Although two-thirds of the season remains, Victor Wembanyama (right) and Chet Holmgren remain the class of the rookies in 2023-24.
It might seem foolhardy, with two-thirds of the regular season remaining, to declare the 2024 Kia Rookie of the Year race to be a two-man battle. So let’s go with this: Someone completely unexpected will have to do something extraordinary to eclipse the performances Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren are giving San Antonio and Oklahoma City, respectively.
As fervently as fans follow each of the other top newcomers on the Ladder, what plays out over the next four months boils down to this: If you had to make a barstool wager, would you take Wemby-Chet as a ROY entry or the field? Uh huh, thought so.
Weekly recap
• Chet Holmgren was a one-man swat team, blocking 18 shots this week with 15 in about 48 hours in victories over Denver and Memphis. The last rookie to block at least seven in consecutive games? Tim Duncan 25 years ago. “It feels like Chet blocks everything,” said Thunder teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And he gets them every which way.
Holmgren’s take: “Being in the right place at the right time.” He added: “When I’m playing my hardest, I guess it kind of naturally happens.”
• Wembanyama sat out the Spurs’ only visit to Milwaukee on Tuesday, resting a sore right ankle. But he retains the top rung after averaging 20 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 4.0 blocks in his three appearances this week. He even has the edge over Holmgren in blocks (3.0 to 2.8) and in “stocks” (4.3 to 3.6).
• Portland’s Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick, continues to play catch-up after an early-season injury. But he gave the Blazers 14.8 points and 4.8 assists this week, despite a dud (9 points, 5 turnovers) Tuesday vs. Phoenix. “Getting better every day,” said Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, attributing Henderson to over-trying.
• So much losing might seem a job hazard to young guys’ development, so what the Spurs, Wizards and Pistons are putting their lottery picks through isn’t ideal. But here’s some context: The worst team in NBA history, the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers who went 9-73, played and often started the No. 5 pick in the 1972 Draft. And the losing didn’t crush him. In fact, point guard Freddie Boyd had the best of his six NBA seasons, earning All-Rookie status by averaging 28.7 minutes, 10.5 points and 3.7 assists. The trouble was, the Sixers probably should have drafted Julius Erving, Paul Westphal or a half dozen other better NBA players in that Draft.
Storyline to watch
Rookies on Christmas. Some NBA rookies have used Christmas games as their coming-out parties, so keep an eye on Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski, Denver’s Julian Strawther and Dallas’ Dereck Lively II in Monday’s slate of action.
Among the top rookie performers of all-time: LeBron James (34 points in 2003), Patrick Ewing (32 points, 11 rebounds in 1985), Adrian Dantley (30, 1976), Walt Bellamy (35-11, 1961) and Oscar Robertson (32-15-16 for a yuletide triple-double in 1960). Never forget the man for whom the Rookie of the Year Award is named, because Wilt Chamberlain dropped 45 points and 36 rebounds on Syracuse on Dec. 25, 1959.
Latest ranking
(All stats through Tuesday, Dec. 19)
1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Season stats: 19.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 3.0 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 1
Draft pick: No. 1
Apparently, only one “freak” allowed on the floor at a time is a new rule or something, with Wemby missing his test against Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. “Probably one of the players I have studied the most,” Wembanyama had said in advance of the scuttled matchup. Still, he dutifully sat through San Antonio’s 22nd defeat, rocking some blaze orange more commonly seen at Lambeau Field.
2. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Season stats: 16.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.8 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 2
Draft pick: No. 2 (2022)
Analysis from OKC coach Mark Daigneault: “The game is definitely slowing down for him. We talk all of the time about growing through experiences, and he is a classic example of a guy that — good, bad or up-and-down experiences — grows and continues to grow through all of that stuff.” Daigneault had more to say about the rookie, too.
3. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
Season stats: 13.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.7 apg
Last Ladder: No. 4
Draft pick: No. 18
Just when Jaquez was closing in on Dwyane Wade’s 15-game streak of double-digit scoring, he put up only 8 vs. Minnesota. Meanwhile, there was a JJJ comparison to a different Marquette product.
4. Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
Season stats: 14.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.2 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: No. 2 overall
A tough 0-4 week for the Hornets and Miller, but in struggle there is opportunity. His 32.2 minutes per game leads all rookies. His 0-for-5 night in Toronto on Monday interrupted a stretch of 35-or-75 (46.7%) from the arc.
5. Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons
Season stats: 10.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.4 apg
Last Ladder: No. 6
Draft pick: No. 5
The Pistons cut his minutes (22.4 this month vs. 28.9 in October and November) but they still keep losing. The rookie got to touch his recent past when Detroit practiced at the Overtime Elite facility in Atlanta. He and his twin brother Amen (Houston Rockets, No. 4 pick last June) honed their craft in that program in 2022-23.
The Next 5
6. Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks
Season stats: 8.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 7
Draft pick: No. 12
Walking boot > crutches as big man (73.4% FG) rehabs his left ankle.
7. Keyonte George, Utah Jazz
Season stats: 10.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.0 apg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 16
Hoping to return (left foot) in Jazz’s five-game road stretch across Christmas.
8. Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 9.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.7 apg
Last Ladder: No. 8
Draft pick: No. 7
The baby being nurtured in Wizards’ mostly tepid bath water.
9. Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors
Season stats: 8.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 9
Draft pick: No. 19
Back strain vs. Celtics turned Wisconsin kid into cheerleader Tuesday.
10. Toumani Camara, Portland Trail Blazers
Season stats: 7.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.0 apg
Last Ladder: No. 10
Draft pick: No. 52
The most impactful of the Blazers’ six rookies, though Scoot Henderson is stirring.
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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 Twitter.
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