The first full week of the 2022–23 NBA regular season has come and gone and already a number of first-year players have made an impact. While it’s still too early to make any bold proclamations after just a few games—my colleague Howard Beck astutely noted that “everything” is the biggest overreaction through one week—here are seven early observations about this year’s rookie class.
1. Paolo Banchero looks comfortable
In his first-career regular season game, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft recorded 27 points on 61.1% shooting from the field, while adding nine rebounds and five assists. Banchero then became only the seventh player in league history to score at least 20 points in the opening five games of his career. (Other names on that list include Wilt Chamberlain, Elvin Hayes, Oscar Robertson and Dominique Wilkins.)
