Stephon Castle played well in the NBA Paris Games to spur his rise to No. 1 in the Kia Rookie Ladder.
Eight of the 10 players on this week’s Ladder were chosen to compete in the Castrol Rising Stars event at All-Star Weekend. The other two in the official rookies pool have made multiple appearances here: Philadelphia’s Jared McCain (injured) and the Lakers’ Dalton Knecht.
A breakdown of the 10 rookies reveals five lottery picks and five prospects selected later, including lone second-rounder Jaylen Wells. A sixth lottery pick, Houston’s Reed Sheppard (No. 3 overall), got his invitation to the event as a member of the NBA G League group despite appearing in only three games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Here are updates on the Class of 2024 as they wrap up their third full month as pros:
• The last time a rookie emerged as his team’s “enforcer?” Hmm. Maybe Andrew Bogut with the Bucks in 2005. Or perhaps Kenyon Martin (Nets, 2000), Alonzo Mourning (Hornets, 1992) or Charles Oakley (Bulls, 1985). It’s a throwback role to the NBA of the 1980s and 90s, but Ja Morant revived it when talking with reporters about Grizzlies center Zach Edey.
The big man noticed some friction between his point guard and Utah’s Drew Eubanks. So he stepped in and forced Eubanks to bang someone closer to his size. That earned Edey some praise from Morant afterward.
• McCain, whose quick start to the season had him out front in most Rookie of the Year projections, got noticed as one of the Castrol Rising Stars selections. But he’ll need a replacement on the court at All-Star Weekend due to the left knee injury that ended the Duke product’s season in December.
• Wells started his college career at Sonoma State before transferring to Washington State but hasn’t forgotten his roots. The Memphis rookie is stepping in to help out the school’s ailing sports programs under a #SaveSealwolvesAthletics hashtag on X. And Morant stepped up to help, too.
Rising Stars has a Washington flavor. The Wizards landed three players in the Rising Stars event for All-Star Weekend, with Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington among the 10 rookies selected and Bilal Coulibaly as one of the 11 sophomore players. With another rookie Kyshawn Johnson getting rotation minutes, all that youth helps to explain the Wizards’ ghastly 6-39 record but suggests — by design or attrition — a brighter future.
(All stats through Tuesday, Jan. 28)
1. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Season stats: 11.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 2
Draft pick: No. 4
He has not been very efficient lately, but the Spurs guard perked up in their second game in Paris. And he confirmed on TNT Tuesday that he’s competing in the 2025 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend. For the record, Castle has dunked 27 times this season and his most showy effort came on Christmas, ranking 29th on NBA.com’s Dunk Score metric.
2. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 11.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.7 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: No. 39
Wells’ duty guarding other teams’ most potent scorers has stretched from early season. “He does not get deterred,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. But the rookie wing has turned those matchups into offensive tutorials, picking up some moves from those he’s guarding. “Being able to guard the best player every night has been helpful for my offensive game, especially when we go back in film and watch it,” Wells told ClutchPoints.
3. Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 11.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 1
Draft pick: No. 2
Sarr sprained his left ankle Monday vs. Dallas and was listed as questionable to face Toronto Wednesday. The East’s Rookie of the Month in December has turned back the clock to November’s inconsistency and his Ladder slip shows it.
4. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 9.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 9
Gets another crack Thursday at the Rockets, against whom he has averaged 6.3 points and 5.0 fouls in three meetings. Edey’s mobility got tested against the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns Monday, but in his past three games, he has averaged 13.7, 9.7 and 3.0 blocks.
5. Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans
Season stats: 9 ppg, 8 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 4
Draft pick: No. 21
Usage is down in January – from 8.1 FGA last month to 4.7 in January, with zero shots and no points in 22 minutes Monday at Toronto. But his defensive rating remains strong and he committed some rookie-on-rookie mayhem Friday.
6. Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat
Season stats: 8.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 8
Draft pick: No. 15
Climbing the Ladder — 16 ppg, 8.7 rpg this week — in a “bigs” lineup that boosts Bam Adebayo, too.
7. Tristan da Silva, Orlando Magic
Season stats: 8.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.8 apg
Last Ladder: No. 7
Draft pick: No. 18
The Magic were plus-21 in his 34 minutes off the bench (17, 6, 5) in a 2OT loss to Heat.
8. Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 8.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.8 apg
Last Ladder: No. 6
Draft pick: No. 14
Shot ailed him out West, going 13-for-41 over the final five in the six-game trip.
9. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
Season stats: 10.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.2 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 1
One-game return from a layoff — 11 points, seven boards at Wolves — but he was sidelined again Tuesday (thigh).
10. Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
Season stats: 5.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 7
Scoring down, presence up (8.3 rpg, 2.3 bpg) this week. He went back to the bench vs. Bucks Tuesday but Blazers are plus-6 in his 11 minutes.
* * *
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.
