Ryan Dunn helps KD, Zach Edey has competition for the Grizzlies

The 2024-25 NBA rookie class is off to a brutal start. Historically bad. There's reason to be hopeful — writing someone off after less than two weeks of work is pointless — but there's a reason the 2024 draft was heralded as weak. It will take time and a lot of patience for most of these players to break out.

There's usually a pretty clear group of early Rookie of the Year favorites. For a rookie, the combination of opportunity and shine is incredibly valuable, and there just aren't many players right now who check both boxes. Even the number 1 pick started the season off the bench. Zach Edey, the most dominant college basketball player of the last decade, is starting in Memphis. He averages less than 20 minutes per game. The lines are short and the prey is small.

Therefore, these rankings evolve with each game. All it takes is one game-changing performance to shine a whole new light on this rookie class. I would therefore advise against placing too much emphasis on it in these rankings. It's good to understand the situation at the moment, but you can expect this list to look very different at the end of the season. So much will change and evolve in the coming months.

Here are the 10 best rookies so far.

Donovan Clingan is averaging 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 12.9 minutes. The Blazers continue to lean heavily on Deandre Ayton, but it's only a matter of time before Clingan takes on a more prominent role with his solid fundamentals, efficient finishing and elite rim protection. Don't be shocked if Portland tries its best to release Ayton's contract in the next few months.

A five-year college star who went undrafted in June, Jamison Battle has quickly become a rotation cog for the injury-plagued Raptors. Battle's efficient 3-point shooting has set him apart from other rookies, not to mention his solid rebounding from the wing and an overall stability that has eluded most of his peers.

Certain metrics (rightly) criticize Jamal Shead for his inefficient shooting from beyond the arc, but as Toronto's backup point guard, he averages 5.0 assists in 18.6 minutes while playing strong defense on the perimeter. Shead's ability to battle over screens and cover the point of attack is valuable to a team that is currently missing several of its best defenders. He brings valuable energy off the bench and Toronto desperately needs it.

The goal-scoring efficiency that characterized Jonathan Mogbo in college hasn't quite been established in seven games, but the 6-foot-2 center has made his impact felt on defense. He switches screens, smothers the perimeter like a raging attack dog and wreaks havoc as a weak side-roamer (1.3 steals, 0.9 blocks in 17.1 minutes). The sophisticated screen setting, passing game and vertical pop at the rim should ultimately lead to a viable offense.

A performance of eight assists and zero turnovers over 37 minutes on Saturday was a nice performance for Bub Carrington. He struggles to score at the rim as expected, but Carrington's depth and pull-up shooting are mighty impressive at just 19 years old. He leads all rookies in minutes per game and should continue to get plenty of opportunities in DC.

Alex Sarr hasn't figured out the offense yet, but the Wizards are letting him run outside for 24.8 minutes a night and see what happens. This is the right strategy for a rebuilding team and has allowed us to see a lot of flashes from the No. 2 overall pick, including some crazy defensive highlights (2.8 blocks per game).

He needs to get stronger and, especially, be more active on offense, but in hindsight, all the hand-wringing after Sarr's spotty Summer League success seems silly. The tools are there and he's contributing to a Wizards team that was far more competitive than expected from the start.

At some point, Washington will fall back into the Cooper-Flagg sweepstakes, which should come with an even heavier workload for Sarr. He hasn't put it all together on offense, but it's hard to find a 7-footer who moves as gracefully with or without the rock. Sarr has legitimate offensive scoring ability, easily navigating tight spaces without dribbling and occasionally firing a forward pass. His low turnover (0.6 compared to 1.8 assists) is a positive sign.

It wasn't the start most people expected from Rookie of the Year betting favorite Zach Edey, who was a frequent victim of foul trouble. He started all seven appearances for Memphis, but only averages 18.3 minutes. The leash is short and it's clear Edey is still adjusting to the pace of NBA basketball.

