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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.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.
Jaylen Wells (left) is Memphis’ first Kia Rookie of the Month since Ja Morant won the award during the 2019-20 season.
Learning they had been selected as the NBA’s top rookies for October and November brought excitement and validation to Philadelphia’s Jared McCain and Memphis’ Jaylen Wells. It also brought a fresh challenge.
None of the past six players who earned that honor kept the momentum going long enough to nail down the Kia Rookie of the Year award.
Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball was the East’s top rookie for January 2021, the opening month of that season which was delayed by COVID lockdowns, and he did top the ROY voting. The last actual October/November rookie of the month winner to go on to take the annual award was Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant in 2019-20.
There’s a lot of season left for both monthly winners and their teams. And then there’s San Antonio’s Stephon Castle and some other rung-holders on this week’s Ladder who might have a say come springtime in the Class of 2024 balloting:
• Chicago’s Matas Buzelis, the No. 11 pick, hasn’t had the opportunities of most lottery rookies (11.6 minutes per game). But he turned heads against Brooklyn Monday with 20 points, five boards and 4-of-5 3s off the Bulls’ bench.
• Movement summary: A very static week, with only Dalton Knecht and Zaccharie Risacher flipping spots. No new faces, no falls off the Ladder.
• Stat checks: Seven rookies are averaging 10+ points, 10 are grabbing more than four rebounds and nine are good for more than two assists per night. Three – McCain, Castle and Risacher – have usage rates better than 20.0. And on a per-36 minutes basis, four rookies are averaging points-rebounds double-doubles (min. 250 minutes played): Donovan Clingan, Zach Edey, Yves Missi and Jonathan Mogbo.
Big stage for young players. Now that the Emirates NBA Cup has reached the Knockout Rounds, several first-year players will experience even brighter lights and greater urgency. Among Ladder guys, Atlanta’s Risacher and Orlando’s Tristan Da Silva are one victory away from the semifinals in Las Vegas. Other top rookies who will participate in the quarterfinals next week include OKC’s Ajay Mitchell, Atlanta’s Keaton Wallace, and Houston’s Reed Sheppard.
(All stats through Tuesday, Dec. 3)
1. Jared McCain, Philadelphia 76ers
Season stats: 16.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.5 apg
Last Ladder: No. 1
Draft pick: No. 16
Leave it to Philadelphia, where even that Rookie of the Month award and McCain’s play as a bright spot in the 5-14 start has generated controversy. Some Sixers fans feel Nick Nurse has gouged some of the rookie’s minutes and productivity in using him off the bench since Paul George’s return the past two games. McCain scored seven consecutive points in the first quarter but played barely three minutes in the fourth.
2. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Season stats: 11.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.7 apg
Last Ladder: No. 2
Draft pick: No. 4
Castle scored 16 points to top the Spurs’ starters in the NBA Cup Group Play loss Tuesday at Phoenix. He shot 5-of-14 in the loss and 31.4% for the week, though his defensive presence continues to draw attention. Said Utah coach Will Hardy: “He’s a really physical player for a rookie, and especially for a guard.”
3. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 12.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.9 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: No. 39
Wells is the first Memphis player to earn Rookie of the Month since Morant, who snagged the season’s first three en route to his Kia ROY award. Wells continues to start, even with veteran Marcus Smart back from injury. In fact, the Washington State guard has Smart’s backing as well as his mentoring. He was a plus-6.0 in the Grizzlies’ 3-1 week.
4. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
Season stats: 11.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.4 apg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 1
The 19-year-old has scored at least 11 points in eight of his last 10 games, including 13 straight for Atlanta to start the second half at Cleveland last week. Better still is his improvement defensively – over his past 11 games, his 98.5 defensive rating ranks third in the NBA since Nov. 12.
5. Dalton Knecht, L.A. Lakers
Season stats: 11.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.1 apg
Last Ladder: No. 4
Draft pick: No. 17
Not a stellar shooting week – 40%, 33.3% from the arc – but Lakers VP of basketball Rob Pelinka was talking big picture when he told ESPN: “We … have sort of chased in theory the exact player he is, a movement shooter. And then not only is he a movement shooter, but a movement shooter with athleticism, which is a really unique combination.”
6. Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans
Season stats: 9.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 6
Draft pick: No. 21
More offensive rebounds (74) than Rudy Gobert, Domantas Sabonis, Nikola Jokić, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo.
7. Alexandre Sarr, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 10.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 7
Draft pick: No. 2
Sarr (35) and Portland’s Donovan Clingan (37) rank in the NBA’s top 8 in total blocks.
8. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 11.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 8
Draft pick: No. 9
Remains week-to-week, as three of top five rookie rebounders (with Donovan Clingan and Kyle Filipowski) are currently sidelined.
9. Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 9.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.3 apg
Last Ladder: No. 9
Draft pick: No. 14
The Wizards’ 0-15 stretch is weighing on all its rebuild rookies (6.3 ppg on 33% shooting this week).
10. Tristan da Silva, Orlando Magic
Season stats: 7.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.7 apg
Last Ladder: No. 10
Draft pick: No. 18
A better scorer and shooter on road (54.5% true shooting vs. 46.9%) but positive net rating at home.
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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.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.
