With the 2026-27 NBA season less than a week away, part one of this series named the rookies most likely to make a dark-horse run at Rookie of the Year, make 250 threes and make a playoff impact. However, those three superlatives only cover part of what this rookie class can accomplish, as several rookies will earn their minutes as defenders, scorers and rotation players on winning teams.
Some of those players come from the top of the lottery, while others enter the league as second-round picks with lots to prove, and their path to each milestone depends on a mix of opportunity, preparation and talent.
Among them, these three stick out as the most likely to make an All-Defensive team, average 20 points per game and join a playoff rotation as a second-round pick.
Dallas Mavericks
Sep 25, 2026; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Morez Johnson Jr. (14) poses for a photo during the Mavericks media day at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Only six rookies in NBA history have made an All-Defensive team, and all six were big men, from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1970 to Victor Wembanyama, who became the first rookie ever named to the first team in 2024. In the two seasons since, zero rookies have been able to earn All-Defensive honors.
However, Morez Johnson Jr. brings the defensive versatility to challenge this, as the 6-foot-9 forward stays low and balanced enough to switch onto guards on the perimeter, then has the strength and explosiveness to hold his ground against bigger players and contest shots at the rim. This lateral range made him a key piece of Michigan's national championship defense, and it fits a Dallas front-court that needs a versatile defender next to Cooper Flagg while Dereck Lively II remains out with a foot injury.
Johnson Jr. also reunites with Dusty May, his head coach at Michigan, who already trusts him to anchor a defense. That trust, paired with the immense defensive impact versatile big men can make in today's NBA, makes the 20-year-old the most likely rookie to make an All-Defensive team.
Chicago Bulls
Oct 7, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Caleb Wilson (8) takes a free throw shot against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Cooper Flagg led all qualifying rookies with 21.0 points per game last season, and Victor Wembanyama averaged 21.4 points as a rookie in 2023-24, showcasing that the very best rookies can instantly join the NBA's top scorers by averaging over 20 points per game. In this year's class, Caleb Wilson has the best case due to the explosive pull-up shot-making he has displayed in Summer League and preseason action, his ability to play off of other playmakers like Josh Giddey as an off-ball and transition threat and the unique opportunity the 6-foot-9 forward will get as the clear central talent the franchise will build around.
Wilson averaged 19.8 points on 57.8% shooting at North Carolina in 2025-26 mostly by attacking the rim, but he has since added an intruiging pull-up three to his game, scoring 35 points with seven threes against Cameron Boozer in Summer League and 21 points with five threes against Memphis in the preseason. Next to an elite passer in Giddey, he can also score without the ball by running the floor in transition and finishing cuts and lobs. Also, as the centerpiece of a Bulls rebuild, the 20-year-old will get the shots and minutes to sustain volume production, which makes him the most likely rookie to average 20 points per game.
Denver Nuggets
Sep 28, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Trevon Brazile (7) during media day at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Second-round picks rarely earn real minutes as rookies on teams that expect to compete in the playoffs, however Trevon Brazile joins the Denver Nuggets with a clear path to a role, as the 6-foot-10 forward's athleticism fits well next to three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Also, after Denver sent Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade this summer, the Nuggets now have an opening for front-court depth behind Jokic and Aaron Gordon.
At 23 years old, Brazile brings a 41.5-inch max vertical and a 7-foot-3.75 wingspan to that frontcourt, and his 45 threes, 54 dunks, 58 blocks and 53 steals at Arkansas in 2025-26 showcase the many ways he can make an impact on both ends of the floor. Jokic has long fed athletic off-ball forwards like Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., and Brazile can fill that same role as a floor spacer, cutter, lob threat and offensive rebounder while guarding multiple positions and leveraging his athleticism into disruption on the other end. His defensive capabilities are especially important next to a Jokic who, for all he does well, lacks vertical explosion as a rim protector. This combination of diverse two-way impact makes Brazile the most likely second-round pick to join a playoff rotation.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/draft/onsi as Rookie Superlative Predictions For The 2026-27 NBA Season: Part Two .
