NBA Rookies Already Looking Like Draft Steals After 1 Week

Four different players have won the NBA MVP award in the last eight years. Only one of them, Joel Embiid, was a top-10 pick. That's a pretty good indicator that hidden gems are always available later in the draft—provided teams know where to look.

The 2026 class certainly has its share of high-performing lottery picks, but it's already clear that a ton of talent came off the board outside the top 10. In fact, a couple of big-time early contributors lasted until the second round.

A week into the 2026-27 season, let's check in on a few of the biggest steals in the draft. From Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara, who should have gone much higher in the lottery, to Trevon Brazile and Meleek Thomas, who had no business slipping into the second round, this rookie class is loaded.

The old adage that "you either win or you learn" certainly applies to NBA rookies. Yaxel Lendeborg is doing a whole lot of learning as he plays a major role for the Golden State Warriors.

Averages of 21.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists through his first four games clearly show the impact the No. 11 pick is making. His breakout effort against the Denver Nuggets to help the Warriors win their first game of the season on Oct. 26 suggested first-option potential.

But the lessons of his first week matter more. For example, Lendeborg learned earlier in the year that irritating Luka Dončić is probably a bad idea .

Another teaching moment came from Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who used some of Lendeborg's directness with the media to call out the rookie's major issues with team defense.

Lendeborg's size, skill and competitiveness are all major assets that have him performing like a top-five rookie most nights. Imagine what he'll be capable of once he makes some adjustments to his trash-talk targets and off-ball instincts.

Allen Graves may never be a high-volume scorer or go-to option, but he's already showing basically every other skill you'd want in a role-playing starter.

The No. 19 pick can lock down offensive opponents of all shapes and sizes, making him a perfect fit for the Toronto Raptors' smothering defensive scheme. Check him out stymying Trae Young:

Graves is a true "little things" superstar, gifted with innate timing and anticipation that basically allows him to teleport to the right spot for rebounds and loose balls. He has tremendous hands and excellent length at 6'9", both of which help compensate for limited run-and-jump athleticism.

Though he's only in a small rotation role right now, the Raptors may find it increasingly difficult to keep him off the floor. Very few players sustain their effectiveness when scaling up in minutes, but Graves could lose plenty from his per-minute figures and still make a massive impact.

He's averaging 14.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3.9 blocks and 1.6 steals per 36 minutes through his first three games.

Few teams needed an infusion of athleticism and activity more than the Denver Nuggets, who were short on both qualities before losing Peyton Watson over the summer.

Trevon Brazile, a springy 6'10" big with a 9'1" standing reach, is more than filling the void.

An absolute menace on the glass, the No. 35 pick is constantly darting around the floor in pursuit of rebounds. He averaged 16.1 boards per 36 minutes (4.6 offensive) in his first two professional games. As an added bonus, he's at least acting like a player who'll also bring perimeter value.

Twelve of Brazile's first 19 career field-goal attempts came from long distance. He only hit three of them, but the ball comes out of his hands smoothly and with plenty of arc. There's a chance he develops into a potent interior weapon who can also stretch the floor.

As the league learns Brazile needs to be boxed out at all costs, it'll become harder for him to hustle his way to so many boards and loose balls. But if the intensity he's shown in the early going does result in opponents paying more attention to him, it'll free up his more established, starry teammates to operate freely.

This one is more about the eye test than production, as No. 12 pick Aday Mara is only averaging 14.5 minutes per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In that limited action, the 7'2" center is displaying a highly unusual combination of size and touch that would have him occupying a much larger role on a team that didn't already have three established bigs ahead of him in the rotation.

Even with Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams in the way, Mara seems bound to carve out more playing time. His length and feel makes him an excellent finisher around the basket. He runs the floor extremely well for his size. Mara can defend the rim and, perhaps most intriguingly, possesses legitimate passing vision.

Mara's intuitive ability to move the ball may not seem necessary on an offense with two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and emerging playmaker Ajay Mitchell, but OKC just lost Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace from the wing rotation. That could create an all-hands-on-deck approach, at least off the bench, that might allow Mara to tap into his tantalizing facilitation skills.

In the Thunder's first game without J-Dub and Wallace, the Michigan product racked up career highs with 19 minutes, 11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Perhaps that's a sign of things to come.

Meleek Thomas' NBA debut didn't come until the third game of the season, but the No. 34 pick certainly delivered when finally called upon.

Thomas' 16 points came in just 19 minutes of an overtime win against the previously undefeated Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 26. Without the 20-year-old guard's game-salvaging stint in the first quarter, the contest probably wouldn't have gone to an extra period.

"We didn't have energy, we were flat, we were playing the wrong way," Donovan Mitchell told reporters after the win. "We weren't doing the right things, and for him to be the spark in his first game of the year, like, it's not normal."

Thomas was the scoring leader during Summer League, averaging 27.2 points per game and hitting 43.8 percent of his long-range attempts. Veteran teammates quickly bought in during preseason, but a backcourt populated by All-NBA talents meant Thomas was going to have a hard time earning minutes.

If he continues to make the most of his opportunities, the DNPs he logged during his first two games will become a thing of the past.

Stats courtesy of NBA.com , Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass . Salary info via Spotrac .

Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale .