Kia Rookie Ladder: Alex Sarr Maintains Hold on No. 1 Spot for Third Consecutive Week

Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George are shining beacons of hope in a season that has been difficult, with the team currently sitting at 6-36. With the emergence of second-year guard Bilal Coulibaly, the Wizards have a promising young core to build around. As the trade deadline of Feb. 6 approaches, there are also several veteran players on the roster who could provide valuable experience and leadership to help guide the team towards a brighter future.

Meanwhile, no member of the Class of 2024 generated more buzz this week than the Miami Heat’s Kel’el Ware. Here are updates on him and the other top rookies so far in 2024-25 …

Weekly recap

Ware scored 25 in a matchup with Victor Wembanyama on Sunday, then had 20 against Portland in his first start Tuesday. The Heat were +8 in his 39 minutes against the Blazers, -17 in the nine minutes he sat, and using him alongside Bam Adebayo gives Miami a formidable double-big look. Ware’s work ethic and progress now have Heat coach Erik Spoelstra cautioning against over-exuberance from fans and media.

“I know that Kel’el generates a lot of opinions out there,” Spoelstra said. “Let us do our job. Let him do what he has been doing.”

Storyline to watch

Getting a Rise out of the rookies. Selections will be announced soon for the Castrol Rising Stars at NBA All-Star 2025. The mini-tournament pitting first- and second-year NBA players, as well as NBA G League standouts, gets a higher profile this year because the winning group will also compete against NBA All-Stars in the new format on Sunday. That might be one way to motivate the game’s biggest names: throw them into battle against the youngest, hungriest and least-jaded competitors in the league.

Latest ranking

(All stats through Tuesday, Jan. 21)

1. Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards

Season stats: 11.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 1
Draft pick: No. 2

His shooting has turned rocky again — 34.7% and 22.7% in the weekly sample — but Sarr made sure opponents’ accuracy suffered too with five blocks against the Lakers on Tuesday. He leads the rookies in that stat (1.6) while ranking third in rebounds and fifth in scoring.

2. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs

Season stats: 11.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 4
Draft pick: No. 4

We’ll see how his game translates in this reverse Wemby trip (from U.S. to France) trip for the Spurs. But he was spectacular last week, with games of 23, 26 and 20 points before scoring 11 at Miami on Sunday.

3. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies

Season stats: 11.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: No. 39

You can figure out the chicken-or-egg order of this, but in Memphis’ victories, Wells has shot 46.9% overall and 43% from the arc. In its losses, his accuracy droops to 39.2% and 29.6%.

4. Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans

Season stats: 9.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 2
Draft pick: No. 21

He hasn’t played since Jan. 15 (12 points, six boards, two blocks against Dallas), and was listed as questionable (illness) heading into the Pelicans’ game on Wednesday vs. the Bucks.

5. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies

Season stats: 9.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 9

Doing more with less: Big fella’s minutes are down (17.7 per game in January vs. 26 mpg last month), but he’s still starting for the Grizz. His per-36-minute numbers are 16.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, 1.8 blocks for the season.

The Next 5:

6. Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards

Season stats: 8.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.9 apg
Last Ladder: No. 7
Draft pick: No. 14

Still seeking his first 15/5/5 game of 2025. No rookie has more than his three.

7. Tristan da Silva, Orlando Magic

Season stats: 8.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.8 apg
Last Ladder: No. 6
Draft pick: No. 18

The 23-year-old’s second visit to Toronto Tuesday (9 points, 3-of-10, L) didn’t go as well as the first (25 points, W) on Jan. 3.

8. Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat

Season stats: 7.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 44

Makes Ladder debut “with a bullet” after averaging 15.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks this week.

 9. Ryan Dunn, Phoenix Suns

Season stats: 7.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.9 apg
Last Ladder: No. 9
Draft pick: No. 28

Challenge as a starter? Defending without fouling. He’s averaging 4.4 fouls per 36 minutes, second only to Portland’s Donovan Clingan (5.5) among rookies who have played 30-plus games.

10. Kyshawn George, Washington Wizards

Season stats: 7.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 24

Had been lurking on the mythical 11th or 12th rung most of the season until scoring 24 off the bench (with six 3-pointers) vs. the Suns.

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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