Edey barely fouled Purdue, essentially out of necessity. The Boilermakers couldn't afford to lose Edey, so he was asked to play an extremely conservative style of defense. Edey's role is very different in the NBA. He needs to be active with his hands and be intimidating at the rim. At 2.70 meters tall and weighing 140 kilograms, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Edey struggles to keep up with the speed and athleticism inherent in the professionals. He deserves time and patience to figure it out.

Despite the myriad issues, however, Edey was more productive than most of his peers, averaging a whopping 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds on 58 percent shooting. If the defense prevails and Edey can stay on the floor longer, his mismatch creation in the post, combined with his wide screen setting and oceanic catch radius on lobs, should result in a steadfast shot and, yes, Rookie of the Year honors. lead rhythm.

Yves Missi was the Pelicans' missing link. It's only a matter of time before he enters full-time and provides significant value as New Orleans' defensive anchor. Herb Jones and Dejounte Murray (once he returns) will continue to wreak havoc on the perimeter, but the Pelicans won't be able to field a viable defense without a solid presence in the middle. The front office failed to secure a quality veteran center to replace Jonas Valanciunas, but given Missi's rapid rise, that might not matter.

Missi made his first career start on Saturday and collected four points, ten rebounds and a block in 26 minutes of play. Nothing special, but Missi's incredible athleticism and red-hot motor allows him to cover a lot of ground defensively. The Pelicans have been looking for a long-term solution at center for ages. In Missi they could actually have it.

His offensive output was understandably muted, but Missi is a skilled attacking player with a dash of face-up flair and passing pizzazz that he doesn't get enough credit for. The defensive play (1.5 blocks in 20.8 minutes), solid fundamentals and incessant energy should keep Missi at the top of this list as the season progresses.

Jaylen Wells, a second-round pick in the 2024 draft, has immediately found a home in the Grizzlies' rotation. With Desmond Bane's injury, he has now made back-to-back starts, resulting in back-to-back performances of at least 15 points, five rebounds and two made 3s for the Washington State product.

This was the book about Wells coming out of school. At 1.95 meters tall, he is an accurate shooter, a role that the Grizzlies always seem to enjoy. Wells follows in the footsteps of Luke Kennard and of course Bane and has a fairly simple distribution of tasks next to Ja Morant or Scotty Pippen in the backcourt. He's there to run around the court, open up space all the way to the 3-point line, and keep defenders busy with off-ball movement.

He doesn't do much beyond shooting, but that alone is valuable enough, especially when the rest of his comrades can't seem to find the sea from the seashore. Wells is drilling 38.7 percent of his 4.4 3-point attempts per game, averaging 10.3 points in 24.8 minutes. Wells contributed to an up-and-coming contender from day one and exuded true All-Rookie vibes for two weeks.

Their rookie leader in 3-pointers made in a few weeks is Ryan Dunn, which blows your mind. Dunn couldn't shoot straight in college. As a sophomore at Virginia, he made 20 percent of his one attempt per game. Not only did Dunn lack tact, he also lacked confidence. In fact, his entire offensive game was a mess, characterized by a gun-shy approach, unreliable decision-making and a complete lack of finesse.

Lo and behold, Dunn is shooting 39.3 percent from distance on 4.7 attempts so far in Phoenix and is achieving those numbers in just 17.8 minutes. So he was quite a productive supporting scorer in the Suns' second unit, not to mention the whirlwind defense that made Dunn a prospect in the first place. Dunn is probably the best defender in this draft, standing at 6-foot-3, long arms and a preternatural feel for the basketball.

Dunn positions himself in passing lanes and changes positions with ease. We've seen multiple examples of Dunn blocking guards at the point of attack or shutting down stronger wings with sheer effort and intensity. The Suns needed another quality perimeter defender alongside Kevin Durant. That was a gaping hole in their rotation last season. Dunn delivers, and his minutes should increase exponentially as the season progresses and Mike Budenholzer realizes what he has.