NBA – “Rookie of the Year”: There appears an “unknown” guy that no one mentions and is doing as well as Wemby this season!

NBA – “Rookie of the Year”: There appears an “unknown” guy that no one mentions and is doing as well as Wemby this season!

As Victor Wembanyama is still blowing hot and cold on the Spurs side, other nuggets from the 2023 draft are taking the opportunity to make headlines with a view to the race for Rookie of the Year. A young player in particular is doing as well as the French pivot in terms of offensive cards, which shows the talent of the guy!

Although they largely won against Dallas last night (131-110), the Pelicans are still having a difficult start to the season. 9th in the West with a negative record (five wins for six defeats), they also lost CJ McCollum for a moment following the former Blazers’ pneumothorax. On top of that, Zion Williamson is not yet at his best as he returns from several months of absence.

Suffice to say that New Orleans still has work to do to become a legitimate contender, even if there are some rays of sunshine. Among these, we notably include the NBA debut of Jordan Hawkins who is currently averaging 13 points. Another great performance against the Mavericks, the rookie took the opportunity to rise to the same level as a certain Victor Wembanyama:

Jordan Hawkins, pleasant surprise to the Pelicans

Jordan Hawkins tonight:

25 PTS
6 REB
5 3P

Tied with Wemby for the most 25-point games by a rookie this season.

pic.twitter.com/cNbx8eyymc

— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 15, 2023

Jordan Hawkins last night: 25 points, 6 rebounds and 5 successful three-pointers. He is tied with Wemby for the most 25-point games by a rookie this season.

Drafted in 14th position this summer from Connecticut, the fullback wasted no time getting his bearings since although he generally comes off the bench (4 starts in 11 games), he has already taken nearly a dozen shots every night. His percentages can still be improved (less than 38% shooting success, including 36% from distance), but he already benefits from the unconditional support of Zion Williamson:

I always have a lot of good things to say about Jordan. Coming in as a rookie and showing yourself to be fearless like that (during his great performance against the Nuggets, editor’s note), it’s serious.

With already nearly 30 minutes per game, the man could still see his playing time increase due to the absence of McCollum. For Bayou fans, the rest is already ready for him:

ROY

— George Hathaway (@hathawaygeorge9) November 15, 2023

Rookie of the Year

We will have to continue to progress (and especially adjust the shooting sights) for Jordan Hawkins, but the Pelicans rookie has already won over everyone there. From there to whether he overtakes Victor Wembanyama or Chet Holmgren in the ranking of the best beginners at the end of the season, that’s another matter of course.