2020 NBA Awards Season

10 High-Profile NBA Rookies that Disappointed This Season

R.J. Barrett, Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter, Jarrett Culver, and other high draft picks came up short in their rookie season, but what did we learn about their long-term NBA outlooks?

HOW MANY ROOKIES MADE THEIR NBA DEBUT THIS SEASON? There are 60 draft picks each summer, though not all of them play. G-League call-ups, European “rookies” like 29-year-old Nicolo Melli, and undrafted players on two-way contracts also get spare minutes. De’Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, Matt Mooney, and Tariq Owens played in the NCAA Championship Game last April before making their NBA debut. We saw minutes from 7-foot-5 cult favorite Tacko Fall and some dude named Charlie Brown. Would you believe 115 men made their NBA debut this season? And that’s without the final 18 to 20 games!

Only 18 rookies played 1000 minutes, and just 14 averaged double-digit points. It’s hard to make a winning impact as an NBA rookie. The learning curve is steep, and it takes most players a few years to figure it out, if they ever do. That’s why we grade rookies on a curve, focusing a bit less on win shares and VORP and winning metrics. For most rookies not named Ja or Zion, just getting playing time and compiling some stats is significant.