Kia Rookie Ladder: Jalen Williams rises to No. 2 in latest ranking

Abraham Smith

Thunder rookie Jalen Williams joined Elite OKC Company with his show Sunday vs. Utah

Kevin Durant did it, Russell Westbrook did it, and now Jalen Williams has done it.

Williams became the third newcomer in franchise history 30 points, five rebounds and five assists with his performance – actually his best 32 points of the season – in Sunday’s Oklahoma City win over Utah.

The 6-foot-6 two-wayer hit 12 of his 15 shots, including four of five from the arc, with two blocks and two assists. As a result, he has jumped to No. 2 in the latest installment of the Kia Rookie Ladder and has toppled the exclusive 1-2 club of Paolo Banchero and Bennedict Mathurin for most of this 2022-23 season.

If there were a Most Improved Rookie award, Williams would be one of the favorites. Over the past month, Williams has averaged 20.2 points in 11 games and is 57.4% with 5.1 rpg and 4.4 apg. He has posted a plus 3.4 average and helped OKC go 5-6 in that span.

Compare that to Williams’ welcome-to-the-NBA-first-11-games – 8.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.7 apg at 52.6% shooting and down 6.2 – and his improvement pattern of three years of high school in Santa Clara is alive and well… well.

Increased familiarity with his role, his team and the league has helped Williams feel comfortable, which in turn makes his opponents rather uncomfortable.

“I know where I’ll be on the floor,” he said recently. “I know roughly what the rotation will be like. I just put it down to getting more comfortable, working on my game and finding a routine.”

With his height and grip, Williams was ideal in this era of positionless basketball. He has an aggressiveness that shows on both ends Here And Here To Here, Here And Here.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said, “He keeps playing things right, if he’s on the gas and a teammate is open he’s spraying the ball. … When you’re playing with that kind of power and speed at that size it’s hard to manage.

A sprained right wrist scratched the rookie from Tuesday’s triumph over Golden State. Luckily for him, it was another Williams in the OKC squad whose season ended with a wrist injury: forward Kenrich Williams tore ligaments in his left wrist against Sacramento last week and required surgery.

Banchero continues to hold the top rung, but there’s a new face and some big hair in the Orlando rookie’s rearview mirror.

This week’s top 5 on the 2022-23 Kia Rookie Ladder:

(All stats as of Tuesday 7th March)

1. Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

Season Stats: 20ppg, 6.6rpg, 3.6apg
Since the last ladder: 21.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.8 apg
Last ladder: No. 1
Draft Pick: #1 overall

Paolo Banchero falls 31 points to put the Magic past the Hornets.

Banchero maintained his top spot, favorite status for the upcoming Rookie of the Year contest, and dominance among the newcomers of the East, snagging his third straight Rookie of the Month award at the conference. He’s had to grind a little more lately to make up for accuracy issues, increasing his shots to 18.8 per game last week and battling through a 1-in-35 stretch from the arc by shooting 5 of in his last three games 15 scored. He ranks 10th in the NBA in free throw attempts and shoots more than vets like Pascal Siakam, Jalen Brunson and Nikola Jokic.

2. Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder

Season Stats: 13.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.1 apg
Since the last ladder: 25.3ppg, 5.0rpg, 5.3apg
Last ladder: No. 4
Draft Pick: #12 overall

Jalen Williams dominated against the Jazz on Sunday with 32 points.

Williams may not have enough time left to chase Banchero at the ROY election, but here’s another bullet point for his resume: Since the calendar switched to 2023, no one in the NBA has amassed more steals. He has 60 in 28 appearances, for a 2.14 average that puts him slightly ahead of Washington’s Delon Wright (2.07). It makes sense that Williams, arguably the top steal in the 2022 draft, would stand out on that statistic.

3. Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers

Season Stats: 16.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.4 apg
Since the last ladder: 12.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.0 apg
Last ladder: No. 2
Draft Pick: #6 overall

Bennedict Mathurin had 17 points in a big win over Chicago last week.

Mathurin’s production is down from 17.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 31.9 3FG% to 13.5, 3.8 and 27.8% in the six games since the All-Star break. Also, his ability to reach the foul line has increased from 6.0 free throw attempts before the break to 4.5 since then. Luckily for the Pacers, they won 3-3 in that last stretch. The Montreal native is apparently interested in playing for Team Canada at this summer’s FIBA ​​World Championship, according to The Athletic.

4. Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz

Season Stats: 8.4ppg, 8.1rpg, 2.3bpg
Since the last ladder: 13.5ppg, 10.5rpg, 4.5bpg
Last ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: #22 overall

A bout of non-Covid illness ruled Kessler out of Tuesday’s loss in Dallas, and he was burdened with a minus 9.0 in the Jazz’s other two losses this week. But the big guy earned the West’s honor for February’s Rookie of the Month, ranking ninth in rebound percentage (17.3) and trailing only Brook Lopez of the Bucks at 14.6 (18, 1) in contested 2-point rounds per game.

5. Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons

Season Stats: 15.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.9 apg
Since the last ladder: 16.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 7.3 apg
Last ladder: No. 6
Draft Pick: #5 overall

Played his way back into the top five with back-to-back double-doubles against Portland and Washington. 39 total points and 25 assists in six turnovers, despite failing to break the Pistons’ nine-game losing streak. And while he’s shooting 41.8% overall, that jumps to 47.5% in the last three minutes of the quarter.

The next 7:

6. Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings

Season Stats: 11.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 apg
Since the last ladder: 9.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3 apg
Last ladder: No. 5
Draft Pick: #4 overall

Hit 6 3FG’s this week, 35 away from beating Donovan Mitchell’s rookie record.

7. Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs

Season Stats: 10.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.6 apg
Since the last ladder: 18.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.0 apg
Last ladder: No. 8
Draft Pick: #9 pick overall

Analytics: Breaking down his performance by… Hair color?

8. Jabari Smith, Jr., Houston Rockets

Season Stats: 11.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.2 apg
Since the last ladder: 10.5ppg, 5.0rpg, 0.8apg
Last ladder: No. 7
Draft Pick: #3 overall

Shooting improves on its last three games (53.8%/41.7%).

9. Tari Eason, Houston Rockets

Season Stats: 9.2ppg, 5.7rpg, 1.8ppg
Since the last ladder: 13.8 ppg, 6.0 rpm, 1.2 spg
Last ladder: No. 10
Draft Pick: #17 pick overall

Didn’t neglect his D (2 steals, 2 blocks) as he scored 20 against SAS.

10.Malaki Branham, San Antonio Spurs

Season Stats: 9.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.0 apg
Since the last ladder: 10.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.0 apg
Last ladder: No. 12
Draft Pick: #20 pick overall

Some felt robbed of February’s rookie of the month (8/16, 8/3, 7/2).

11. Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets

Season Stats: 8.4ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.1bpg
Since the last ladder: 10.3ppg, 8.5rpg, 0.8bpg
Last ladder: No. 11
Draft Pick: #16 overall

New Per-36 Favorite: 16.9 points, 13.0 rebounds, with 63.9 FG%.

12. Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons

Season Stats: 8.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.1 apg
Since the last ladder: DNP
Last ladder: No. 9
Draft pick: #13 overall

If the sore ankle isn’t holding him back, it might be the Pistons’ crowded frontcourt.

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Steve Aschburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. You can email him here, his archive can be found here and Follow him on Twitter.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs, or Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.

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