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Mavs phenom Cooper Flagg is on the rise in the Top 5 of this week\u2019s Kia Rookie Ladder.<\/p>\n
VJ Edgecombe leads all rookies<\/a> in points, assists, steals and field goals. He also ranks No. 1 in minutes, averaging 38.9 in seven games, second in the league overall to teammate Tyrese Maxey\u2019s 42 per night.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not viable as a long-term workload for the Philadelphia guards. But with Jared McCain\u2019s return from surgery (15 minutes in Chicago Tuesday), the distribution of playing time can owe more to matchups and opportunities earned than necessity.<\/p>\n Edgecombe, who traveled the hoops journey from Bimini, Bahamas, to Baylor to No. 3 pick, earned his perch atop the Kia Rookie Ladder for the second consecutive week. And he didn\u2019t do it merely by the numbers on the score sheet<\/a>. Here is the latest ranking of the NBA\u2019s top rookies:<\/p>\n Weekly recap<\/p>\n \u2022 Jaylen Wells, whom Ladder readers will remember from last year\u2019s rankings, has been in a shooting slump. But new teammate Cedric Coward sounded like the vet when he offered encouragement to the 2024 All-Rookie selection<\/a>. Maybe Coward can offer a few wise-before-his-years leadership tips to teammate Ja Morant.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Coward ranks seventh overall in true-shooting percentage (73.1%) but first in the NBA among players whohave scored 100 points or more.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0A pair of Ladder dwellers got compliments and encouragement from some Hall of Fame-bound opponents this week. Houston\u2019s Kevin Durant said of Cooper Flagg\u2019s up-and-down start with Dallas: \u201cI think that you\u2019re going from in college playing four and five to playing point guard, two guard, That\u2019s going to be an adjustment period for everybody.\u201d Then there was Golden State\u2019s Draymond Green, urging on Edgecombe (see below).<\/p>\n \u2022 After Flagg, probably no rookie is under more pressure than New Orleans forward Derik Queen, who was the Pelicans\u2019 target when they traded a 2026 first-round pick to move up a few spots<\/a>.<\/p>\n Storyline to watch<\/p>\n The 11th man. We aren\u2019t into Honorable Mentions, but this Class of 2025 looks deep enough that some new guys will be aced out of a final rung, not to mention All-Rookie first or second team status. Fortunately, there\u2019s plenty of time for Charlotte\u2019s Sion James, a member of the Hornets\u2019 bumper rookie crop, to climb. The No. 33 pick is averaging 8.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists, shooting 62.2% and 70% on 3-pointers, and providing stout defense as a needed 3-and-D contributor. Despite a rough late-game moment on Tuesday<\/a>.<\/p>\n (All stats through Tuesday, Nov. 4)<\/p>\n 1. VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers<\/p>\n Season stats: 19.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.9 apg<\/a> Here\u2019s what Warriors star Draymond Green had to say<\/a> about the Sixers\u2019 savvy young guard. It\u2019s a little early to size up the Slam Dunk field and \u201cplaying like an All-Star\u201d is a long way from making a roster for that weekend class in Los Angeles come February. But Edgecombe has already surprised folks, so why stop now?<\/p>\n 2. Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies<\/p>\n Season stats: 15.3 ppg, 5 rpg, 2.5 apg<\/a> Coward continues to put up starter\u2019s numbers in starter\u2019s minutes \u2013 third on the Grizzlies in both categories \u2013 while coming off the bench<\/a>. His unlikely path from Division III Williamette to Eastern Washington to Washington State, then to a lottery pick and so far to this lofty Ladder perch has been no fluke, to hear Coward tell it. \u201cIt was hard to believe I could go to the NBA,\u201d Coward told Andscape.com recently. \u201cBut I had to because I\u2019m a big believer in manifestation and seeing where you want to be in life. \u2026 You have to imagine yourself on the court. Either that or the dream can die.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks<\/p>\n Season stats: 13.6 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.9 apg<\/a> Flagg\u2019s stats perked up last week in scoring, rebounding and hitting 44% of his 3s. If he\u2019s still not where some fans and critics expected, they\u2019ve got nothing on Flagg\u2019s opinion of himself. \u201cHonestly, I haven\u2019t made a lot of shots or been as efficient as I would\u2019ve wanted to, but I\u2019m going to just keep trusting the work. It\u2019s nothing I think they should be worried about. I\u2019m not worried about anything.