2024 NBA Picks: Ranking This Season’s Top Rookies One Month Into the Action
I know we’re only a month into the 2024-25 NBA season, but I think it’s safe to say this has been one of the more underwhelming rookie classes in recent years. Before the beginning of the season, NBA betting predictions and experts noted that fans should be expectant of a weak class, and boy, were they right.
With some of the biggest names in this class still looking to find some sort of push into hoops relevance, it’s actually been some under-the-radar players that have been pulling the weight for a rookie class that’s been seriously underwhelming, to say the least.
So, who is making the cut in our rankings today, and what do their NBA future odds for Rookie of the Year look like after one full month of regular-season ball?
Let’s get to talking newbie hoops.
2024-25 NBA Rookie Rankings One Month Into the Season
Honorable Mentions
If trying to make up this list wasn’t enough of a feat, considering the level of play shown by this year’s rookie class, trying to find players that deserve an honorable mention was no easy layup either. Yet here we are. Let’s kick off the mentions and ask Jaylen Wells to come on down!
Taken with the 39th pick in the draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, Wells (+2000) has started to show all other teams that decided to take a pass on his talents at shooting guard that he can ball, even while being a late bloomer. Averaging 11.8 points per game (PPG), with 3.1 rebounds (RPG), 1.6 assists (APG), and shooting at 43.2% from the field (FG%), Wells has taken to filling in for the injured Marcus Smart rather well, helping him quickly establish his spot in Memphis’ rotation.
Jaylen Wells rises to the number 1️⃣ spot!@Kia Rookie Ladder: https://t.co/xCATTvf4Qh pic.twitter.com/c2LqrNnm5W
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 13, 2024
Next on my list of mentions, if you need to get an idea of just how lackluster this draft class has been, here’s Alexandre Sarr, this year’s No.2 pick. With his NBA Rookie of the Year odds currently at +1600, it’s not that Sarr hasn’t been pulling his weight with the Washington Wizards; it’s just that while doing very well on defense, his offensive foundations still need plenty of work.
Given he’s playing for a team currently riding on a 2-11 record with nine straight losses, but another Wizards rook managed to make the actual list, not just the honorables.
Lastly, as an honorable mention for now, but somebody all NBA picks and predictions fans should keep an eye on in the ROY conversation moving forward, what’s up, Stephon Castle? If there’s something the San Antonio Spurs have done very well lately, it’s drafting, and Castle, the team’s rookie point guard, is no exception.
Stephon Castle’s athleticism and ability to absorb contact has already made him a good finisher at the NBA-level
BUT let’s highlight his growth from the perimeter too
He shot 3-24 (12.5%) from 3 in his first 9 games
He’s 11-23 (48%) over his last 5 pic.twitter.com/S5ukJaiDLE
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) November 17, 2024
In my Top 5 Trades piece, I had the Spurs trading for veteran PG Chris Paul as my fourth favorite move. But now, looking at how Castle has continued to take on a more protagonist role in San Antonio’s lineup, putting up 9.9 PPG, 3.1 APG, 2.6 RPG, and holding a strong 39.8% FG%, it makes sense that current NBA news and rumors have started to dish out the idea of the Spurs thinking about dealing Paul later in the season.
5. Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers (+1000)
When you think of a rookie, 23 is not necessarily an age you would think of for a first-year NBA player. For many, that’s an age in which players in the league should already be on their way to establishing themselves in the pros. Yet Dalton Knecht, this season’s Los Angeles Lakers first-round pick, has decided to prove everybody wrong.
Even after a slow start to the season and being overshadowed by LA’s other rookie, you know, LeBron James’ kid, Bronny James, who can’t even catch a break in the G-League, Knecht looks like he’s starting to find his ground with the Lakers. Being a pivotal part of LA’s latest five-game win streak with his hot shooting, currently hitting 48.4% FG%, Knecht’s +1000 odds to win NBA ROY could be worth keeping track of as the season progresses.
4. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies (+1000)
Let me start off by saying the Golden State Warriors resident thug and overhyped veteran Draymond Green should get a long-term suspension on my pick for the fourth-best rookie thus far, Memphis’ Zach Edey. That little stunt Green pulled could have caused a season-ending injury. But hey, what can you expect from a washed-up dumbass like that?
Draymond Green trips Zach Edey.
Typical…
pic.twitter.com/Xw6yNgOwN4— Grizz Lead (@Grizz_Lead) November 16, 2024
Starting in Memphis’ nine of the first eleven games this season, the 7’4 rookie out of Purdue has immediately impacted the team, especially on offense, with a dominant 61.0% FG%. As he continues to finesse his act on defense, all while also showing a hidden talent by hitting threes with ease, don’t be surprised if his current +1000 odds rise and he ends up taking the award at the end of the season.
3. Carlton “Bub” Carrington, Washington Wizards (+700)
Coming in third on the list, the other Wizards newbie, besides Sarr, give it up for Carlton “Bub” Carrington. The former University of Pittsburgh first-round pick has been putting in work, getting the highest number of playing minutes per game amongst all rookies in this class.
With a 6’4 frame, Bub currently ranks seventh among rookies in scoring average with 10.4 ppg on 43.8% FG%, also adding 4.4 rpg and 5.0 apg. With the talent to score from anywhere and respectable ball distribution skills, we could be looking at Washington’s next star and a definite ROY candidate for your NBA picks today.
2. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks (+475)
For a second year in a row, France is responsible for giving NBA betting odds fans a dominant player to keep up with in the rookie of the year race. Zaccharie Risacher, picked first overall by the Atlanta Hawks, has wasted no time in showing hoops heads in the ATL that he can offer their team the one thing they have needed for so long: a new identity that doesn’t have Trae Young in the epicenter.
Showcasing his max skills in Atlanta’s OT win against the New York Knicks on November 6, scoring 33 points, taking seven rebounds, with three steals and two blocks to go along, Risacher seems like he’s just getting started trying to revive a limping Hawks team.
Even for a player who considers himself “a regular dude” when it comes to physical comparisons with other players in the league, Risacher could be in for a very strong first season if he continues bringing his numbers up.
1. Jared McCain, Philadelphia 76ers (+155)
The Philadelphia 76ers have been quite something this season, right? And by something, I mean a giant, burning pile of thrash. With a 2-11 record, there’s really not much to say about the Sixers without automatically wanting to thrash them unless it’s rookie Jared McCain we talk about.
McCain’s playing can easily be taken as the only good thing happening for Philadelphia right now. Averaging 15.2 ppg with a 47.7% FG%, his quick release threes and talent to get to the rim constantly have shown the Sixers might have caught the draft’s biggest steal at #16.
Jared McCain over the last 5 games:
20 PTS – 4 REB – 4 AST
29 PTS – 1 REB – 4 AST
34 PTS – 2 REB – 10 AST
23 PTS – 3 REB – 2 AST
27 PTS – 3 REB – 2 ASTROY front-runner. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IFTaFdlb1B
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 19, 2024
As long as Joel Embiid continues dealing with not knowing how to be a pro basketball player, Paul George finally finds his playing groove once again, and Tyrese Maxey continues trying to deal with the pressure of being the team’s primary star while the others are out, I would take McCain in a second as my NBA expert pick for Rookie of the Year.
