The 2021 rookie class is proving to be one of the best in recent memory, with numerous players standing as potential All-NBA candidates in the coming years. Evan Mobley has been a revelation in Cleveland. Scottie Barnes and Josh Giddey have looked right at home in the NBA since their opening weeks as rookies. There’s been a bit of a learning curve for Cade Cunningham, though he still has the potential to be the best player in his class. Perhaps we’ll see a bust in Springfield for multiple ‘21 rookies a couple of decades from now.
But the talent in this class doesn’t just reside in the top picks. We’ve seen players outside the lottery make notable contributions, with a couple of players potentially vying for a shot on the All-Rookie team. This class sports depth and top-end talent, a rare combination in a given year. So, which of the non-lottery talents have turned in the best performances thus far? Let’s sort through the best players not selected in the top 14 as we approach the All-Star break.
1. Herb Jones, Pelicans
Jones’s volume may take a dip in the coming months as CJ McCollum and potentially Zion Williamson enter the fold, though that should be of little concern in terms of his impact. Jones logs a significant share of his possessions via cuts, quick rolls and transition opportunities, serving as a low-maintenance contributor for first-year coach Willie Green. Jones’s turnover generation remains impressive as he continues to lead all rookies in steals and sits behind only Mobley in blocks. He’s shooting a healthy 36.1% from three, the fifth-best mark of the 31 players with at least 50 attempts.
It’s unlikely we ever see Jones make an All-Star team. But effectively filling your role is often half the battle in the NBA, something Jones seems to inherently understand midway through his rookie season. A long career awaits the Alabama product.
2. Ayo Dosunmu, Bulls
The most enjoyable rookies are often the ones that match their team’s identity, and Dosunmu is a prime example. His move from Champaign to Chicago has been a relatively seamless transition, with the 6’ 5” guard serving as a defensive facsimile of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso while the pair has missed significant time. Dosunmu can upsize to larger wings and chase around quick point guards, helping cover up the deficiencies in a depleted frontcourt.
Dosunmu’s shooting has been the real surprise through his first 50 games. He’s shooting 51.7% from the field and 40.9% from three entering Friday night, and he’s tallied 15-plus points on six different occasions since the calendar turned to 2022. Dosunmu is still more of a spot-up threat than anything, yet given the low expectations surrounding his offensive game, that’s a perfectly fine outcome at respectable percentages. Let’s hope to see Dosunmu back on the court sooner than later as he deals with a concussion.
3. Alperen Şengün, Rockets
I’d likely place Şengün atop our list if we were treating this as a projection exercise. The per-36 possession numbers for Houston’s rookie center are off the charts (17-9-5 with over 1.5 steals and blocks per game), and there are true flashes of stardom nearly each night. Şengün’s passing wizardry out of the post is no secret. He’s averaging 0.96 points per possession on post-ups, a better mark than Giannis Antetokounmpo and rookie sensation Evan Mobley. Houston’s best offense in the halfcourt is often generated through using Şengün as a fulcrum at either the block or the foul line, where he can dictate traffic for cutters and spot-up shooters. There are still some rough edges to be smoothed out in Şengün’s game, namely his turnover and foul rates. Yet the talent and self-belief is there for a future All-Star to emerge.
4. Nah’Shon ‘Bones’ Hyland, Nuggets
Hyland’s defensive acumen and general energy has been integral to the Nuggets staying afloat through a raft of injuries, and he’s earning increasingly more rope from Mike Malone as the season continues. And it’s not just Hyland’s defensive excellence that’s making headlines. He scored 22 points in a win over the Knicks on Tuesday night, finishing with four threes and one dusting of Kemba Walker. I haven’t lost faith in the Nuggets as a potential contender if they can somehow get healthy by April. If Denver makes a run at the Finals, Hyland will be one of the reasons why.
5. Tre Mann, Thunder
Mann should get an increasing share of possessions in the coming weeks and months for the tanktastic Thunder in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence, and he’s turned in some impressive scoring performances of late. Mann tallied 29 points in a win over Dallas on Feb. 2, and he’s finished in double digits in four of his last six contests. Mann is shooting 36.3% from three this season, and while he could afford to limit his turnovers a bit more, there are hints of ability as a third creator alongside Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. Oklahoma City’s draft machine seems to have found another keeper.
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6. Cam Thomas, Nets
Thomas’s shooting percentages aren’t pretty (43.8% from the field and 25.8% from three), though he provides a legitimate scoring spark to a team currently bereft of such given Kevin Durant’s injury, Kyrie Irving’s part-time status and James Harden’s dissatisfaction and subsequent departure. Thomas plays with supreme confidence, sporting an ability to both break defenses down off the dribble and create separation beyond the arc. Thomas has combined for 94points in his last four games. He cooly hit a game-winner to beat the Spurs in early January. Thomas’s best skill may be his innate confidence, something Kevin Durant learned early in the season. We should see Thomas as a microwave scorer in the league for years to come.
7. Omer Yurtseven, Heat
I understand Yurtseven’s production has taken a notable dip over the last month as he’s effectively exited Miami’s rotation, but we can’t ignore his impressive performance earlier in the season. Yurtseven played significant minutes in December and early January with Bam Adebayo out of the lineup, gobbling up double-digit rebounds in 14 straight games. Are there (significant) limitations to Yurtseven’s game? Of course. He’s never going to be a spacer, and his offensive skill-set isn’t anything to write home about. But that’s frankly not a concern for an undrafted player. Yurtseven appears to have carved out a niche in the NBA, one that should keep him in the league for years to come.
Honorable Mentions: Josh Christopher, Rockets; Quentin Grimes, Knicks; Kessler Edwards, Nets, Austin Reaves, Lakers
Christopher plays with the calm and smarts of a veteran, providing a steadying presence in his minutes on a young team. Grimes and Edwards both provide some scoring punch and an outside threat, with Grimes emerging as a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden. As for Reaves, he’s somehow been one of the steadiest Lakers this season, leading all rookies in FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR rankings. In a sentence unimaginable in October, he’ll likely see significant minutes in whomever Los Angeles faces in the play-in tournament.
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