Ryan Kalkbrenner, the unexpected rookie who is making NBA history

He’s obviously not the most famous newcomer, but Ryan Kalkbrenner will have a say in the race for the “steal” of the 2025 vintage. Picked in 34th position, the old headquarters of Creighton is, by far, the most skilled player in the NBA with 80.8% shooting! Since the beginning of the season, he has made a magnificent 42 of 52 shots, and after ten games this is unheard of in NBA history.

Among the rookies, only Yao Ming and Derek Lively II exceeded 70% skill in their first ten matches.

“It’s a credit to my teammates, who allow me to take easy shots” reacts Ryan Kalkbrenner. “It’s not my role to make complicated shots, so obviously my percentage is right. But my teammates do a great job of finding me on passes when I’m wide open. . . . So I’m happy to be able to convert a few.”

The best defender in the NCAA and the winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trophy last season, Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of the “old rookies”. At almost 24 years old, he knows that he will only be a “role player” in the NBA, and in order to establish himself, he must play fair.

Top with 49 points in the NCAA

“He has a very good attitude,” loves Charles Lee, the Hornets coach. “His approach is impeccable. He just wants to impact the game as much as he can. We knew what we were going to get when we drafted him. But he continues to impress us defensively, protect the rim and help us dominate in the paint.”

For example one Rudy GobertRyan Kalkbrenner rarely goes outside the court, and one of his rare missed shots was a 3-pointer. His mission is to offer solutions a meter from the circle or to convert offensive rebounds. And he’s been doing it since college! With his 65.8% shooting, he is the most skilled player in college basketball history. Last year, almost to the day, he caught fire with 49 points on 20-of-22 shooting. Only legendary Bill Walton he was better, shooting 21 of 22, and that was in the 1973 NCAA finals.

From Oct. 25-30, he went 21-of-22 on shots. His only missed shot? Against Alexa Sara.. “Honestly, to be honest, I’d rather nobody knew my name and we were undefeated… I’m happy to be playing well, but I just want to win” he still concludes.