Kia Rookie Ladder: Key storylines await as Kia ROY chase resumes
Victor Wembanyama’s No. 1 position on the Kia Rookie Ladder could be threatened by strong competition from the field.
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Being an NBA rookie is enjoyable during this time of the year.
Having spent a significant amount of time in the league, you’ve managed to understand the major life challenges both on and off the court. The All-Star break provided a refreshing pause and reset if you encountered the infamous “rookie wall”. If not, your youthful vigor and stamina should be put to good use for the remainder of the season.
If your team is chasing a playoff spot, you clearly understand why your minutes are what they are. If it is thinking more about the Draft than the playoffs, these are games of opportunity. And the better you do, the less likely your bosses will be to seek a possible upgrade at your position in late June.
As we introduce the newest Kia Rookie Ladder with roughly seven weeks remaining, young men, it’s time to reignite your engines!
Weekly recap
• The 11-game slate Tuesday qualified as a rookie-palooza, with all 11 guys in this week’s rankings and most of the other Ladder contenders in action. One amusing moment: Victor Wembanyama vs. Minnesota’s Monte Morris, looking like a Twin Cities dad who prefers that his young son play hockey rather than hoops.
• A tie at No. 10? Sort of. That “T” might simply stand for “Twins” with Detroit’s Ausar Thompson and Houston’s Amen Thompson making noise commensurate lately with their draft slots at No. 5 and No. 4, respectively. Both are putting up crooked numbers in youth-heavy environments, both even need serious 3-point shooting practice (17.2% vs. 14.9%). But their athletic play at both ends has them on the rise again.
• Portland’s Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick last June, had played his way onto recent Ladders, but a strained adductor has kept him sidelined since the All-Star break. He’s not projected to play again until sometime next week.
Storyline to watch
Make-or-break of ROY race? That’s one way of looking at Oklahoma City’s visit to San Antonio Thursday night (8:30 ET, NBA League Pass). If Chet Holmgren is going to overtake Wembanyama in voters’ minds, this is the game to do it. When the Thunder and Spurs meet for the final time, it will be April 10, so near the schedule’s end that other priorities might prevail over a pure head-to-head clash of the Nos. 1-2 rookies.
In the two meetings they’ve had so far, Wembanyama has outperformed Holmgren in individual statistics, with an average of 16 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.5 blocks. However, Holmgren, who has averaged 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2 blocks, has emerged victorious both times. He was also plus-41 in those games, while Wembanyama had a minus-41 score.
Latest rankings
(All stats through Tuesday, Feb. 27)
Keep track of how our rookie rankings continue to evolve throughout the season.
1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Season stats: 20.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 3.3 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 1
Draft pick: No. 1
The mountain of individual evidence is piercing the clouds: 31 games of 20-plus points, 31 double-doubles, his league-leading shot blocking, that 5×5 game against the Lakers, and more. And while this won’t dictate the ROY verdict, it is an indication of Wembanyama’s must-watch popularity: NBA UK reported that the rookie has topped 1 billion social-media video views, trailing only LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Much of it has been driven by this minimalist-dribbling breakout dunk highlight.
2. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Season stats: 17.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.7 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 2
Draft pick: No. 2 (2022)
Holmgren’s case as the top rookie can be made with his shooting, his plus/minus far superior to Wembanyama’s (+319 vs. -178) and the Thunder’s 30-victory advantage over the Spurs. But the team aspect of those last two might not translate for an award that isn’t for the “most valuable” rookie. By the way, the Holmgren-Alperen Sengun matchup on Tuesday was another battle of exciting young Western Conference bigs.
3. Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
Season stats: 16.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.4 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: No. 2 overall
After being named the East’s top rookie in January, Miller has been the busiest so far in February. He leads NBA newcomers this month in total minutes, points, buckets, shot attempts, 3-pointers made and 3-pointers taken. He has scored 10-plus points in 45 of his 52 appearances.
4. Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors
Season stats: 9.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.9 apg
Last Ladder: No. 4
Draft pick: No. 19
He finished in single-digit scoring the past two games, but that hardly captures his across-the-board value. Consider Podziemski has 30 games of 10-plus points, 21 of five-plus rebounds and 19 of five-plus assists while leading the league with 32 charges drawn. The Warriors are 12-6 when he starts.
5. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
Season stats: 12.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 18
The veteran player from UCLA is showing great recovery from his groin injury and layoff rust. On Monday, while starting and playing for 38 minutes at Sacramento, he managed to score 26 points with a 12-of-17 shooting. Since February 14, he has been +4.5 and shot at 52.4%, contributing to the Heat’s 4-0 winning streak.
The Next 5
6. Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks
Season stats: 8.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 7
Draft pick: No. 12
Lively, with 101, and D. Gafford, with 106, are two players from the Mavs who are among the NBA’s 13 players with over 100 dunks.
7. Keyonte George, Utah Jazz
Season stats: 11.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.4 apg
Last Ladder: No. 10
Draft pick: No. 16
One measure of a rookie’s potential is improvement: George averaged 16.2 points in this Ladder period, shooting 43.5% overall and 47.5% on 8.0 3FG attempts over five games.
8. Cam Whitmore, Houston Rockets
Season stats: 12 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.5 apg
Last Ladder: No. 6
Draft pick: No. 20
Sixth in scoring, 17th in minutes, and so smooth.
9. Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City Thunder
Season stats: 6.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.3 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 10
The role player known for sharpshooting has been teetering on the edge of the Ladder throughout the season.
T-10. Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons
Season stats: 8.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.9 apg
Last Ladder: No. 9
Draft pick: No. 5
T-10. Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
Season stats: 7.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.4 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 4
The brothers have the ability to deceive people off the court if they wish, and given their similar styles and stats, they can do it on the court as well.
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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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