan Clingan, C, POR
Clingan hasn’t been able to play a large role for Portland as a rookie, and he is currently playing with a minutes restriction after missing seven games with an MCL sprain. However, when they’ve unleashed him, the results have been impressive. In his seven starts this year, Clingan has averaged eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocks while shooting 52.2% from the floor in 22.3 minutes per game. He’s stuck in a logjam for minutes with Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams, which will prevent him from truly dominating. However, that isn’t going to be a long-term issue, and he’ll quickly become among the dominant bigs in fantasy basketball.
Stephon Castle, G, SAS
Castle has been one of the best rookies so far, but one of my concerns was about how that would translate to fantasy hoops. While he hasn’t fully answered those questions, he has still been really good early on. Castle is currently averaging 11.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 triples per game on poor shooting splits. With the Spurs’ getting healthier, his role may be a little smaller moving forward than it was early on, but he’s proven that he’ll be a big part of their future.
Carlton Carrington, G, WAS
Bub’s production tailed off a bit when Malcolm Brogdon was healthy, but when he has been given the minutes, he’s been one of the best rookies in the league. In 29.1 minutes per game, Carrington has averaged 9.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 triples per game. He has been back in the starting lineup recently due to a multitude of injuries on the perimeter in Washington, and on a tanking team, that is where he should remain for the rest of the season. Hopefully head coach Brian Keefe agrees.
Yves Missi, C, NOR
In fantasy basketball, Missi has been arguably the best rookie to this point. Part of that is certainly the situation, since his only competition for minutes has been Daniel Theis, but he has still played really well. Across 20 starts, Missi has averaged 9.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 26.9 minutes per game. He slipped to the Pelicans outside the top-20, and he has filled the gaping hole at center. Unfortunately, they have simply dealt with too many injuries to be competitive. Missi has been one of the few bright spots in a disaster of a season.
Kyshawn George, F, WAS
George is a player that I wasn’t very high on coming into the draft, but he has been able to show some flashes so far, especially early in the year. George has only started six games this season, but he has averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steal and 2.3 threes per game. He has had a few good games off the bench, but most of his success has come as a starter. It was a fun glimpse into what he can be, so hopefully there will be more opportunities for him this season, especially late in the year.
Jonathan Mogbo, F, TOR
The second-round pick has played a significant role for Toronto this season, and while he hasn’t contributed consistently, Mogbo has had some encouraging performances. He grabbed 10 rebounds in his second career start, which is a role that he will have for the near future with Scottie Barnes sidelined. He scored 17 points in 23 minutes against the Thunder a couple weeks ago. In his second career game, he had 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks in 24 minutes.
Jaylen Wells, F, MEM
One of the biggest surprises this season has certainly been that Wells has started all but five games for Memphis as a rookie. Wells is third among rookies in scoring and has averaged 11.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.8 threes in 24.6 minutes per game. The Grizzlies got him with the 39th pick of the draft, and he has already proven himself to be a starting-caliber player. His fantasy production may be limited to 3-pointers, but he has been a great find for Memphis.
Ajay Mitchell, G, OKC
Sure, it helps that Mitchell gets extra minutes when the Thunder blow teams out, which happens quite often. However, he has proven that he can be a rotation piece on one of the deepest teams in the league, which is encouraging. His averages aren’t great, but he has scored in double figures seven times despite playing 15.7 minutes per game. He’s an older rookie, so it shouldn’t be surprising that he’s able to make an impact early on. Hopefully he’ll be able to find a larger role in the future, whether that is in OKC or elsewhere.
Pelle Larsson, G, MIA
He has missed their last few games with an ankle injury, but Larsson has been able to carve out a role off the bench for Miami this season. He had a career-high six assists off the bench in their last game and had a career-best 14 points last month in a win over Dallas. Larsson hasn’t been spectacular, but he has been solid off the bench on a playoff team despite being selected 44th overall.
