Halloween brought a busy NBA slate on Oct. 31, and the rookies made sure they had a say in it. Sacramento’s matchup with Memphis produced the loudest first-year performances of the night, with Darius Acuff Jr. and Cameron Boozer each leading their teams in scoring. No other rookie matched that kind of output, but several still turned in solid nights across the league.
The biggest scoring burst belonged to the No. 7 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, who poured in a game-high 38 points against Memphis. He also added five rebounds, five assists and three turnovers while going 12-of-25 from the field, 9-of-14 from deep and a perfect 5-of-5 at the line.
Boozer’s line was nearly as eye-catching. The No. 3 pick scored a team-high 27 points against Sacramento and finished with nine rebounds, three assists, a block and seven turnovers. He shot 8-of-14 overall, 3-of-7 from 3-point range and 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
Elsewhere, the No. 2 pick posted a team-high 16 points against Portland, along with four rebounds, four assists, a steal, a block and three turnovers. He shot 6-of-15 from the field, 3-of-8 from beyond the arc and 1-of-2 from the free throw line.
The No. 13 pick put together a clean scoring night against Cleveland, finishing with 14 points, two assists, a rebound and a turnover while shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. The No. 10 pick also scored 14 against Cleveland, adding three rebounds, an assist and a steal on 4-of-7 shooting, including 1-of-4 from deep and 5-of-6 at the line.
The No. 34 pick made his presence felt against Milwaukee with 13 points, two assists, a rebound, a block, a steal and a turnover. He went 5-of-12 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
The No. 8 pick contributed across the board against New Orleans with 12 points, six assists, two rebounds, four steals and three turnovers. He shot 4-of-8 overall, 1-of-2 from deep and 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
Rounding out the list, the No. 16 pick scored 11 points against Houston, adding three assists, a rebound and a turnover while shooting 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-6 from 3-point range.
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The production has been just as loud as the buzz around it, with Boozer giving the Grizzlies a steady two-way presence and a playmaking element that is not usually expected this soon from a first-year player. With a relatively favorable stretch coming up, Memphis has a chance to keep building momentum while the Rookie of the Year conversation starts to take shape around one of its newest faces. [Read more 🡒]
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The payoff has shown up in the way the ball moves and in the expanded responsibilities for players who are being asked to do more than before, including Isaiah Stewart and Cam Spencer. For a team that spent much of last season getting judged through the lens of its coachs methods, this early stretch is at least offering a clearer picture of why Iisalo stayed committed to his system. [Read more 🡒]