Pelicans rookie center Yves Missi continues to deliver stalwart performances in the paint.
Yves Missi’s trek from being drafted at No. 21 overall last June to topping the first Kia Rookie Ladder of 2025 might seem a long and challenging one.
Until you realize how far the New Orleans Pelicans’ big man has traveled to go from this to this and this.
how else can we say YVES MISSI pic.twitter.com/88sHlVu6C5
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 31, 2024
From his birthplace in Brussels, Belgium, to his upbringing in Cameroon. Then from West Nottingham Academy in Colora, Md., and Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif., to a year at Baylor in Waco, Tex. Finally, Draft Night in Brooklyn, followed by this rookie season in New Orleans.
That’s a lot of ground to cover, literally and figuratively, for Missi. Now his baptism-under-fire season with the hapless Pelicans (1-19 in their last 20 of 2024), which didn’t stop him from climbing these rankings.
Missi already has grabbed more rebounds than in his single season at Baylor, and he needs six more blocks to match the 51 he swatted in 34 games there.
Also, Washington’s Alexandre Sarr has worked his way to the rung that matches his Draft position and Memphis’ Zach Edey has shown enough around injury layoffs to again crack the first three.
Spurs guard Stephon Castle, who held the No. 1 spot for two weeks, hit some speed bumps to slip to No. 4.
Here are all the updates in this week’s Ladder:
• What this year’s Ladder lacks – compared to 2023-24’s – in franchise-altering prospects, it makes up for in volatility. Beyond the 1-2-3 three risers, each of the Top 5 moved from last week and eight of the 10 rung-holders overall changed positions.
• Good teams matter: Memphis’ potent offense has helped Edey top the rookies in plus/minus so far at plus-6.3. Meanwhile, Washington’s dreary 5-25 mark is captured in Alex Sarr’s minus-9.7 and Bub Carrington’s minus-11.2.
• More isn’t always better: Memphis’ Jaylen Wells jacked up 7.8 3-pointers per game last week but hit 25.8%. He got up only 3.7 2-point attempts per game. His distribution until then was 4.5 and 4.4 per, respectively.
Battles for Ladder supremacy. That might be a carnival barker’s desperate ploy to get folks to watch the home-and-home battles between the Pelicans and the Wizards this weekend. Missi and Sarr, the top guys in this edition of the rookie rankings, are scheduled to match up in New Orleans on Friday and in D.C. on Sunday, their only meetings this season.
(All stats through Tuesday, Dec. 31)
1. Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans
Season stats: 9.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 2
Draft pick: No. 21
Missi leads the Class of 2024 in rebounds, offensive rebounds (3.9 per game) and double-doubles (7), and ranks third in blocks (1.4). He’s not impacting winning but he has folks in New Orleans excited. Said teammate CJ McCollum: “He’s probably surprised himself. … From the first day he got here to now has been night and day.”
2. Alexandre Sarr, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 4
Draft pick: No. 2
Early assessments from Summer League noted Sarr’s mobility and defense, but also his shooting struggles. Well, the 7-footer shot 46.1% from the floor and 45.5% on 3-pointers, in December, vastly improved from October/November (37.6%, 24.4%). Said Wizards coach Brian Keefe: “Some people hesitate when they’re not making them. He was not. That’s one of the things that we’ve learned about him is how strong he is mentally.”
3. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 11.3 ppg, 8 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 9
OK, so it came against the Raptors. But Edey’s 21 points and 16 rebounds (nine offensive) in 27 minutes Thursday still was impressive. The big man took a hit vs. New Orleans and has missed the Grizzlies’ past two games in concussion protocol.
4. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Season stats: 11 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 1
Draft pick: No. 4
His production and efficiency drooped across the board from November to December, taking his Ladder ranking with them. But his confidence might get a boost from the 15 points, 5-of-8 shooting, four boards and four assists he got in the Spurs’ 2024 finale, Tuesday’s blowout of the Clippers.
5. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 11.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.7 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: No. 39
Not sure if this is causal or just coincidental, but when the second-rounder from Washington State scores 10 points or more, the Grizzlies are 18-3. When he doesn’t, they’re 5-8.
6. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
Season stats: 10.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.2 apg
Last Ladder: No. 6
Draft pick: No. 1
Finished a challenging month with 42.9% week from the arc (6/14) and three more victories.
7. Tristan Da Silva, Orlando Magic
Season stats: 8.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.7 apg
Last Ladder: No. 8
Draft pick: No. 18
Wrapped up calendar 2024 as plus-23 in a 102-101 win vs. the Nets, scoring 21 with six boards and seven assists.
8. Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.9 apg
Last Ladder: No. 7
Draft pick: No. 14
Carrington left the court in a wheelchair Monday after hitting his head on a Knicks player’s knee. Tops rookies in minutes and assists.
9. Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder
Season stats: 6.2 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.7 apg
Last Ladder: No. 9
Draft pick: No. 38
Key contributions to rolling Thunder, with 10-5-4 in his first start Saturday and 17 points the next night vs. Memphis.
10. Dalton Knecht, L.A. Lakers
Season stats: 10 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.1 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 17
Perked up with 18 points vs. Kings before going 2-for-8 (0-for-5 on 3-pointers) vs. Cavs
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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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