The Rookie Watch is back and after about 20 games played a first clearer ranking emerges. At the top there is a clear number one, but behind it there is a punching and stabbing. Furthermore: How do Isaiah Hartenstein, Moritz Wagner and also Isaac Bonga beat each other?
Moritz Wagner (Los Angeles Lakers), C, 25th pick
The good news first: In the defeat at the Orlando Magic the first round pick gave a short debut for the Lakers. His only throw, a threesome, sailed on the ring. There hasn’t been more playing time for Wagner so far, who still has to line up at the back after his injury.
In addition to the injury, the fact that the Lakers have hired Tyson Chandler, another experienced center, to take over many minutes that otherwise could potentially have gone to Wagner, also plays into the equation.
It will probably be difficult for Wagner to recommend himself in the near future. The goals of LeBron James and Co. are too ambitious for this. Apropos LeBron: Wagner’s last troll was in the social media when Ohio State beat Wagner Alma Mater Michigan in football. After all, the German already has the king’s attention once.
Isaac Bonga (Los Angeles Lakers), G/F, 39th pick
The same applies to Bonga, who has so far spent his entire playing time in the G-League. There, the former Frankfurt player attracted positive attention several times, even though an ankle injury stopped him last.
It was especially surprising how Bonga took the distance throw as a matter of course, even directly from the dribbling. The German will have to prove himself further in the development league and “hope” for injuries if he wants to get a chance with the Big Boys. Here you can watch how Bonga is doing in the meantime at the South Bay Lakers.
Isaiah Hartenstein (Houston Rockets), PF/C, 43rd pick (2017)
At the latest since the victory of the Rockets over Golden State the German Big has finally arrived in the NBA. The Warriors tried several times to force the rookie into a matchup with Kevin Durant, but Hartenstein stood his ground and did not allow a field goal of the two final MVPs.
On top of that, the German sunk his first NBA triumvirate, which also pleased Chris Paul. “He’s practicing, he can really throw,” the Guard asserted. “I hope he’s got the confidence, because he’s helping the team extremely with his energy.” Coach Mike D’Antoni also raved about his rookie after the game, Hartenstein recently played his way into the rotation.
Of course another center is missing with Nene, but the former Quakenbrücker has at least overtaken the former Lottery Pick Marquese Chriss in the pecking order and constantly gets the backup minutes from Clint Capela.
Page 1: The Germans, Honorable Mentions
Page 2: Place 10 to 8
Page 3: Place 7 to 5
Page 4: Seats 4 to 1