Scheduled
2026-27 · Regular season
Three rookies scoring 21 a game after four games, the most since at least 2019-20: Yaxel Lendeborg, Darius Acuff Jr. and Caleb Wilson in numbers
Yaxel Lendeborg, Darius Acuff Jr. and Caleb Wilson are all averaging 21 or more after four games, something no rookie class has done since at least 2019-20. Acuff’s 93 shots, Cameron Boozer’s rebounding and how the top-10 picks are shooting.
In this article
Four games into their NBA careers, three rookies are averaging more than 21 points a game. Yaxel Lendeborg is at 21.8 for Golden State, Darius Acuff Jr. at 21.5 for Sacramento and Caleb Wilson at 21.0 for Chicago. In the seven previous seasons, no rookie class had more than two players at 20 a game after four games, and four of those classes had none.
The shooting is a different story. Acuff has taken more shots in his first four games than any rookie in that span, and the top-10 picks as a group are making 37.1% of their field goals. Here is the 2026 class after its first week, compared with the seven before it. The numbers are through Tuesday’s games.
The numbers that stand out
- Three rookies averaging 20 or more after four games. The previous high since 2019-20 was two, Paolo Banchero and Bennedict Mathurin in 2022-23
- Lendeborg, the No. 11 pick, leads the class with 87 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists a game and a 59.1% true shooting mark
- Acuff has taken 93 shots, 23 more than any rookie’s first four games in the last seven seasons. VJ Edgecombe’s 70 last season was the previous high
- Cameron Boozer’s 10.5 rebounds a game ties Ausar Thompson in 2023-24 for the most by a rookie through four games in that span, and ranks fifth in the league
- The seven top-10 picks who have played four games are shooting 37.1% from the field and 23.5% from three
- No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa has missed Washington’s first four games with a left ankle sprain and is questionable for Wednesday’s game in Cleveland
Three 20-point scorers, eight seasons compared
| Season | Rookies at 20+ points a game | Top rookie scorer (points a game) | Most shots by a rookie |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 3 | Yaxel Lendeborg (21.8) | 93 (Darius Acuff Jr.) |
| 2025-26 | 1 | VJ Edgecombe (22.2) | 70 (Edgecombe) |
| 2024-25 | 0 | Bub Carrington (10.5) | 38 (Jaylen Wells) |
| 2023-24 | 0 | Victor Wembanyama (16.2) | 50 (Wembanyama) |
| 2022-23 | 2 | Paolo Banchero (22.8) | 68 (Banchero) |
| 2021-22 | 0 | Chris Duarte (19.8) | 68 (Duarte) |
| 2020-21 | 0 | Anthony Edwards (15.0) | 55 (Edwards) |
| 2019-20 | 1 | RJ Barrett (20.5) | 65 (Barrett) |
Each player’s first four games. Drafted rookies only; 2023-24 includes Chet Holmgren, who was drafted in 2022 and missed his first season.
The 2024-25 class is the low point of the table. Its best scorer after four games was Bub Carrington at 10.5 a game, and No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher was at 7.2. Six players in this class are scoring more than that, and four are at 15 or more.
Lendeborg: the most complete start
Lendeborg has scored more in each game than the last: 12, 18, 26 and 31. He is shooting 27-for-60 from the field and has gone to the line 31 times, making 24, more free-throw attempts than any other rookie. His 31 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in Monday’s 134-114 win in Denver gave Golden State its first win of the season. The NBA noted that he was the first Warriors rookie since Stephen Curry in February 2010 to post at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a game.
Video: NBA / X.
The No. 11 pick is also the oldest of the group. He turned 24 in September after stops in junior college, at UAB and at Michigan, which may help explain why he looks the most settled. He has 11 turnovers in four games, the same number as Acuff and fewer than Wilson’s 15.
