Ending the first month that the NBA season started in, many players have already started going through the ups and downs of the season. Rookies have yet to hit the dreaded rookie wall. With their legs still fresh, many highly drafted rookies are starting to feel comfortable in the roles each has. Early into the season inconsistencies have already popped up for each rookie drafted. Only ten percent into the season for some and less for others, we have yet to see how good each rookie will be.

Deandre Ayton

Ayton has proven his worth early on as the NBA’s number one pick this past summer. Ayton has showcased his offensive skillset early on. He ranks fifth in true shooting percentage amongst fellow rookies playing more than 5 minutes per game. Ayton is not leading rookies or his team in scoring, but he is playing with an established star in Devin Booker. Despite playing with the high scoring Booker, Ayton has been able to pitch in with 17.5 points per game. Combining his tremendous skill with his basketball knowledge, Ayton has been able to pick and choose his spots while keeping his turnovers low at only 1.7 turnovers per game. Sporting a 20% usage rate, Ayton is a main feature of the Phoenix Suns offense. Phoenix trust Ayton to be a secondary facilitator, ranking third among rookies at 3.8 per game. That stat is higher than point guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Collin Sexton. Ayton is not without the inconsistencies that other players have shown as well. In only his second game of the season he struggled to stay on the court against the crafty Nikola Jokic. Struggling with fouls he played the fewest minutes of the season with 22 minutes. Unable to stay on the court for stretches, he shot terribly going 2/7 and scoring only 5 points. This game has so far proven to be an anomaly as the next three games he score 20 points or more and has not scored less than 16 in any other game this year.

Luka Doncic

Doncic is the high volume star of the young season, leading rookies in minutes per game, field goal attempts per game, three point attempts per game and points per game. Doncic is making the most of his opportunity to show off his all around game as he ranks top three in points per game, assists per game and rebounds per game. Despite the volume, he has found a way to stay efficient, shooting a slash line of 45.9/38.8/72.7. Many experts around the league were unsure of how Doncic would adjust to the speed of the NBA game and if the extended three point line would affect him at all. Doncic has been up to the task, unafraid to take the three point shot. Taking pull ups, spot ups and even mixing in the occasional stepback. Throughout the season Doncic has been a ball stopper on offense, often trying to force plays that are not there. He currently sits in the top five in turnovers per game at 4.3.

Trae Young

With every opportunity in the world, Young is putting up stats most other rookies cannot match. Young is second in field goal attempts per game with 15, but despite the volume he is converting at 42.9 percent from the field and 34 percent from three. He is also second in scoring amongst rookies with 19.1 points per game. It did not take Young long to assert himself on the floor, in the second game of the season Young scored 20 points and then followed up with 35 points in a matchup against fellow rookie guard Sexton. Young wass highly regarded as a playmaker in college and he has transitioned almost seamlessly into the NBA. Young leads all rookies in assists per game with 6.6 per game and also has a 34.3 percent assist percentage. Despite Young’s tremendous output on the offensive end of the court, the defensive end has been a struggle. Young has a negative box plus/minus at -3.6 due to his -3.7 defensive box plus/minus. Young is undersized and will be put in mismatches all throughout the season. With teams trending towards larger guards, Young will need to add some strength to combat teams posting him up down low.

Marvin Bagley III

When drafted to the Sacramento Kings, Bagley fell into an extremely crowded frontcourt. Sitting alongside veterans in Zach Randolph, Willie Cauley-Stein, Nemanja Bjelica and Kosta Koufos, as well as young players Harry Giles and Skal Labissiere. It was known that he wouldn’t be playing big minutes consistently, and he has so far played fewer than 25 minutes in six of his first eight games. Despite his low minutes, Bagley has carved out a spot in the rotation. He is almost always the first big off the bench. Playing the eighth most minutes among rookies, Bagley has found a way to rank top five in points per game, rebounds per game and even blocks per game. Bagley is scoring 12.4 points per game on 53.4 percent from the field. Bagley has also shown a soft touch from the three point line, taking just over one per game and shooting 55.6 percent so far this season. Bagley was slammed by draft pundits all summer, with talk of him not trying and taking plays off. So far these experts have been proven wrong, Bagley is averaging 1.3 blocks per game, more than known defensive stud Jaren Jackson Jr, and just under a steal per game with 0.9. Bagley often struggles when defenders sit on his right shoulder, not allowing him to spin and finish with his left. Bagley struggles with his right hand and avoids using it, he often forces going up with his strong arm, resulting in him ranking third in turnovers per game.

Jaren Jackson Jr

Jaren Jackson has been extremely solid across the board. Jackson was revered as a future defensive star and he is proving why in the NBA. Jackson is the only rookie averaging 1 or more steals and blocks per game. Jackson has been trending upwards after a season ending injury to starting forward Jamychal Green. Jackson has stepped in seamlessly and alongside Marc Gasol, anchor the 2nd ranked defense allowing exactly 100 points per game this season. With his long arms and athleticism Jackson can step out to the perimeter and disrupt opponents passing lanes by deflecting passes. Jackson is active on defense hustling and energizing his teammates. Jackson has helped in leading the resurgent Grizzlies to a 4-2 record after a disappointing 2017-18. So far this year Jackson has not shown the shooting stroke he displayed in the preseason and summer league, thus far only shooting 15.4 percent from three on just over two attempts per game. Jackson has also struggled with fouls, leading rookies with 4.3 fouls per game, also good for third in the NBA. Jackson has the capability to be a star on defense but he at times hunts for blocks, leaving himself open to foul calls.