NBA Rookie of the Year rankings: Wemby, Chet lock horns
With the season past the halfway point, we’ve endured hot and cold stretches for some of the NBA’s best rookies. Not much has changed at the top, where either Victor Wembanyama or Chet Holmgren are near-locks for the award. However, a fun race to complete the podium has formed behind them.
5. Dereck Lively, Dallas Mavericks
2023-24 season averages
| GP | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | REB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 73.9 | 00.0 | 54.4 | 7.9 | 1.3 | 9.2 |
Previous: N/A
A season-long starter for a playoff contender, Lively is the only player in league history to shoot over 73% from the field in his first year. Granted, his shots are almost always at the rim, but his chemistry running the pick-and-roll with MVP candidate Luka Doncic has made him as valuable toward winning as any rookie. He leads all his draftmates in win shares with 3.1.
But Lively is a flawed player, as he’s still sitting without a 3-pointer on the season and hitting just 54.4% of his free throws. He’d also likely be lower on the rookie ladder if he weren’t playing with one of the greatest pick-and-roll players in the game. Still, the Mavericks desperately needed a rim protector and lob threat to open up Doncic’s game and get Dallas back into the playoffs after a miserable end to 2022-23. Lively has more than met those expectations.
4. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
2023-24 season averages
| GP | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | REB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 49.7 | 33.9 | 84.0 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 13.1 |
Previous: 3
It’s been a tough winter for Jaquez. A groin strain in January sidelined him for six contests – his first significant absence in the NBA. The Heat lost five of those games, three by double digits. Upon his return, Miami relegated the former UCLA product to a bench role and reduced his playing time after he started in 11 of his last 12 contests. Jaquez went from seeing 35 minutes per game to averaging just under 25 minutes following the injury.
The 22-year-old has also struggled to find his shot, averaging 6.2 points per game on 30.2% shooting from the field in the five contests since returning. However, the Heat have started to win again after their losing streak reached seven games. To get more playing time, Jaquez must return to form and contribute to wins to help Miami get out of the play-in race.
3. Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
2023-24 season averages
| GP | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | REB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 43.6 | 38.5 | 82.1 | 3.9 | 2.3 | 16.0 |
Previous: 4
Miller has blossomed as a premier shooter and secondary option behind LaMelo Ball. He averaged 16 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in January to win the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month. The 21-year-old has shown growth as a scorer, posting 20-plus points in eight of the last 10 contests. He also hit 42% of his threes during that span and ranks second in 3-pointers made among first-year players.
Part of Miller’s offensive boom is due to increased opportunity after the Hornets traded guard Terry Rozier to the Heat in January. Jumping up to 34 minutes per game since the trade, there’s reason to believe Miller can continue to score close to 20 points a night if Charlotte keeps selling pieces and leans into the tank even more to end the term.
2. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
2023-24 season averages
| GP | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | REB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 53.3 | 38.6 | 76.9 | 7.5 | 2.8 | 16.8 |
Previous: 2
It’s entirely possible Holmgren could win Rookie of the Year. With just over 30 games left in the season, the Thunder big man could string together another memorable stretch and help his chances to take home the award. But his slight step back in play, coinciding with Wembanyama’s continued dominance, makes it hard to justify him as the favorite for the hardware at this time.
While Oklahoma City won, Wembanyama outplayed Holmgren in their most recent matchup in January – dropping 24 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks. Holmgren still played admirably, recording 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. With two contests left between the squads, a big-time performance against his French counterpart could go a long way to bring Holmgren back into the lead position.
An increase in his scoring would also help a great deal. Holmgren has posted less than 10 points in five of his last 15 games, including four points in a loss to the Thunder’s biggest rival at the top of the Western Conference standings – the Minnesota Timberwolves. Overall, scoring more while maintaining his efficiency could be beneficial to make up ground in this highly competitive race.
1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
2023-24 season averages
| GP | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | REB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 46.2 | 30.1 | 81.3 | 10.3 | 3.2 | 20.4 |
Previous: 1
Forget rookies, Wembanyama is putting up numbers rarely ever seen. Only six players in league history have matched his point, rebound, assist, and block tallies, and each was a surefire Hall of Famer. And no one has reached those marks since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000. Wembanyama also has six times the amount of 3-pointers of anyone on that legendary list.
The Spurs are nowhere near as good as the Thunder, and it’s a fair assessment to say Holmgren has impacted winning more than Wembanyama. But San Antonio would be completely hopeless without its star big man, going 0-6 when Wembanyama’s out of the lineup.
Wembanyama has also been much better than Holmgren lately. The 7-foot-4 giant averaged 24 points on a torrid 50% shooting over his last 17 games, while Holmgren recorded 15 points on the same efficiency over that stretch. It would be a major mistake not to hand the Rookie of the Year award to Wembanyama after one of the greatest statistical seasons of any first-year to grace an NBA court.
Honorable mentions: Brandin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors), Cam Whitmore (Houston Rockets), Keyonte George (Utah Jazz), Scoot Henderson (Portland Trail Blazers).
