Ladder leader Alex Sarr (left) and rookie teammate Bub Carrington are playing big minutes in Washington’s rotation.
Movement was limited this week on the Kia Rookie Ladder, with Stephon Castle climbing a spot, No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher slipping a couple and Portland’s Donovan Clingan returning with some heavy work on the boards.
Washington’s Alexandre Sarr hung onto the top spot for a second week with highlights at both ends. The 7-footer from Bordeaux, France, ranks fourth in points, second in rebounds, fifth in assists, second in blocked shots and 10th in steals among rookies.
Here are updates on this season’s top newcomers:
• Sarr and fellow Washington rookies Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George have combined to play 1,898 minutes, way out in front of any other team’s group of newbies. The Wizards are only the seventh team since 1997-98 to deploy three or more rookies at least 25 minutes or more per game.
• Yves Missi is no one-off, as far as hoops skills in his household. His parents played for Cameroon’s national men’s and women’s teams. His brother Steve Mondou-Missi played at Harvard a decade ago. As Missi told Andscape: “Basketball has always been something in my family. … My brother was good. My parents, according to them, they were super good.”
• Tough turf toe: OKC’s Ajay Mitchell had to have surgery on his right big toe, and according to the team will be reevaluated in 10-12 weeks.
• It’s not what NBA lottery picks dream about, but Houston’s Reed Sheppard made the most of a challenging situation: He wound up being named NBA G League Player of the Week after averaging 30.7 points and eight assists per game for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Rockets had sent him there for reps, to get comfortable running a team and to seek shots he wasn’t getting in limited minutes with them. Said Sheppard: “The biggest thing was just getting my confidence back, going down and being able to get up and down the court. Kind of play free, play loose, really, just play the game of basketball and enjoy it.”
A big, maybe-not-beautiful wall. The Wizards’ rookie crew has already been feeling the effects of NBA scheduling, but it will get dialed up soon. After facing Phoenix on Thursday, Washington hits the road for six games against the West in 10 nights. The Wizards return home for a back-to-back, then head out again to open February with three more on the road. And Carrington already said: “I’ve never played this [many] games, never played this [many] minutes as well. So it’s definitely taken a toll.”
(All stats through Tuesday, Jan. 14)
1. Alexandre Sarr, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 11.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 1
Draft pick: No. 2
Sarr’s shooting and scoring have dipped from his East Rookie of the Month work in December, but his rebounds and assists are up. Against Minnesota, he contributed 13 points, hit 3-of-5 from the arc and had two steals and two blocks.
2. Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans
Season stats: 9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 2
Draft pick: No. 21
It didn’t happen when their teams met Friday — Joel Embiid missed yet another game — but the Sixers’ center had looked forward to facing his young fellow Cameroonian. “I can’t wait to kick his ass, but I’m happy for him,” Embiid told Andscape. “He has a chance to be really good. Right now, he’s doing what he’s supposed to do. But I would also hope that he keeps working on his game because I think there’s way more to come.”
3. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 11.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.7 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: No. 39
Snapshots of Wells’ ability to pester opponents’ top scorers were on display in the Grizzlies’ 127-125 victory at Minnesota. The rookie’s 13-point performance on 4-of-13 shooting loomed large because he helped limit the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards to 15 points on, yes, 4-of-13 shooting that included five 3s without a make.
4. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Season stats: 11 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 4
Castle had a resurgent performance in San Antonio’s victory over the Lakers on Monday. He scored 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 36 minutes, with four rebounds and a pair of steals. “A lot of people focus on what he can’t do instead of what he can,” Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said. “And what he can do is impact the game in so many ways. … Nights like this are just the beginning for him.”
5. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 9.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 4
Draft pick: No. 9
Houston’s Steven Adams, into whose shoes Edey has slipped, praised the younger, bigger man to The Commercial Appeal. “Really good potential. Obviously, limitless. He’s just young. He has to learn this game of the NBA.”
6. Tristan da Silva, Orlando Magic
Season stats: 8.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.7 apg
Last Ladder: No. 7
Draft pick: No. 18
The teammate he helped replace, Paolo Banchero, is back and said this of the rookie: “He can kind of fit out there with anybody, any lineup. He finds his way on both sides of the ball.”
7. Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 8.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.1 apg
Last Ladder: No. 8
Draft pick: No. 14
Tops all rookies in total minutes and assists, third in steals, fifth in shots and eighth in points.
8. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
Season stats: 10.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.2 apg
Last Ladder: No. 6
Draft pick: No. 1
Continues as a nominal starter, one reason Atlanta’s bench is among the league’s best. His replacements bring more aggressiveness.
9. Ryan Dunn, Phoenix Suns
Season stats: 7.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.9 apg
Last Ladder: No. 9
Draft pick: No. 28
Bringing a bit of grit to the Suns’ slick starters, pending a possible Jimmy Butler trade. “With me being in a starting lineup and getting a lot of minutes, I didn’t expect that for myself,” Dunn said.
10. Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
Season stats: 5.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 7
Big week for the Blazers’ young big man, averaging 7.7 points, 11.7 boards and 1.7 blocks. He took some lumps vs. Brooklyn on Tuesday with a blow to the face and a late-game ankle injury.
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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