Top rookies Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren matched up during the preseason.
The excitement of a fresh NBA season owes credit to the newest of the new, its rookie class.
That applies this season more than most, given the fascination folks have with San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama. The French newcomer is a prospect like few others in NBA history, with “unicorn” potential never before seen: A 7-foot-4 marvel with shooting range, a serious handle and a bushel of other ways to help the Spurs.
Still, there is depth to the Class of 2023, with one leftover from the Class of 2022 who might make the Ladder and this season’s Rookie of the Year race legit competitive.
Before the first official ladder ranking in two weeks, here’s a look at when the key contenders (plus a dark horse candidate) are set to debut:
* Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
NBA debut: Wednesday at Chicago Bulls (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in 2022, gets an asterisk instead of a number because he’s a special entrant. Like Ben Simmons and Blake Griffin, his rookie season was wiped out by a right foot injury in August 2022. Now we’ll see if his extended rookie orientation helps him snag the ROY award the way it did Simmons and Griffin. Already, the OKC thin man and Wembanyama are natural rivals.
No. 1 pick | Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
NBA debut: Wednesday vs. Dallas Mavericks (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No one seriously will try to get cute and suggest Wemby is anything less than a heavy favorite to be this season’s runaway Kia Rookie of the Year. The variety of ways in which he dazzles already is evident. It’s more likely he’ll be chasing the greatest rookie seasons of all-time as comps than getting leapfrogged on this Ladder.
No. 2 pick | Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
NBA debut: Wednesday vs. Atlanta Hawks (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
The No. 2 pick was not mentioned as a candidate for ROY in the annual NBA GM survey, even though 50% chose someone other than Wembanyama. Miller isn’t expected to start, though Charlotte’s needs and an aging/fragile Gordon Hayward might change that.
No. 3 pick | Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers
NBA debut: Wednesday at LA Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
If opportunity is the surest path to consideration as the best rookie, Henderson could be a serious Wemby challenger. The Blazers have flipped him the keys for as much as he can handle in their switcheroo from Damian Lillard. Let’s see how his shooting develops.
Check out the top moments from Scoot Henderson and the Thompson twins during the preseason.
No. 4 pick | Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
NBA debut: Wednesday at Orlando Magic (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
Thompson Twin No. 1 is a tremendous athlete with great positional size (6-foot-7) who could be a transition terror for Houston. He averaged two steals per 36 minutes in the preseason and there already is rumbling around the Rockets for how soon he can become a starter (Fred VanVleet as the team’s biggest offseason “get” precludes that for now).
No. 5 pick | Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons
NBA debut: Wednesday at Miami Heat (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
Thompson Twin No. 2 (you know this sort of twin-tracking is inevitable this season, right?) led all rookies at 29.1 preseason minutes. His demonstrated potential-at-the-ready has the Pistons contemplating a starting role in which last season’s All-Rookie guy, Jaden Ivey, becomes the team’s sixth man.
No. 6 pick | Anthony Black, Orlando Magic
NBA debut: Wednesday vs. Houston Rockets (7 p.m. ET, League Pass)
In a deep Magic backcourt, Black’s 6-foot-7 length enables him to stand out literally and otherwise, with defensive chops that most impress coach Jamahl Mosley. The versatile Arkansas product shot 31.3% in the preseason and missed his half-dozen 3-pointers, so yeah, a shooting work in progress.
No. 7 pick | Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards
NBA debut: Wednesday at Indiana Pacers (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
A reason besides Jordan Poole’s gunning to watch the Wizards — Coulibaly sparked excitement in the preseason by putting up, per 36 minutes, 10 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.3 steals and 1.2 blocks. The 6-foot-6, defensively pesky 19-year-old from France could end up as Wembanyama’s teammate again — but this time on the All-Rookie team.
No. 8 pick | Jarace Walker, Indiana Pacers
NBA debut: Wednesday vs. Washington Wizards (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
The youngest new power forward option for coach Rick Carlisle set the bar high in his debut game with 19 points and nine rebounds in 27 minutes. Playing time and production were harder to come by in his next three appearances, and Indiana’s push for .500 means his chances will be earned more than some lottery picks.
No. 9 pick | Taylor Hendricks, Utah Jazz
NBA debut: Wednesday vs. Sacramento Kings (9 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
Hendricks is another rookie with limited exposure in the preseason. Drafted seven spots ahead of teammate Keyonte George, the forward from UCF played barely half (11.9) as many minutes as George (22.5). But his defense-first, shooting-later skills do explain why Utah grabbed Hendricks ahead of the offensive-minded George.
No. 10 pick | Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City Thunder
NBA debut: Wednesday at Chicago Bulls (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
The biggest challenge for many rookies — shooting — was a strength for the Kentucky guard, who hit 50% overall and three of his seven from the arc in the preseason. He looked like another piece in OKC’s young core whose defense and range will carve out a rotation spot.
No. 11 pick | Jett Howard, Orlando Magic
NBA debut: Wednesday vs. Houston Rockets (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
Two years ago it was Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner as the Magic’s pair of lottery rookies. Now it’s Black and Howard as a tandem of top prospects. Only six rookies launched more threes this fall than Howard, who hit 37.5% and could be a frontcourt partner to open space for Paolo Banchero.
No. 12 pick | Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks
NBA debut: Wednesday at San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
In Las Vegas each summer, they traditionally match up the Nos. 1 and 2 picks on Opening Night. Now, Lively is the guy facing Wembanyama as the Mavs and Spurs open up. Not to worry – Lively made his preseason debut against Timberwolves towers Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, so the 7-foot-1 rookie is ready to rock and defend rims.
No. 13 pick | Gradey Dick, Toronto Raptors
NBA debut: Wednesday vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
Adding physical strength might be priority No. 1 for the 6-foot-8, 205-pound shooter from Kansas. He’ll need it defensively and to ensure his movement offensively, if he hopes to show the versatility he flashed in Las Vegas.
No. 14 pick | Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans
NBA debut: Wednesday at Memphis Grizzlies (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
A ready-to-go shooter, Hawkins arrives from UConn in the nick of time for a Pelicans team that ranked next-to-last in 3-point attempts and then lost Trey Murphy III for the season’s start to a knee injury. Only Denver’s Julian Strawther took and made more threes than Hawkins in the preseason.
No. 20 pick | Cam Whitmore, Houston Rockets
NBA debut: Wednesday at Orlando Magic (7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass)
Let’s face it, Whitmore’s slide on Draft Night from a potential Top 5 pick all the way to 20 – apparently the result of injury concerns, poor interviewing and more – has folks poised now to see him overachieve and even inspire regrets for a dozen teams or so. He did earn MVP honors in Summer League and now has to emerge from Houston’s kiddie corps.
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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.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.
