My NBA Rookie Ladder... UPDATE

A LOT has happened since my last Rookie Ladder rankings. A wild Kel’el Ware has appeared most importantly, and Jared McCain’s injury has to eliminate him from any rankings. It’s a weird rookie class but one guy has to emerge as the Rookie of the Year eventually.

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10. Zaccharie Risacher Atlanta Hawks 10.5 PPG 28.1% 3PFG previous rank: 9

He’s been hurt but was scoring decently for just 23.7 mpg before that. When he comes back I’m not sure how much he plays with Atlanta fully healthy if they are serious about a playoff run.

9. Ryan Dunn Phoenix Suns 7.3 PPG previous: UNR

Starting for a team that thinks they are championship contenders is pretty impressive for a rookie. Dunn has been great defensively and before he sprained his ankle last game and played just 2 minutes, he was averaging over 10 PPG in January and shooting over 35% from three.

8. Bub Carrington Washington Wizards 9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.9 APG previous: 7

I like Bub but I just wish he was doing more with his 29.9 mpg. On the Wizards he should be averaging at least 14 points and 5 assists with those minutes. Still, I think he’s good but is too shy with his play. I have him lower than a lot of sites that have him top 5.

7. Yves Missi New Orleans Pelicans 9.2 PPG 8.1 RPG 1.4 BPG previous: 4

Great production for a rookie who has been forced into being the starter. I don’t think there is another team in the league that he would have started for at the beginning of the season but he’s been solid. He’s fallen in my rankings because he’s been the same but other guys have stepped up.

6. Zach Edey Memphis Grizzlies 9.6 PPG 7.3 RPG previous: 5

Edey hasn’t been as consistent as many people thought. He will have some huge games and then play 14 minutes and have 2 points the next game. His last two he had 19 and 7 with 4 blocks and 13 and 11 the game before.

5. Isaiah Collier Utah Jazz 5.1 PPG 4.8 APG previous: UNR

He’s leading the rookie class in assists by 0.9 with 4.8 per game. This is despite him playing just 21.3 mpg on average. Collier has stepped into big minutes and even last game with Keyonte George and Colin Sexton playing he started and saw 33 minutes. His stock is rising fast. I’m the highest on him by far from what I’ve seen.

4. Jaylen Wells Memphis Grizzlies previous: 3

Wells is just solid. His numbers won’t wow you but he can defend and knock down the three. Starting on one of the top teams in the West is a huge accomplishment as well. He’s 2nd in ppg and shooting 39.1% from three in the class.

3. Alex Sarr Washington Wizards 11.7 PPG 6.8 RPG 1.7 BPG previous: 6

Sarr started a bit slow but now has been really good and consistent. It seems like 12 and 7 with some block upside is what he’ll be the rest of the season and could be passed up by some other rooks here soon.

2. Kel’el Ware Miami Heat 8.2 PPG 4.7 RPG 38.4 % 3PFG previous: UNR

A massive jump as Ware came out of nowhere. Right now his averages don’t look great but they will quickly go up as he’s played on 23 games while some other rookies have played 44. He had a three-game stretch last week where he scored 25, 20, then 22 and he had 15 rebounds in one of those games. A couple more weeks of starting and he should be close to leading all rookies in PPG, apart from the injured McCain.

1. Stephon Castle San Antonio Spurs 11.7 PPG 3.6 APG previous: 2

Castle is the top dog. His minutes have been inconsistent but when he is playing starter minutes he’s been so good. In January he averaged 13.9 points in just 26 mpg. He also had three-straight 20 -point games in the month.