2025-26 NBA Rookie Discussion Thread

[amcoolio]

Kon has moved well and looks fast out there. I think Klay Thompson is a good comp to what his best version can be. He is so smart and strong that he'll be fine on defense.

BTW he is shooting 55%, 58% from 3 on decent volume, which is pretty crazy for a 20 year old rookie.

[sisibilio]

Edgecombe's poise is unreal for a guy in his 3rd NBA game ever.

[HotelVitale]

Edgecombe's poise is unreal for a guy in his 3rd NBA game ever.

His versatility tonight was sweet, had some flashy athletic finishes but also some calm midrange and floater drives and a couple 3s off ball too. He's still not being very aggressive at all, too, trying to play a supporting role on a team that's competing. Lots of other things he could unlock over the next couple months.

[Handlez]

Cooper was drafted to a terrible situation.

AD is a ball stopping 3rd option.

Trade everyone like they did in Luka's rookie season.

Fire Kidd.

[johannking]

VJ gets my vote

[Capn'O]

Edgecombe's poise is unreal for a guy in his 3rd NBA game ever.

He has the poise and arsenal of a vet. I'm a fan.

versatility

That was the exact word I used for him on our board. This kid looks special.

[Rustyman]

People are far to quick to make judgements on rookies both good and bad.

I'm a Spurs fan but people saying Cooper Flag is a bust after a sub-par game are simply stupid.

Wemby was a bust after 10 games, Chet was going to be ROY at the all-star break. Now people are saying Wemby is MVP. All these statements are hyperbolic and any judgements can be made at the end of the season.

Simply, some rookies are doing better than others, largely because they are in better situations to shine at the moment. Embrace the moment but understand that many of the statements made today will look stupid before the all star break.

[MMyhre]

https://youtube.com/shorts/eFfc7jbl3u0?si=bpupDo4sp0inwGPf
This is just gorgeous from Flagg, handling and pushing the pace with his left hand into a smooth spin into the instant alley oop. Special kid, no better way to learn fast than to play against NBA defenses.

I thought he might be in trouble against NBA defenses with those spins. But they have worked well for him. He's had some trouble figuring out where he fits with Dallas's offense, and has been too passive at times. You can see that he's a rook when it comes to fitting into the offensive flow. But his moves already look NBA-ready.

Today he got a test against the best defense, and to be fair the Thunder are also one of the best defenses of All Time. Great experience, now he knows what the highest level of defense will feel like and it's going to go up and down this season like for any rookie.

You can spin in the NBA, but you need to be aware of your surroundings and be able to spin both ways while handling with both arms, and it seems like he can do that.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

This rookie class potentially looks like an all timer.

Really like the look of The Tre Johnson kid for The Wiz.

Washington are going to be fun to watch this season.

Tre Johnson is only 19. He's averaging 22.3 points per 36 minutes. So far, he's 9/21 (.429) 3PT.

VJ Edgecombe is 20. He's averaging 25, 5.7, 6 per 39.7 minutes.

Cedric Coward is THE BEST ROOKIE SO FAR. BY FAR.

[sisibilio]

from VJ to MJ there's less than 10 letters. Just saying.

[lambchop]

People are far to quick to make judgements on rookies both good and bad.

I'm a Spurs fan but people saying Cooper Flag is a bust after a sub-par game are simply stupid.

Wemby was a bust after 10 games, Chet was going to be ROY at the all-star break. Now people are saying Wemby is MVP. All these statements are hyperbolic and any judgements can be made at the end of the season.

Simply, some rookies are doing better than others, largely because they are in better situations to shine at the moment. Embrace the moment but understand that many of the statements made today will look stupid before the all star break.

I agree. However, I also acknowledge the fact that fans on this board set him up perfectly for a season of ridicule, after saying he was guaranteed to be a top 15 player of all time.

[jasonxxx102]

This year is a complete opposite to last year.

Basically no talent in last years draft to this year loaded with talent (besides Ace lol)

I always laughed when people praised him for being a tough shot maker because that really just means bad shot taker

Dude is just Josh Jackson with more (undeserved) hype. Utah has really struggled to draft. 3 years straight of bad lottery picks. Someone in their scouting department needs to get fired

[Ice Man]

Cooper was drafted to a terrible situation.

AD is a ball stopping 3rd option.

Trade everyone like they did in Luka's rookie season.

Fire Kidd.

Flagg barely touched the ball last night. He was the team's 5th option, parked like PJ Tucker in the corner, there to receive a bailout pass if the higher options decided not to shoot. Which when AD, PJ Washington, and Klay are on the court, is basically never.

By the second half, Flagg was visibly disappointed and rattled.

I'm not removing Flagg from the blame from yesterday's performance. He was BAD. But it's the coach's job to put players in a position to succeed -- and Kidd utterly, complete failed at that task. Never in his basketball life has Flagg been asked to be the 5th option. He was lost in that role. (Making matters worse, Flagg seems to have been ordered to be the first man back on defense, as he would automatically drift back on defense after every Dallas attempt, so he couldn't even get involved offensively by crashing the boards.)

If that's how Cooper is to be used, he would be better off coming off the bench and leading the 2nd unit.

[lambchop]

Cooper was drafted to a terrible situation.

AD is a ball stopping 3rd option.

Trade everyone like they did in Luka's rookie season.

Fire Kidd.

Flagg barely touched the ball last night. He was the team's 5th option, parked like PJ Tucker in the corner, there to receive a bailout pass if the higher options decided not to shoot. Which when AD, PJ Washington, and Klay are on the court, is basically never.

By the second half, Flagg was visibly disappointed and rattled. Not surprisingly, he played like trash.

If that's how Cooper is to be used, he would be better off coming off the bench and leading the 2nd unit.

Pretty much every time he got the ball there was more than enough time on the shot clock to do something else, however, he decided to settle for the three. There was one instance where he receives the ball with 5 seconds left, but that was mainly due to his own inability to set his teammate up for a cleaner look prior to that, re-position himself and get his feet set properly or simply try to score himself on the initial drive.

He was also unable to finish at the rim. Sometimes that was due to Chet, however, he also just missed easy looks. None of this means he's a bust, but he surely needs to work on some things.

While coming off the bench would make sense, Americans tend to feel insulted when coming off the bench. Which could lead to him demanding a trade down the line, if he actually becomes a star at some point. Thus, I'm not sure if that would be a smart decision.

Edit: forgot to add the video footage

Watch on YouTube

[The-Power]

He was also unable to finish at the rim. Sometimes that was due to Chet, however, he also just missed easy looks. None of this means he's a bust, but he surely needs to work on some things.

Him missing a couple easy shots around the basket and having two 3s rim out is just bad luck. There's plenty of things to work on but the process on his shooting attempts is not something I'm worried about. He'll have plenty of great games this season. Dallas should really put him in the best position to succeed, though – and that position is neither 5th option on offense nor primary ball handler. He should be a secondary initiator, play off a primary ball handler, run some pick-and-rolls, have the occasional post-up on mismatches and make reads with the ball in his hands from the top of the arc.

[BAMAFREAK]

Coward didn’t have a huge game, but his shot is poetry in motion.
He started by yamming a lob, then an open 3, then a post up turnaround j that looked like Kobe.
So not much volume but showed his 3 level prowess.
He is also one f the more instinctual off ball defenders I have seen. He will have to ease up on helping but that will come.