\u201d And remember, context is everything<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4. Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n Season stats:\u00a014.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.3 apg<\/a> It\u2019s not exactly Cal Ripkenesque, but Knueppel is making history with each appearance. He\u2019s up to 25 3-pointers in his first eight NBA appearances, the most since the league first drew the arc on its courts in 1979-80. That\u2019s tied for sixth most overall, with the Dukie hitting them at a 41% pace. And there is more to his game than that<\/a>.<\/p>\n 5. Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs<\/p>\n Season stats: 14 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.8 apg<\/a> A non-contact left calf injury contesting a dunk by Nick Richards ended Harper\u2019s night early against Phoenix Sunday, the source of what figures to be an absence from multiple games<\/a>. The rookie from Rutgers\u2019 NBA-ready play had been essential to San Antonio\u2019s 5-0 start.<\/p>\n The Next 5: Season stats: 13.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.3 apg<\/a> In a nice moment for both Fears and his former teammates, the Oklahoma Sooners paid a visit to see the Pelicans play at OKC Sunday. Fears responded with 16 points and four rebounds. \u201cThey saw a path [to the NBA],\u201d coach Porter Moser said. \u201cAnd they loved the way that Fears was. He was so not entitled, such a great teammate, just what we\u2019re about.\u201d Two nights later, his buddies could have seen this<\/a>.<\/p>\n 7. Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards<\/p>\n Season stats: 12.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.6 apg<\/a> Cold Saturday vs. Orlando, Johnson bounced back as a shooter in his first official trip into Madison Square Garden, making an impact even when he didn\u2019t touch the ball<\/a>. His 10 points has him scoring in double figures in six of his seven appearances.<\/p>\n 8. Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors<\/p>\n Season stats: 9.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 apg<\/a> Getting time in the tank against opposing big men, with center Jakob Poeltl coping with some back pain, was a challenge for the 6-foot-7 South Carolinian. And matching up with the Bucks\u2019 Giannis Antetokounmpo on Tuesday might have been a bridge too far<\/a>. Mentally, though not physically. \u201cI\u2019m in the moment as much as possible, never really getting too stuck on who I\u2019m playing,\u201d CMB said recently.<\/p>\n 9. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n Season stats: 9.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.4 bpg<\/a> Kalkbrenner leads all rookies in rebounds, offensive rebounds and blocked shots. In fact, the 7-foot Creighton product\u2019s 19 blocks trail only Victor Wembanyama\u2019s 28 through the season\u2019s first two weeks. He had four at New Orleans on Tuesday to go with 10 points and 11 boards.<\/p>\n 10. Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans<\/p>\n Season stats: 7.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1 spg<\/a> Queen had his best game of the young season Tuesday, with 12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals in the victory over Charlotte. In being able to pick up minutes vacated by Zion Williams\u2019 and Yves Messi\u2019s injuries, the rookie has credited Pelicans vets Kevon Looney and DeAndre Jordan as mentors. The essence of their advice: \u201cBe ready. Just keep working.\u201d<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him\u00a0here<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on X<\/a><\/p>\n
Last Ladder: No. 1<\/a>
Draft pick: No. 3<\/a><\/p>\n
Last Ladder: No. 2<\/a>
Draft pick: No. 11<\/a><\/p>\n
Last Ladder: No. 4<\/a>
Draft pick: No. 1<\/a><\/p>\n
Last Ladder: No. 5<\/a>
Draft pick: No. 4<\/a><\/p>\n
Last Ladder: No. 3<\/a>
Draft pick: No. 2<\/a><\/p>\n
\n6. Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans<\/p>\n
Last Ladder: No. 7<\/a>
Draft pick: No. 7<\/a><\/p>\n
Last Ladder: No. 5<\/a>
Draft pick: No. 6<\/a><\/p>\n
Last Ladder: No. 9<\/a>
Draft pick: No. 9<\/a><\/p>\n
Last Ladder: No. 10<\/a>
Draft pick: No. 34<\/a><\/p>\n
Last Ladder: No. 8<\/a>
Draft pick: No. 13<\/a><\/p>\n