Kia Rookie Ladder: Key storylines await as Kia ROY chase resumes

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Being a rookie in the NBA is enjoyable during this time of the year.

Your experience has allowed you to understand the major difficulties of league life, encompassing both on-court and off-court elements. The notorious “rookie wall” may have been a challenge, but the All-Star break provided an opportunity to rejuvenate and recalibrate. If you didn’t encounter that hurdle, then it’s all the more reason to utilize your youthful vigor and enthusiasm in the remaining games.

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.

Young men, restart your engines! We are about to present the latest Kia Rookie Ladder with approximately seven weeks remaining.

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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.

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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.

So far, in the two meetings they’ve had, Wembanyama leads in individual statistics with an average of 16 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2.5 blocks. However, Holmgren, who averages 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2 blocks, has emerged victorious on both occasions. In these games, Holmgren had a plus-41 advantage, while Wembanyama had a minus-41.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 “old guy” from UCLA is making a strong recovery from his groin injury and time off. On Monday, during a game in Sacramento, he started and played for 38 minutes, scoring 26 points with a 12-of-17 shooting record. Since February 14, he has maintained a +4.5 rating and a shooting percentage of 52.4% as the Heat secured four consecutive victories.

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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 dunks, and D. Gafford, with 106 dunks, are two of the 13 NBA players who have made over 100 dunks, representing the Mavericks.

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 who is a sharpshooter has been 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 to, and given their similar styles and stats, they can do the same on the court.

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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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