NBA Rookies Already Looking Like Draft Steals After First Week
It's been a great start to the 2025-26 NBA season for this new rookie class, as top picks such as VJ Edgecombe, Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Kon Knueppel, Tre Johnson and others have already made big impacts on their teams.
There's also been a wave of pleasant surprises—players who didn't go in the top 10 but look like draft steals already.
Spoiler alert: The Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets should be very pleased with their draft selections to this point, although they aren't the only ones.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Charlotte Hornets
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Draft Spot: Round 2, Pick 4 (No. 34 overall)
Second-round picks rarely step into starting jobs in the NBA, but that's exactly what we're seeing from Ryan Kalkbrenner already this season.
Earning the Charlotte Hornets' starting center job immediately, the 7-footer isn't flashy by any means but has been a steady force in the middle for a team that looked thin inside after trading Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkić this offseason.
Kalkbrenner has made 19 of his first 21 shots, with a 90.5 field goal percentage that currently leads the NBA. Ten of these shots have been dunks, as he's already showcased his ability to finish in the pick-and-roll and find the open lane for LaMelo Ball and others to hit him with an easy pass.
The 23-year-old is more polished than a typical rookie, and his 7.3 rebounds a game are the most of any first-year player who's registered two contests or more. His 1.0 blocks are tied with Derik Queen for first overall as well.
Kalkbrenner's game doesn't scream future All-Star and there's almost no offense coming outside of the paint (1.3 foot average shot distance). Still, the rookie knows his role on a scrappy young Hornets team and has been everything Charlotte should have hoped for and more as a second-round pick.
Javon Small, PG, Memphis Grizzlies
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Draft Spot: Round 2, Pick 18 (No. 48 overall)
The Memphis Grizzlies got a second-round steal with Jaylen Wells at No. 39 overall last year and look like they may have hit the lottery again with Javon Small.
The plan wasn't for Small to play big minutes as the primary backup to Ja Morant, although injuries to Scotty Pippen Jr. and Ty Jerome have left head coach Tuomas Iisalo without much choice.
Small is giving the Grizzlies 7.3 points and 5.3 assists in 19.5 minutes a game and has done a terrific job taking care of the ball (just 1.3 turnovers). His 5.3 dimes are second only to VJ Edgecombe among all NBA rookies and Small's plus-24 in 78 total minutes ranks fourth overall.
His shots haven't fallen at a high rate yet, but Memphis has relied more on Small's playmaking ability due to multiple injuries at point guard. After spending four years in college and starring at West Virginia last year, Small has been well-equipped to step into a rotation role immediately.
For a Grizzlies team that's getting far more expensive after handing out big extensions to Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama this past summer, Small looks like a real rotation piece at a bargain price for years to come.
Walter Clayton Jr., G, Utah Jazz
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Draft Spot: Round 1, Pick 18
A 2-2 start to the season for the Utah Jazz is a small miracle, as this looked like the only team in the Western Conference that didn't have any true playoff hope.
One of the reasons for this surprise start has been the play of Walter Clayton Jr., the former Florida star who slid out of this year's lottery.
The 22-year-old is averaging 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.0 steals and making 60.0 percent of his two-pointers in the early going. He's been more productive than No. 5 overall pick Ace Bailey and ranks second on the Jazz in assists.
Clayton's first NBA game showed off his complete skill set in helping the Jazz blow out the Los Angeles Clippers, as he chipped in 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in just 18 minutes.
The opportunity is there for Clayton to have a big role this season after the Jazz parted with Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson this past summer. It seems like only a matter of time before head coach Will Hardy goes with Clayton over veteran journeyman Svi Mykhailiuk as the team's starting shooting guard, clearing the runway for his rookie to really spread his wings.
Bailey and Clayton should both end up being foundational pieces for the Jazz moving forward, with the latter actually looking like the lottery pick of the two thus far.
Sion James, SG, Charlotte Hornets
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Draft Spot: Round 2, Pick 3 (No. 33 overall)
Kon Knueppel has set the NBA record with 16 made threes in his first four games. Ryan Kalkbrenner already made this list as a potential steal at center. Still, the Charlotte Hornets have even more reason to be excited about this rookie class with the early play of Sion James.
James went from being one of the leading scorers at Tulane to a role player at Duke during his fifth year of college, setting the stage for his career in the NBA now. He has embraced this role and become a true two-way threat for Charlotte.
James' 8.3 points per game are the most behind any second-round pick this season outside of Kalkbrenner, although their scoring couldn't be any more different. While the 7-footer does almost all of his work at the rim, James is 7-of-9 from three so far this season, with his 77.8 percent clip leading the entire NBA in the early going.
Add in five stocks and just one turnover through his first four games, and James looks like the ideal complementary player—operating effectively in a low-usage role and making an impact without the offense needing to run plays for him.
After making 41.3 percent of his threes at Duke, James looks like he'll once again be a knockdown three-point shooter and impact defender now for the Hornets.
Cedric Coward, F, Memphis Grizzlies
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Draft Spot: Round 1, Pick 11
The highest draft selection on this list, Cedric Coward has exceeded expectations even as a lottery pick.
He is second in the NBA among all rookies in scoring (16.5 points) to go along with 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks in 23.3 minutes per game off the Memphis Grizzlies' bench. He's third on the team in scoring behind Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. and is tied for the team lead in steals.
Coward is already fourth in the league in three-point accuracy (64.3 percent) and has the highest plus/minus of any rookie (plus-50 in 93 minutes of play). He's been right on par with the elite rookies in this class who went in the top five selections, a gamble that's paid off for a Grizzlies team that gave up a future unprotected first-round pick to move up five spots in the 2025 draft to get Coward.
A big body who can bully opponents on his way to the basket, Coward can play inside or out with his frame and impressive outside shooting.
If the Grizzlies want to have a chance of making the playoffs in the West, they'll need Coward and Javon Small to continue to thrive as rookies.
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