The race for NBA Rookie of the Year may be coming down to two players.
While a number of first-year players have made their marks this season, the two constants have been Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs — who starred in the Rising Stars Challenge during the league’s All-Star weekend — and Jaylen Wells of the Memphis Grizzlies.
If Castle were to win, it would mark only the third time a team has won the award in consecutive seasons, joining the Timberwolves (2015-16 with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns) and the Buffalo Braves (1973-74 with Bob McAdoo and Ernie DiGregorio).
Still, the race is wide open, with the No. 1 overall selection, Zaccharie Risacher, coming on recently as one of Atlanta’s primary weapons.
The latest edition of the USA TODAY Sports’ rookie power rankings, with stats through Monday’s games:
5. Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat center
His case has been bolstered the last month-and-a-half, when he has seen an uptick in minutes and had started Miami’s past 18 games before a knee injury sidelined him from Monday’s game against the Wizards. Ware has infused an immediate inside presence in the Heat offense as a lob threat and low-post option. He also has been a solid rim protector, though his defensive numbers do suffer when Bam Adebayo also isn’t on the floor.
4. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies center
He can sometimes go through lulls in his scoring output, but Edey has been a steady presence for Memphis, particularly on the glass. Some of Edey’s contributions don’t manifest on the box score, though; in Monday’s two-point loss against the Hawks, Edey altered two consecutive Trae Young drives inside the final minute before Desmond Bane’s turnover in the final seconds led to Caris LeVert’s game-winning layup.
3. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks forward
Risacher, the No.1 pick, has shown flashes of what he can become. He missed seven of eight games with a strained left adductor in the final two weeks of January and has played well since his return. In his past 14 games, the 6-8 Risacher is averaging 15.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and nearly 1.0 steal and is shooting 53.8% from the field and 50.8% on 3-pointers. On Tuesday, he was named Eastern Conference rookie of the month for February. He scored 27 points on 11-for-13 shooting in a victory against Memphis on March 3. The Hawks’ offense has flourished with Risacher on the court, scoring 119.86 points per 100 possessions, and ninth-place Atlanta is in the postseason hunt with a chance to finish in seventh place in the East.
2. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs guard
Even with the addition of De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline, Castle continues to get valuable minutes on a rebuilding team that has gone through a difficult season with head coach Gregg Popovich’s stroke and 2024 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama’s season-ending deep vein thrombosis diagnosis. Castle is the second-leading rookie scorer at 13.2 points per game and averages 3.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds. He has had two 30-point games in the past four weeks, including 32 points, eight rebounds and three assists in a loss to Oklahoma City on March 2 and 24 points, seven assists and three rebounds in a victory against Memphis on March 1. His shooting efficiency needs attention in the offseason — he’s at 41.9% from the field and 28.4% on 3-pointers.
1. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies forward
For the most part, Wells has avoided the dreaded rookie wall. A long season can exact punishment on a rookie not used to 82 games with back-to-backs, four games in a week and travel. Wells, who hasn’t missed a game this season, had five consecutive games without hitting double figures in points right before the All-Star break. The break helped, and he has scored 12 or more points in six of eight games since. Well had 19 points and five rebounds in a victory against Phoenix on Feb. 25 and 18 points in a loss against San Antonio on March 1. He is fifth in scoring among rookies with 11.4 points per game, and he is shooting 45% from the field and 38% on 3-pointers. Wells, the No. 39 overall pick, is trying to become just the second second-round draft pick in the modern era (post-1970) to win rookie of the year, and he’s doing it for a team that is in fourth place in the Western Conference.