After an uneventful start, the 2024 NBA Draft class has made Rookie of the Year (ROY) one of the more entertaining NBA Award races.
Despite a hot start from Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the early favorite for the 2025 Most Valuable Player award. Los Angeles Clippers wing Norman Powell has been putting together a Most Improved Player campaign, but Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels has been turning heads. Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome and Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard may be battling it out for Sixth Man of the Year. Though Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey was the early frontrunner, Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain is looking a lot like the eventual Rookie of the Year.
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However, while those players are the consensus picks, they still have plenty of competition. On top of that, the season is young; NBA Awards don’t get decided in November. With that being said, here are the three rookies at the head of their class on the eve of Thanksgiving.
NBA ROY Race: Jared McCain Tightens Hold, Zach Edey Slides
1. Jared McCain
If it wasn’t obvious by now, McCain is ahead of the pack.
The Sixers’ initial plan appeared to be using him as a spark plug off the bench and spot-starter. McCain turned heads throughout training camp. However, he was still a guy who was green behind the ears and on a team loaded with established talent. As it turns out, he’s been more ready for the moment than perhaps any of his teammates.
Due to Tyrese Maxey’s hamstring injury, McCain was promoted to the first unit. As a starter, he’s been exemplary, averaging 25.2 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.0 steal per game with a 63.3 true shooting percentage. Cool and confident, his craftsmanship as a scorer and playmaker has made Sixers head coach Nick Nurse want to keep him in the starting lineup even when Maxey returned.
When they’re at full strength, it’ll be interesting to see how he’s utilized. For now though, McCain is Philadelphia’s little engine that could.
2. Jaylen Wells
The Grizzlies are much more comfortable with Jaylen Wells in the starting lineup than Edey.
In fact, this is one reason why Edey’s seen a slow slide down the Rookie of the Year rankings. It’s simply hard to win an award when the head coach would rather start a 6-foot-8 player at center because he prefers to play at a rapid pace. When Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman called Edey a “particularly special fit” for the franchise after the draft, Taylor Jenkins must not have gotten the memo.
Fortunately for Wells, Jenkins’s philosophy doesn’t affect him, at least not negatively. Though Memphis has long needed a starting 3-and-D wing with traditional size, that’s not the reason why. To that point, the Grizzlies needed a bruising big man after trading Steven Adams, but that didn’t stop Jenkins from moving Edey to the second unit.
Wells has maintained his starting spot because of his physical tools, poise, two-way impact, and efficiency. In 13 games with the starters, he’s averaging 13.6 points per game on 41.5 percent shooting from three.
3. Stephon Castle
Los Angeles Lakers deadeye Dalton Knecht may be a more popular choice. However, the fanaticism that follows a player isn’t supposed to be a factor in NBA Award choices. At this juncture, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle is ahead of Knecht in the Rookie of the Year race.
Castle might not ever be the shooter that Knecht is. However, he’s found his stroke from outside, shooting 37.5 percent from three over his last nine games. In that time, he’s averaged 16.3 points per game, becoming increasingly confident in his scoring ability.
What truly separates Castle from Knecht is that he’s a better playmaker at both ends of the court. On offense, he’s often looking —but not hunting — for the assist. On defense, he bodies up myriad players to stifle their attempts at perimeter penetration. Yet, he also has a knack for creating defensive events.
Since being promoted to the starting lineup on Nov. 6, he’s had seven games with 5+ assists, six games with 1+ steal, and five games with 1+ block.
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