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zack cram
The midpoint of the NBA season presents a new challenge for newcomers. If the start of the season has been difficult due to the high level of competition, bigger, faster and more skilled opponents, the 41-game mark adds a new wrinkle just as the rookies are beginning to adjust: Now they must endure the longest basketball season ever played.
Last year’s NCAA national champions played 40 games; warrior newbie Will RichardThe star, starring for the Florida team, reached the 40-game mark in the NBA on Tuesday night and still has half the season left.
But it also provides an ideal opportunity to assess the newbie class with another ranking. Note: This is a ranking of the quality of play for beginners Now!Instead of a long-term projection. Richard (who was ranked seventh in the first edition of these rankings in November), the Hornets’ sion james (eighth) and Pelican’ jeremiah is afraid (10th) Rounded out the top 10 in this edition, with Fierce making the final cut.
Statistics are updated as of the morning of January 21
Go straight to number 1 player
November Ranking: not ranked
Demin is a player of extremism. He rarely gets to the rim and rarely drains free throws, but he is a talented passer and at 6 foot 8 inches fits the modern ideal of a big lead playmaker. Demin’s 3-point accuracy has increased to 39.8% – a huge development considering his 27% mark in college.
If Demin can consistently thwart his attempts from deep, defenses will be forced to guard him on the perimeter and he will be able to access his passing a lot more. When shares court with demin Michael Porter Jr.., the Nets have a plus-3.6 net rating and 120.1 offensive rating databallrWhich is four ticks higher than the league average.
November Ranking: ninth
Despite being listed at 6-7, Murray-Boyles has spent 93% of his minutes at center according to Cleaning the Glass. That small-ball approach is not correct, as Murray-Boyles has a lot of offensive limitations; He has made only 15 3-pointers in 37 games. But his switchability and movement make him an ideal fit on the defensive end: The Raptors have a defensive rating of 106.6 when sharing the court with Murray-Boyles. Scotty BarnesWhich is 10 points better than the league average.
November Ranking: not ranked
Shooting is arguably the most important skill a player can possess in the modern NBA – and Johnson has that skill in abundance. The 19-year-old is making 39% of his 5.3 3-point attempts per game, and he has been just as efficient on pull-up attempts (40%) as on catch-and-shoot attempts (39%).
Johnson has also benefited from bigger opportunities since magicians trade For trey youngNot because Young is feeding him pinpoint passes yet — the former Hawks guard hasn’t made his Wizards debut — but because he’s losing CJ McCallum And corey kispert This agreement means more playing time for Washington’s youth. Johnson’s four highest minutes games of the season (once 31 minutes, three times 30 minutes) have come in the week since the trade.
November Ranking: fifth
Kalkbrenner sat out a few weeks in the new year with an elbow injury. But the second-round pick’s place over so many players drafted ahead of him in these rankings is the same as it was in the first edition. Kalkbrenner is a solid rim protector for a rookie, with 1.6 blocks per game and a 58% opposing field goal percentage at the rim that puts him next to the Nets. nick claxtonThe portland trail blazers‘ Donovan Klingon and this philadelphia 76ers‘ joel embiid On the NBA leaderboard.
And although Kalkbrenner isn’t doing anything particularly ambitious or revolutionary on offense, there’s still value in a big finisher who can make 77% of his shots. Rudy Gobert (72%) of minnesota timberwolves The only other player to average at least four attempts is also at 70% this season.
November Ranking: fourth
Harper has jumped one level in this ranking; No one below sixth place ever thought about moving up, while the next few players have moved closer and further at various points in the ranking process. There is a possibility that Harper deserves to move up a few places or remain in fourth place, as he was in the last edition. But despite the No. 2 pick’s electric drive, savvy finishing at the rim and perimeter defense for an excellent young team, one major flaw is knocking him down a peg: shooting.
Harper is making only 74% of his free throws and 24% of his 3-pointers. Among 200 eligible players, he ranks 196th in true shooting percentage.
This isn’t just a short-term problem, as San Antonio aims to compete for the 2025-26 title; Harper’s shooting struggles could also lower his long-term range. According to Stathead, here are the rookie guards since 2010 who shot worse than 75% on free throws and 30% on 3s (minimum 1,000 minutes), as Harper is now: Stephen Castle, Isaiah Collier, cody williamsjosh christopher, isaac okoroJarrett Culver, Josh Okogieben simmons, Chris DunnElfrid Payton, Michael Carter-Williams, Phil Pressey, Nate Wolters, Alexey Shved and Eric Bledsoe.
Very few players on that list developed into reliable starters, let alone offensive engines, and Simmons is the only player who became an All-Star. Perhaps Harper can follow in the footsteps of teammate Cassel, who appears to be on that trajectory himself, despite his continued shooting challenges. But it’s such a worrying list of precedents that it makes Harper fall a few spots at this juncture.
