NBA Rookie Ladder 2.0: Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes waves; A new No. 1 arises

1. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

Stats: 17.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 55.7 FG%, 43.4 3PT%

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the most surprising teams in the NBA this season. They're currently sitting as a top 3 team in the Western Conference standings and Chet Holmgren has been one of the bigger reasons why. There's an argument to be made that Holmgren has been the second-best player on the Thunder next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The fact that he's been able to do this during his rookie season is pretty impressive.

But what seperates Holmgren from Victor Wembanyama, at least through the first month of the season, is the efficiency on top of the production. It's not just that Holmgren is extremely productive. It's that he's especially efficient while being productive. Holmgren doesn't play like a rookie. He plays like an established star.

He's not clearly the favorite for the NBA's Rookie of the Year. I'm not sure if he'll get the votes over the trendy Wemby, but there's no question that he's had that much of an impact for the Thunder so far this season.