Mavs phenom Cooper Flagg is on the rise in the Top 5 of this week’s Kia Rookie Ladder.
VJ Edgecombe leads all rookies 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’s 42 per night.
That’s not viable as a long-term workload for the Philadelphia guards. But with Jared McCain’s return from surgery (15 minutes in Chicago Tuesday), the distribution of playing time can owe more to matchups and opportunities earned than necessity.
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’t do it merely by the numbers on the score sheet. Here is the latest ranking of the NBA’s top rookies:
Weekly recap
• Jaylen Wells, whom Ladder readers will remember from last year’s rankingshas been in a shooting slump. But new teammate Cedric Coward sounded like the vet when he offered encouragement to the 2024 All-Rookie selection. Maybe Coward can offer a few wise-before-his-years leadership tips to teammate Ja Morant.
• Coward ranks seventh overall in true-shooting percentage (73.1%) but first in the NBA among players whohave scored 100 points or more.
• A pair of Ladder dwellers got compliments and encouragement from some Hall of Fame-bound opponents this week. Houston’s Kevin Durant said of Cooper Flagg’s up-and-down start with Dallas: “I think that you’re going from in college playing four and five to playing point guard, two guard, That’s going to be an adjustment period for everybody.” Then there was Golden State’s Draymond Green, urging on Edgecombe (see below).
• After Flagg, probably no rookie is under more pressure than New Orleans forward Derik Queen, who was the Pelicans’ target when they traded a 2026 first-round pick to move up a few spots.
Storyline to watch
The 11th man. We aren’t 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’s plenty of time for Charlotte’s Sion James, a member of the Hornets’ 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.
(All stats through Tuesday, Nov. 4)
1. VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
Season stats: 19.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.9 apg
Last Ladder: No. 1
Draft pick: No. 3
Here’s what Warriors star Draymond Green had to say about the Sixers’ savvy young guard. It’s a little early to size up the Slam Dunk field and “playing like an All-Star” 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?
2. Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 15.3 ppg, 5 rpg, 2.5 apg
Last Ladder: No. 2
Draft pick: No. 11
Coward continues to put up starter’s numbers in starter’s minutes – third on the Grizzlies in both categories – while coming off the bench. 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. “It was hard to believe I could go to the NBA,” Coward told Andscape.com recently. “But I had to because I’m a big believer in manifestation and seeing where you want to be in life. … You have to imagine yourself on the court. Either that or the dream can die.”
3. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
Season stats: 13.6 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.9 apg
Last Ladder: No. 4
Draft pick: No. 1
Flagg’s stats perked up last week in scoring, rebounding and hitting 44% of his 3s. If he’s still not where some fans and critics expected, they’ve got nothing on Flagg’s opinion of himself. “Honestly, I haven’t made a lot of shots or been as efficient as I would’ve wanted to, but I’m going to just keep trusting the work. It’s nothing I think they should be worried about. I’m not worried about anything.” And remember, context is everything.
4. Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
Season stats: 14.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.3 apg
Last Ladder: No. 6
Draft pick: No. 4
It’s not exactly Cal Ripkenesque, but Knueppel is making history with each appearance. He’s 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’s tied for sixth most overall, with the Dukie hitting them at a 41% pace. And there is more to his game than that.
5. Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
Season stats: 14 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.8 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: No. 2
A non-contact left calf injury contesting a dunk by Nick Richards ended Harper’s night early against Phoenix Sunday, the source of what figures to be an absence from multiple games. The rookie from Rutgers’ NBA-ready play had been essential to San Antonio’s 5-0 start.
The Next 5:
6. Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans
Season stats: 13.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.3 apg
Last Ladder: No. 7
Draft pick: No. 7
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. “They saw a path (to the NBA),” coach Porter Moser said. “And they loved the way that Fears was. He was so not entitled, such a great teammate, just what we’re about.” Two nights later, his buddies could have seen this.
7. Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 12.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 6
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’t touch the ball. His 10 points has him scoring in double figures in six of his seven appearances.
8. Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors
Season stats: 9.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 apg
Last Ladder: No. 9
Draft pick: No. 9
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’ Giannis Antetokounmpo on Tuesday might have been a bridge too far. Mentally, though not physically. “I’m in the moment as much as possible, never really getting too stuck on who I’m playing,” CMB said recently.
9. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte Hornets
Season stats: 9.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.4 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 10
Draft pick: No. 34
Kalkbrenner leads all rookies in rebounds, offensive rebounds and blocked shots. In fact, the 7-foot Creighton product’s 19 blocks trail only Victor Wembanyama’s 28 through the season’s first two weeks. He had four at New Orleans on Tuesday to go with 10 points and 11 boards.
10. Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans
Season stats: 7.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1 spg
Last Ladder: No. 8
Draft pick: No. 13
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’ and Yves Messi’s injuries, the rookie has credited Pelicans vets Kevon Looney and DeAndre Jordan as mentors. The essence of their advice: “Be ready. Just keep working.”
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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