Acuff: 93 shots and an 0-4 team
Acuff’s scoring has come from volume. He is averaging 23.2 field-goal attempts, second in the league behind Anthony Edwards (26.0), and is shooting 32-for-93 (34.4%) and 7-for-34 from three. His true shooting mark is 42.4%, the lowest of the four rookies averaging 15 or more.
He is improving. After a 5-for-24 debut, he has gone 10-for-26, 9-for-23 and 8-for-20, and he made three of his seven threes in Tuesday’s 130-103 loss in San Antonio, where he scored 19 with five assists. But the Kings are 0-4 and have been outscored by 47 points with him on the floor. Wilson, at 74, is the only other rookie since 2019-20 to take more than 70 shots in his first four games.
Wilson and Boozer
Wilson has 84 points in four games for Chicago, including 30 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday’s loss to Washington. He also has seven steals and six blocks, the most of any rookie in both categories, but his 15 turnovers are the most in the class and he is 5-for-28 from three.
Boozer is the only one of the four on a winning team, and Memphis is still unbeaten at 4-0. He has scored less than the other three but leads all rookies at 10.5 rebounds a game, with at least seven in every game. His shot has not come with him yet. He is 18-for-61 (29.5%) from the field, though he has made 18 of his 19 free throws.
The top picks after four games
| Pick | Player | Team (record) | Games | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG | 3PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AJ Dybantsa | WSH (2-2) | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | Darryn Peterson | UTA (1-3) | 4 | 11.5 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 18-50 | 4-12 |
| 3 | Cameron Boozer | MEM (4-0) | 4 | 15.2 | 10.5 | 4.8 | 18-61 | 7-26 |
| 4 | Caleb Wilson | CHI (1-3) | 4 | 21.0 | 7.2 | 1.8 | 31-74 | 5-28 |
| 5 | Keaton Wagler | LAC (1-2) | 3 | 13.0 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 8-23 | 6-15 |
| 6 | Mikel Brown Jr. | BKN (0-4) | 3 | 10.3 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 10-35 | 7-20 |
| 7 | Darius Acuff Jr. | SAC (0-4) | 4 | 21.5 | 2.8 | 4.8 | 32-93 | 7-34 |
| 8 | Kingston Flemings | ATL (2-2) | 4 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 6-18 | 1-5 |
| 9 | Morez Johnson Jr. | DAL (2-2) | 4 | 6.5 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 11-20 | 0-3 |
| 10 | Brayden Burries | MIL (1-3) | 4 | 7.2 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 9-21 | 4-11 |
| 11 | Yaxel Lendeborg | GS (1-3) | 4 | 21.8 | 9.2 | 4.8 | 27-60 | 9-26 |
Even with Wilson and Acuff included, the top of the class has been cold. Not counting Wagler and Mikel Brown Jr., who have played three games each, the top-10 picks are 37.1% from the field and 23.5% from three after four games. Of the eight classes we checked, only 2024-25 was colder (36.6% and 20.5%). Last season’s top-10 picks shot 45.1% and 40.0% in their first four games.
There have been bright spots off the bench. Wagler is 17-for-19 at the line and has a 62.2% true shooting mark in a reserve role for the Clippers. Brown scored 17, his best yet, in Brooklyn’s 125-124 overtime loss in Boston on Tuesday. Darryn Peterson has two turnovers in 117 minutes, the fewest of the six rookies averaging 25 minutes or more, but he is 18-for-50 from the field. Second-round pick Meleek Thomas scored 16 in 19 minutes in his debut for Cleveland on Monday.
What comes next
Lendeborg, Wilson and Peterson all play on Wednesday. Golden State visits Minnesota and the Knicks visit Chicago at 8 p.m. ET (3 a.m. Thursday in Cairo), and Utah hosts San Antonio at 9 p.m. ET (4 a.m. Thursday). Dybantsa’s next chance at a debut is in Cleveland at 7 p.m. ET (2 a.m. Thursday). Four games is a small sample. Of the five rookies who were at 20 a game after four games from 2019-20 to 2025-26, only Banchero finished the season at 20 a game.
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