In the latest edition of our NBA Rookie Rankings, Jared McCain continues to prove he's a star in the making and Dalton Knecht begins to show some strong signs of life as a rookie.
Over the next few days, we're going to reach the first quarter-mark of the 2024-25 NBA regular season. As most teams begin to hit the 20 games played mark, we're only going to get a greater understanding of what we could realistically expect for the rest of the year. Twenty games is a solid sample size that should be valued across the league. And when it comes to the NBA's Rookie of the Year race, it does appear as if we're getting a clear picture of what we can expect the rest of the year.
In this second edition of our NBA Rookie Rankings, Jared McCain continues to show star potential and we're beginning to see the Los Angeles Lakers remove the training wheels off of Dalton Knecht. Before we get to our official rankings, we explore three rookies who, if nothing else, should be closely monitored as potential dark horse candidates down the stretch.
NBA Rookies to keep a close eye on:
Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks - Being the No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 NBA Draft, Zaccharie Risacher is going to be a name that is on our radar for the entirety of the season. He's shown some signs of potentially hitting a stride over the past couple of weeks and continues to improve as he gains more and more comfort at the NBA level. Despite his slow start to the year, he may not be entirely out of the NBA Rookie of the Year race.
Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs - One thing that has become clear so far this season is that the San Antonio Spurs intend on bringing Stephon Castle along slowly. That's part of the reason why they acquired Chris Paul during the offseason. Nevertheless, the more of an opportunity that they've given Castle, the more he continues to impress. Over his last six games, Castle is averaging 17 points, five assists, and three rebounds per game on 36 percent shooting from 3. Could this be a sign of things to come for the young guard?
Alexandre Sarr, Washington Wizards - Alex Sarr has been too inconsistent to be placed in the top 5 of these rankings so far but he continues to show flashes of potential. The talent is clearly there and if he can find any type of consistency at any point this season, the Washington Wizards will likely be very happy with their selection. For now, we continue to wait for Sarr to find complete freedom in the NBA.