Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe ranks No. 1 among rookies and No. 30 overall in the NBA in scoring (22.3 ppg).
Dallas’ Cooper Flagg hasn’t done anything to dim his prospects of earning the Kia Rookie of the Year award by season’s end.
But a handful of his Class of 2025 draft mates have started strongly enough to brighten their own chances of vying for the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy, awarded annually by the NBA to the league’s top newcomer.
Flagg is the best known of the rookies, owing to his roots from Newport, Maine, and his journey through a season at Duke and arrival as the consensus No. 1 pick. The Dallas Mavericks’ drama, sparked by trading franchise face Luka Dončić, angering fans and presumably putting GM Nico Harrison on the hot seat, only heightened the anticipation and attention heaped on Flagg when the lottery balls came up in the Mavs’ favor.
But lower profiles last season don’t necessarily carry over to this one for an intriguing group of fresh talent. And this week’s debut Kia Rookie Ladder verifies that, with Flagg no higher than No. 4 in a nod to the opening weeks turned in by his rivals.
Compared to the past two rookie crops, the NBA and Ladder watchers might have the best of both worlds now. Two years ago, Victor Wembanyama arrived as a generational talent and wound up as the runaway Kia Rookie of the Year winner. Last season, his Spurs teammate, Stephon Castle, emerged late from a Class of 2024 that didn’t bring a lot of sizzle with them.
Now we’re seeing a deep crop of viable ROY contenders, who might push and inspire each other in competition to even greater accomplishments. Flagg still ranks as the likely victor, but a few more weeks of pleasant surprises on the rookie front will be all it takes to have Las Vegas oddsmakers and assorted pundits updating their picks.
Weekly recap
• Edgecombe’s spirited start in Philadelphia owes much to the court time he’s getting. He’s a runaway leader in rookies minutes, averaging 40 in the Sixers’ first four games. He has outscored his classmates in raw points, too, but not equalized to a more sustainable workload. On a 36-minutes basis, Edgecombe is averaging 19.9, which ranks third among new guys who have played more than 30 total minutes thus far. Memphis’ Cedric Coward would be the rookies’ scoring leader at 25.5 points per 36 minutes.
• Seven of the Top 10 picks in June hold rungs on this week’s Ladder. That’s a reversal from last season’s debut Ladder, when only three of the Top 10 appeared. Those currently absent: No, 5 Ace Bailey, No. 8 Egor Dëmin and No. 10 Khaman Maluach. Two more lottery picks – No. 12 Noa Essengue and No. 14 Carter Bryant – still are seeking Ladder love, too.
Storyline to watch
Ace Bailey’s ascendance. We assume this will happen for the No. 5 pick out of Rutgers. Bailey is off to a slow start, bothered by tendinitis in his knees and more recently by shaky shooting (3-of-19 so far, including 1-of-12 inside the arc). Fortunately for him and the Jazz, another Utah rookie, guard Walter Clayton Jr., has played well enough to draw the spotlight off Bailey, much as Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski did last season for No. 10 pick Cody Williams.
(All stats through Tuesday, Oct. 28)
1. VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
Season stats: 22.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 5.5 apg
Draft pick: No. 3
About the only thing that could dampen enthusiasm over Edgecombe is the timeline of the Sixers’ rookie sensation from a year ago, Jared McCain. McCain was an early ROY favorite (15.3 ppg) whose season ended after just 23 games due to a torn meniscus in his left knee. His return has been delayed by the thumb ligament surgery he underwent in September. No one wants that lightning to strike twice, least of all the Sixers now that they’re flexing this electric Tyrese Maxey-Edgecombe backcourt. The Baylor wing has all the physical tools he needs and, apparently, the mental approach as well. “I’m a student of the game, so I know where my buckets are going to come from,” he said this week.
2. Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 16.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 apg
Draft pick: No. 11
A draft sleeper typically comes from deep in the first or anywhere in the second round. A draft steal, by comparison, is someone like Coward, who already is sparking second-guesses from fans of lottery teams who let him slide out of the Top 10. The Grizzlies went the other way, trading up five spots to grab him, undeterred by the torn rotator cuff that limited the 6-foot-6 wing to just six games last season for Washington State. Coward seized minutes opened by teammates’ injuries and is shooting robust percentages (69.7% overall, 64.3% on 3-pointers)
3. Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
Season stats: 14.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.8 apg
Draft pick: No. 2
Five-time NBA champion Ron Harper was 42 when his son Dylan was born, so we had no shot at ever seeing a LeBron/Bronny pairing on an active roster. But the five-time champion’s genes are alive and well in the Spurs rookie, who already looks savvy beyond his years. He ranks in the Top 5 among rookies in seven stats categories. “Not limiting myself to more than one thing, just trying to be all around,” Harper said.
4. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
Season stats: 13 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.5 apg
Draft pick: No. 1
A banged-up left shoulder vs. OKC Monday sent Flagg to the bench, where critics could debate coach Jason Kidd’s initial decision to use the rookie as a point guard in Kyrie Irving’s absence. Exposing him to a new challenge and perspective? Or blocking Flagg’s aggressiveness with responsibility to service his teammates’ games? His production did pick up when D’Angelo Russell took over at the point. His best performance so far: 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and no turnovers vs. Toronto, matching only Kobe Bryant among 18-year-olds to score 20+ and not turn the ball over. Then, there was this highlight.
5. Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 14.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2 apg
Draft pick: No. 6
Walking into a team with eight players who have one season or less of experience, 11 with two or less, Johnson has still found ways to stand out. He joined Kevin Durant as the only teenagers to begin their careers with three games of at least 16 points and two or more 3-pointers. His efficiency is already garnering attention.
The next 5
6. Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
Season stats: 16 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2 apg
Draft pick: No. 4
No rookie in NBA history ever hit more 3-pointers through his first four games than the Hornets’ new young forward. He made 16 of his 30 tries (53.3%) to top Sacramento’s Keegan Murray and Indiana’s Chris Duarte, each of whom hit 13 in their first four appearances. The season target: 206 by Murray three years ago.
7. Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans
Season stats: 10.7 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.7 apg
Draft pick: No. 7
Fears’ first start, against Boston on Monday, was also his roughest game: two points on 1-of-11 shooting with two assists and four turnovers in the rout by Boston. But his big buddy, Zion Williamson, said he wasn’t worried about the 6-foot-4 point guard. “Fears is already a pro’s pro,” Williamson said. “He is a dog. Stuff like that don’t weigh him down. He is just going to come in the next day and get back to it.” Fears fared better in his debut, scoring 17 in 18 minutes.
8. Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans
Season stats: 10 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1 bpg
Draft pick: No. 13
Pressed into service at center by injuries to teammates Kevon Looney and Yves Missi, Queen logged 35 minutes in the Pelicans’ overtime loss to the Spurs and on multiple occasions found himself staring up at Victor Wembanyama, to whom he gives up half a foot. But it was a great sink-or-swim moment. Teammate Fears said: “Derik is really, really smart. He has a unique skill set. I think his IQ is one of those things. He’s able to read the floor, read the positions, and being able to be a versatile player is super helpful for us.”
9. Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors
Season stats: 9.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.5 spg
Draft pick: No. 9
Defense is what will get and keep Murray-Boyles in the Raptors’ lineup, while he works on the “3” part of his 3-and-D potential. “If I’m open, shoot the ball,” said the 20-year-old from South Carolina, who missed the first two games with a forearm strain. “We have been working on it since I got drafted, so [I’m] trying to be as confident as possible.” In the meantime, he has been a disruptor.
10. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte Hornets
Season stats: 9.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1 bpg
Draft pick: No. 34
Just short of a double-double guy pro-rated to 36 minutes per game (12.9 points, 9.9 rebounds), the 7-footer from Creighton has stayed in his lane offensively. He has sank 19 of his 21 shots for a 90.5 shooting percentage. In the process, he has made a notable fan.
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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.