November Ranking: First
The first rookie ranking of the season came just when Coward was enjoying his early peak. He has dropped off a bit since then, falling to 34% from distance – although Coward remains efficient overall as he is strong on 2-pointers and free throws. He remains an obvious building block for Memphis as the franchise decides whether to continue its current course or begin a long-term rebuild.
But of more concern is Coward’s lack of defensive activity, considering he checks all the boxes for a 3-and-D wing. The box score isn’t everything on defense, but Coward’s 0.5 steals and 0.3 blocks per game are weak. On a per-minute basis, Coward’s stock rate ranks 29th among 34 rookies with at least 250 minutes this season.
November Ranking: 10th
Overall, most NBA rookies struggle more than they succeed. Sometimes it is better to find glimpses of possibilities rather than looking at their overall statistical averages.
And mine, does Rani has immense potential. Catch him on the right night, and he looks like the best rookie in the entire class: According to Game Score, Queen’s 33-point triple-double against the Spurs in December is tied for the most impressive performance by a rookie this season.
But one key trend to monitor is that the Pelicans have really struggled when the Queen plays along. zion williamson. New Orleans’ net rating in those minutes is minus-14.3, the offensive rating is five points worse than the league average and the defensive rating is nine points worse.
Given his poor situation with Williamson and his own considerable defensive shortcomings and lack of shooting range, it is still difficult to imagine how Queens will contribute to a winning team in the future. (He’s 8 for 42, or 19% on 3-pointers.) But Queen’s combination of size and playmaking ability is so interesting that, even in a strong rookie class, he deserves this high spot.
November Ranking: Second
Edgecombe got off to a bad start in October, declined in November, and has since rebuilt to become a solid NBA starter at the age of 20. Edgecombe isn’t very efficient overall, but his 37% mark on 3-pointers is a significant improvement over the 34% he achieved on the small college line at Baylor. And his defensive activity is stellar, as he averages 1.5 steals and ranks 14th with 3.5 deflections per game.
The young guard still has ample room for improvement. For example, on the pick-and-roll, Edgecombe is averaging just 0.76 points per game, which ranks last among the 94 players with at least 300 picks this season.
But the other factor in Edgecombe’s favor is his team context, as he’s putting up impressive overall numbers (15.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists) while playing for the champs. Harper is the only other rookie to top this list who can say that, and he’s coming off the bench while Edgecombe is playing 36 minutes a game in Philadelphia.
November Ranking: sixth
Flagg was never going to stay in the middle of these rankings for long. Despite a rough start to his career playing point guard and increasingly inconsistent jump shots (28.6% on 3-pointers), he has made an impressive climb since November.
It’s no surprise that Flagg is the most complete rookie in this class. He’s the best defender — and it’s not particularly close — and his offensive progress in just two months is meaningful. In his first 10 games, Flagg averaged 13.9 points and 3.0 assists on 40% shooting, but has since averaged 20.4 points and 4.5 assists on 50% shooting. Like Queen, Flag checks out the “wow” factor.
Flagg sat out briefly last week with an ankle sprain, but he returned without any side effects in Monday’s win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Given his current trajectory, it would not be a surprise to see him claim the top spot in the next set of rookie rankings.
November Ranking: third
Flagg is the Rookie of the Year favorite (-750) according to the betting markets, but his former Duke teammate has been the best rookie in the NBA this season. Whether it’s because he plays for the overlooked Hornets – who have quietly improved their point differential to 0.0 for the season – or because he was the No. 4 pick instead of the No. 1 selection, Knueppel has been underappreciated this season despite phenomenal production.
The main narrative around Knueppel is his pursuit of various rookie 3-point records – he’s making 3.4 3-pointers per game on 43.5% shooting. kings’ keegan murray He holds the rookie record for most total 3s made with 206, but Knueppel is on pace for 273.
Knuppel’s overall efficiency is less discussed, but arguably even more impressive. His 64.5% true shooting mark is the highest in NBA history for any rookie with at least a 20% usage rate in over 1,200 minutes.
Most of the rookies near the top of that leaderboard are centers, but the non-majors have had the most accomplished rookie seasons. sarunus marciulionis (He was a longtime European professional before arriving in the NBA as a 25-year-old rookie), Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, James Worthy, Eric Gordon And Michael Jordan. This is a remarkable list of comps.
Knueppel has benefited from increased efficiency throughout the league since Johnson and Jordan were rookies. Still, Knueppel’s true shooting is 11% better than league average this season, which is on par with rookie inner-circle Hall of Famers.
Looking at this season, Knueppel’s true shooting percentage is higher than seven out of 10 All-Star starters (all but one) Nikola Jokic, giannis antetokounmpo And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), and is third-best among all high-usage guards, behind only Gilgeous-Alexander and Austin Reeves.
That would be a typical performance from an established veteran star – and Knueppel is accomplishing it as a 20-year-old player halfway through his first NBA season. It’s this data point that propels Knueppel to the top spot in these rankings and helps him avoid flags for now.
