NBA Rookie Power Rankings: As an undrafted rookie, Kendrick Nunn is shocking the league with his hot start

Nunn has continued his hot streak from the first week with the Miami Heat

It's only week two of the 2019-20 NBA season and while there have been some holdovers from the first week of Rookie Power Rankings, there are a few new faces who crept into the Top 10. So far, this rookie class has been top-heavy as most expected. Most of the lottery picks from the 2019 draft have gotten off to strong starts, with many providing valuable minutes for their teams. This week saw some big-game performances from Ja Morant and Tyler Herro, as well as the highly anticipated debut of 2018 lottery pick Michael Porter Jr., who did not disappoint in his first NBA game.

While the league eagerly awaits the arrival of Zion Williamson in New Orleans, the rest of the rookie class is proving that there was more to be excited about than just Williamson in this crop of players. Remember, these rankings will reflect a rookie's performance on a week-to-week basis, not the collective season, so these aren't Rookie of the Year standings. One week a player could be No. 2 on the list, and after that, they could fall out of the Top 10 altogether. It all depends on a rookie's weekly performance.

With that straightened out, here are this week's Rookie Power Rankings of the 2019-20 season. 

1. Kendrick Nunn, Miami Heat

Nunn has not cooled down since his NBA debut last week. Even with Jimmy Butler back in the starting lineup after missing time due to the birth of his daughter, Nunn has not only maintained his level of play from the first week, but he's also started every game for the Miami Heat this season. He's set the record for most points scored by an undrafted rookie in their first five games of the NBA season, holds the record for the most points by a Miami Heat rookie in their first five games and to top it off he's the first rookie to reach 100 points in his first five games since Kevin Durant did it in the 2007-08 season. Nunn's is obviously far more impressive since he's been toiling away in the G League, but the Heat look like they have a legitimate building block for their future in Nunn.

2. Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards

The Wizards aren't winning very many games, but what should inspire this team is the very promising play from Hachimura. He's shown all the athleticism and versatility that he was praised for leading up to the draft, and his jumper looks much improved from college. There was one play against the Houston Rockets where Hachimura got the ball at the top of the key with James Harden guarding him. Now, Harden isn't the greatest defender, however, for a rookie it was still impressive to see Hachimura fake out Harden with the pump fake, go up and under for the baby floater. He missed, but then followed his shot off the back of the rim to get the bucket.

3. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies

After an average debut last week against the Miami Heat, in which Morant was not even the second-most exciting player on the floor, he reminded us all this week why he was drafted No. 2 overall. In Memphis' only win of the season so far, an exciting battle against Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets, Morant posted his first 30-point performance of his NBA career. He also finished that night with nine assists and four rebounds, while shooting 59.1 percent from the field. He did most of his damage off a high pick-and-roll, getting a bigger defender switched on him, then using his athleticism and speed to take off towards the basket. There were a handful of times where he'd try to pass it off to a teammate while the defense was caving in on him and committed a turnover, but that's to be expected as Morant gets a better feel for playing in the NBA.

4. RJ Barrett, New York Knicks

The Knicks are absolutely terrible, but Barrett is the reason to watch their games. Barrett was expected to be a good NBA player, but he's gotten off to quite the impressive start this season. He put up 26 points in New York's loss to the Boston Celtics and posted his first-career double-double in the Knicks' first win of the season against the Chicago Bulls. Barrett had an efficient night, putting up 19 points and 15 rebounds, ending the night with a +5 plus/minus value. Barrett wasn't trying to do too much, or taking bad shots, he was playing within himself and after his shot wasn't falling from deep, he began to take the ball to the hole and saw a lot of success in doing so. He was out-muscling Lauri Markkanen and Luke Kornet in the paint and was able to finish through contact on multiple occasions. That's the type of game that should excite Knicks fans about Barrett going forward.

5. Tyler Herro, Miami Heat

Herro's teammate, Kendrick Nunn, might've had the more impressive week, but Herro had the most impressive performance of the week in a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Herro finished the night with 29 points, which alone is just impressive for a rookie. But his scoring performance was the most points scored by a Miami Heat rookie since Dwyane Wade, and he got there by dropping 19 points in the second quarter ALONE. It wasn't just his shooting from deep either, which is what we've come to expect from him. He went 7-for-9 from the field, using his athleticism to lose his defender on the way to the basket, or stopping on a dime to pull up for a mid-range jumper, showcasing nearly all his skills. If Zion Williamson doesn't come back soon, Herro -- or his fellow rookie Nunn -- could give him a serious run for his money for Rookie of the Year.

6. Michael Porter Jr, Denver Nuggets

We finally got to witness Porter in an NBA game, it's just a shame it was overshadowed by how poorly the Nuggets played as a team in an abysmal loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. After riding the bench for the Nuggets' first few games of the season. Porter was finally able to get into the rotation, largely because Will Barton was out Thursday night, which gave Porter the opportunity to get 20 minutes of action. It was only one game, but the rookie, who sat out all of last year due to injury, showed glimpses of the player many expected him to be. He's crazy athletic, and at 6-10 could play any position from point guard to power forward. Denver's rotation is already incredibly deep, so Porter will have to fight for his minutes on most nights, but after his debut, it will be hard for coach Mike Malone to keep him completely out of the rotation.

7. P.J. Washington, Charlotte Hornets

After a surprising debut where he finished with 27 points, Washington cooled off a bit in his second week of action. That doesn't mean Hornets fans shouldn't be high on his performances though. After Charlotte lost three-straight games, Washington lifted the Hornets to a win over the Sacramento Kings with his 23 points and eight rebounds. The skillset Washington has for someone of his size is the most interesting thing about him. His build allows him to feast on a player like De'Aaron Fox in the post, and his shooting touch allows him to set up at the 3-point line waiting to knock them down at a high rate. The Hornets weren't supposed to be much this season, but Washington is must-watch television for Charlotte, and after losing Kemba Walker in free agency, that's something they desperately needed.

8. Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors

Even though it appears the Warriors are somehow getting worse as the season progresses -- and the latest injury to Steph Curry certainly doesn't help -- Eric Paschall has been consistent when he's on the floor. He came off the bench in Golden State's first four games of the season, but was given the start against Phoenix, where he put up 20 points while shooting 7-for-9 from the field. He's a physical power forward who has a nice touch around the basket and can also pull up for a mid-range jumper. As the 41st overall pick in the 2019 draft, he's been putting up solid minutes for the Warriors so far. As the season goes on, Paschall might be given even more opportunity to grow, depending on how long Curry is out because that will greatly impact Golden's State direction for this season.

9. Coby White, Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls have not gotten off to the start they expected, with their only win coming against the Memphis Grizzlies. That's also the best game White has had so far this season. Posting a +15 plus/minus value, White finished the night with 25 points, six rebounds and two assists. He's shown that he can become the Bulls starting point guard with time, but for now, he's been a major sparkplug off the bench for Chicago who desperately needs all of his production on most nights.

10. Jaxson Hayes, New Orleans Pelicans

Hayes made his NBA debut against the Warriors, where he posted 19 points in nearly 23 minutes of action. The first bucket of his NBA career came off a pick and roll where Nikola Jokic was caught sleeping, leaving Hayes enough space and room to cut to the basket and finished beautifully at the rim. He was catching lob passes from Lonzo Ball all night but was clearly outmatched on the defensive end against Jokic. At 19 years old Hayes still has a lot of development ahead of him but when paired with Williamson once he returns New Orleans may be the new Lob City in a couple of years.

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