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Hot in October/November

Payton Pritchard
Boston Celtics/Oregon

Payton Pritchard was a huge breakout candidate before the 2023-24 season due to his performances in the 2023 preseason, but his opportunities were still limited.

The former Duck didn’t get a chance to show himself until the final parts of the campaign. In the last 20 games of that season, Pritchard averaged 14.8 points and 5.8 assists per game.

He also hit two buzzer-beaters in the NBA Finals and helped his team win an NBA championship.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla finally decided to give Pritchard a chance this season, and he hasn’t been disappointed. Pritchard has put up 16.2 points a night with elite three-point shooting over his last 16 games.

In fact, Pritchard is currently on pace to make 302 threes this year, which will completely shatter Wayne Ellington’s NBA record of 218 threes off the bench in a season.

Norman Powell
Los Angeles Clippers/UCLA

Former Bruin Norman Powell has been a “problem” for some time. He has averaged 21.4 points a night in games with over 34 minutes since entering the league.

Unfortunately, he never had the opportunity to break out properly due to all the stars he’s played with throughout his career.

He has shared the court with DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Damian Lillard, Paul George, and James Harden, and these stars have overshadowed him for most of his basketball journey.

Even in college, he was overshadowed by the likes of Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson at UCLA. But now that Kawhi Leonard is out and James Harden has gotten older, Powell is getting the chance to shine.

Powell is dealing with a hamstring injury as of the time of writing, but he was putting up career numbers before that. 23.3 points a night while shooting 49.0% from the field and 48.7% from three.

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Up-and-Coming

Bennedict Mathurin
Indiana Pacers/Arizona

Bennedict Mathurin entered the NBA with tons of confidence, even going as far as to trash-talk LeBron James before he even stepped foot on an NBA court.

He had a good rookie year, but had a sophomore slump in 2023-24 and missed the Pacers’ Eastern Conference Finals run with a torn labrum. Fortunately for Pacers fans, Mathurin is back and better than ever.

The former Wildcat started the year on the bench but worked his way back to being a starter and has put up 20.3 points and 8.1 boards per game while shooting 48.1% from the floor and 42.2% from beyond the arc in his last 15 games.

If he can continue playing like this, a big extension could be on the way.

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Top Veterans

James Harden
Los Angeles Clippers/Arizona State

The former league MVP  and Sun Devil is now back to his best. His shot wasn’t falling at the start of the season, but he still managed to average 9.0 assists per game before Norman Powell’s injury.

Harden’s ability to get his teammates involved is unmatched, and he is proving that he can still be “the man” with Powell out. He is putting up 26.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game while shooting 42.9% from deep.

He is also helping Ivica Zubac have the best year of his career, and their pick-and-roll duo has been a thing of beauty so far this season.

Nikola Vučević
Chicago Bulls/USC

Another European big enjoying a great season is former Trojan Nikola Vucevic.

Vucevic entered this season with a lot of pressure, and many thought he would lose his starting spot to Jalen Smith after three disappointing seasons with the Bulls.

However, Vucevic has silenced all the doubters and is putting up 20.4 points and 9.9 rebounds a night with a career-high 66.1% true shooting percentage so far this season.

He’s also playing the fewest minutes per game of his Bulls career, and many teams are interested in his services. If the Bulls decide to blow things up, he could be a great piece for a contender.

Rookie Report

Cody Williams
Utah Jazz/Colorado

It’s not a stretch to say that Cody Williams entered the NBA with higher expectations than his brother Jalen. Cody was a five-star recruit and became the first five-star recruit to commit to the Colorado Buffaloes.

NBA teams were amazed by his potential and he was just a one-and-done and was picked 10th overall. Jalen was just a three-star recruit and had to spend three years at Santa Clara to get drafted in the lottery.

So obviously, Jalen was more prepared both mentally and physically when he entered the NBA as a 21-year-old.

Williams made his NBA debut at 19 and was outmuscled from the start. He’s one inch taller than his brother, but 30 lbs lighter, and that is a big problem in the NBA since he isn’t particularly explosive.

Williams has been sent down to the G-League, and this could be a great thing for his development. He scored 18 points in his G-League debut and could work his way back to the Jazz if he can stay consistent.

Don’t forget, Jalen Williams had a slow start to his NBA career, averaging just 7.8 PPG in his first nine games before becoming a star.

Jaylen Wells
Memphis Grizzlies/Washington State

One of the best SuperWest rookies so far this season has been Jaylen Wells.

The former Division II player transferred to Washington State after two seasons and showed some promise in his only year of Division I basketball.

Wells was drafted 39th overall by the Grizzlies but was suddenly catapulted to the starting lineup after injuries to Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart.

Wells has averaged 13.6 points per contest since becoming a starter and has drained over 40% of his threes. His good play has led to him retaining his starting spot despite both players coming back from their injuries.