Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams have been named the Kia NBA Rookies of the Month for games played in March and April.
The Kia NBA Rookies of the Month for March and April! #KiaROTM
West: Jalen Williams (@okcthunder)
East: Paolo Banchero (@OrlandoMagic) pic.twitter.com/3APpiuRHFY— NBA (@NBA) April 11, 2023
Check out their highlights from the past month-plus of action.
Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Paolo Banchero dominated for 30 points and 12 rebounds against the Wizards on March 31.
Banchero continued his impressive debut season with averages of 20.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists over the last two months of the season. The No. 1 overall pick finished his rookie campaign with averages of 20.0 points (1st among rookies), 6.9 rebounds (5th) and 3.7 assists (3rd) over 72 games.
rook of tha month⁴
salute to P5 for winning #KIAROTM for March/April! pic.twitter.com/SaKLmZSpqq
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) April 11, 2023
Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
Jalen Williams scored 31 points against Charlotte on March 28.
The No. 12 overall pick shined throughout his rookie season and continued his strong play over the final months with averages of 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He scored 30-plus points twice during March and was a key piece to Oklahoma City’s run into the AT&T Play-In Tournament as the 10th seed. For the season, Williams averaged 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists over 75 games.
Jalen Williams is your 𝙒𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝 ⚡️
🔗 | https://t.co/rUVvSpnZfR pic.twitter.com/8i1yUHbNzH
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 11, 2023
Other nominees:
- West: Jaden Hardy (DAL), Keegan Murray (SAC), Shaedon Sharpe (POR) and Jabari Smith Jr (HOU)
- East: Jaden Ivey (DET), Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard (IND)
