The top two players on the Draft Digest rookie ladder matched up on Tuesday night, with fireworks few and far between.
Still, this year’s class has gotten off to a white-hot start, and doesn’t seem to be showing any real signs of slowing down, with more and more late-ladder players slowly heating up.
Here is the second official Draft Digest rookie ladder:
1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Wembanyama claimed the top spot on the list this week with a 29-point outburst versus Minnesota and its 7-foot tandem of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
There’s still plenty of buttoning up that needs to be done for Wemby — especially in the efficiency department — but for the most part, he’s been as good as advertised, despite the Spurs’ record.
2. Chet Holmgren, OKC Thunder
After being the top-ranked player in the first ladder, Holmgren has fallen one spot to No. 2 this week.
It’s not a knock. Holmgren has still be dominant as far as NBA rookies go, putting up an 18-point, 2-block performance versus the Suns just a few nights ago. But 4-for-14 3-point shooting in his last three games has caused his overall efficiency to crash from “otherworldly” to “very good.”
For now, the second spot in this list will have to do for one of the league’s brightest young talents.
3. Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons
Thompson seems to be improving with each and every game, most recently putting up 21 points, 8 rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a close loss to the Hawks.
The outside shooting hasn’t been there, but he’s filling up the stat sheet so much in near every other area that it hasn’t been much of a concern.
4. Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
5. Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans
6. Keyonte George, Utah Jazz
7. Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards
8. Cason Wallace, OKC Thunder
9. Dereck Lively, Dallas Mavericks
10. Marcus Sasser, Detroit Pistons
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