Kia Rookie Ladder: Grizzlies' Jaylen Wells Makes a Strong Case for the Top Spot

Guard Jaylen Wells and center Zach Edey have secured the top two spots on this week's Kia Rookie Ladder.

Wells, snagged out of Washington State nine picks into the second round, got moved into Memphis’ starting lineup on Halloween and has upped his production across the board. From 8.2 points on 33% shooting with a minus-13.2 net rating in reserve, Wells as a starter is at 14 ppg, 49% and a plus-20.2.

Edey has come off the bench in the Grizzlies’ two more recent games with Brandon Clarke moving into the starting lineup. His numbers are up, too, in scoring, rebounding, assists, shooting, even minutes (from 19.1 to 23).

Here’s more on them, as well as eight other rung-holders in this week’s Ladder.

Weekly recap

Storyline to

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Better shooting efficiency. So far, Washington’s Alex Sarr is underwater in terms of points per game (9.2) vs. shots per game (9.8). San Antonio’s Stephon Castle is breaking even, with 8.5 of each. It’s often said that shooting is the last piece of the puzzle for new guys and that pattern held last season. By Dec. 1 a year ago, Scoot Henderson, Gradey Dick and Jarace Walker all were averaging more takes than makes but all three cleaned that up by season’s end.

Latest ranking

(All stats through

Tuesday

, Nov.

12

)

1. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies

Season stats: 11.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 apg
Last Ladder: 3
Draft pick: No. 39

The Grizzlies blew out the Lakers, Wizards and Trail Blazers by an average of 28.6 points per rout and Wells was a driving force. He averaged 15.7 points and was a plus-20, better than Edey’s plus-10.7. And he continues to impress defensively, along with rookies Ryan Dunn of Phoenix, Toronto’s Jonathan Mogbo and Washington’s Kyshawn George.

2. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies

Season stats: 11.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 0.9 bpg
Last Ladder: 1
Draft pick: No. 9

Former No. 1 pick Greg Oden, the big man whose career was cut short by injuries, heaped praise on Edey during an appearance on Johnny Manziel’s podcast. “I wasn’t sure how his game would translate in the NBA, but when you’re freakin’ 7-3, nobody else can do anything about it,” Oden said.

3. Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards

Season stats: 9.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.1 apg
Last Ladder: 2
Draft pick: No. 14

With 10 points and 10 rebounds at Memphis Friday, the former Pitt guard became the youngest Wizards player (19 years, 110 days) to notch a double-double. He also added eight assists. Carrington ranks in the Top 5 for the Class of 2024 in minutes, points, rebounds, assists and steals per game.

4. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks

Season stats: 11.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.3 apg
Last Ladder: 6
Draft pick: No. 1

Broke through with 33 points against the Knicks last week. The Hawks want him shooting and he’s obliging, ranking first among rookies in shots, minutes, and points, while tied for No. 1 in steals.

5. Jared McCain, Philadephia 76ers

Season stats: 11.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.5 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 16

McCain grabs a rung this week, with opportunity and production matching his confidence in teammate Tyrese Maxey’s three-game absence. The Sacramento native has averaged 22.7 points and 30.6 minutes in this stretch, hitting 40% of his 3s, and leads this class in usage rate (26.4).

The Next 5:

6. Ryan Dunn, Phoenix Suns

Season stats: 7.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.7 apg
Last Ladder: 4
Draft pick: No. 28

Minutes up, shots down (4.7) for the week, though he tops the rookies at 39.5% from deep.

7. Alexandre Sarr, Washington Wizards

Season stats: 9.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.4 bpg
Last Ladder: 5
Draft pick: No. 2

Patience, please: 3 road games in 4 nights saw Sarr shoot 26.7%, 2-of-13 on 3s.

8. Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans

Season stats: 6.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 21

Double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) vs. Nets Monday has him third in boards and blocks among rookies.

9. Kyshawn George, Washington Wizards

Season stats: 9.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.6 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 24

After wild 6-of-17 from arc Nov. 4, Swiss native settled in for 9-of-20 week.

10. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs

Season stats: 8.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.8 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 4

Four starts in past week, three with 10+ points, including 23 vs. Jazz.

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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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