Being a rookie in any sport is no easy task. The 58 newest NBA players, selected last June 2024, know that. While some rookies have struggled and others have excelled, it’s time to look back at the 2024 NBA Draft Class eight months later.
The Atlanta Hawks won the draft lottery and were given the first overall pick. They used this pick to select the small forward from France, Zaccharie Risacher. Risacher had previously played for two French leagues, where he made a name for himself.
Risacher has been very consistent in his first NBA season, scoring 10 or more points in seven of his last 11 games. He is currently averaging 11.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. His points per game average as of Feb. 6 is fifth best among all rookies, and he has enjoyed a strong start to his career.
The second pick in the draft belonged to the Washington Wizards. The Wizards drafted Alex Sarr, a center also from France.
Sarr has also shown promise this season. He is third in points per game and rebounds per game out of the rookie class. Washington has been counting on him a lot recently, as he averaged 25.7 minutes per game during January. Sarr will look to continue to put up solid numbers when he returns from an ankle injury that has sidelined him since Jan. 29.
The third overall pick, Reed Sheppard, has not enjoyed the same success early on in his career as Risacher and Sarr. Sheppard, drafted third overall by the Houston Rockets, has had a disappointing start to his first season in the NBA.
Even though he is currently averaging 11.7 minutes per game, he only shoots 31.5% from the field and averages 3.6 points per game. Since Houston has been one of the NBA’s best teams this season, seeing how Sheppard is used down the stretch will be interesting.
Moorpark College men’s basketball coach Keith Higgins shared his thoughts on his favorite player from the draft.
“He’s like one of my sons. He got drafted 42nd to the Charlotte Hornets. His name is Kenneth Simpson Jr,” Higgins said.
Simpson Jr., a late draft pick, has played a decent role with the Hornets this season. He is currently averaging 17.9 minutes per game, with his best game coming against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
In that game, Simpson Jr. recorded 15 points, three assists, and one steal while shooting 50.0% from behind the arc and the field. He has seen an uptick in minutes recently and will look to build on this impressive performance.
Another standout, Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain, leads all rookies in points per game with 15.8 and has had a fantastic start to his career. He was selected with the 16th pick in the draft and was making other teams question why they passed on him. The Sixers guard was also shooting a healthy 46.0% from the field and an outstanding 87.5% from the free-throw line.
Unfortunately, McCain suffered a torn meniscus against the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 13, which changed the course of his rookie season. He was ruled out for the rest of the year, seeing his amazing start to his career cut short. McCain has been progressing well and will look to pick up where he left off in the 2025-2026 NBA season.
The odds on favorite for Rookie of the Year as of Feb. 6, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, is Miami Heat Center Kel’el Ware. Ware came out of nowhere with a huge month of January to propel himself to the top of the race by being a scoring machine.
In Ware’s first 15 games, he did not score more than nine points in any game. However, he kicked it up in January by having four games with 20 or more points. He has also been all over the glass, recording eight games with double-digit rebounds in the last two months. Ware will hope to keep the hot streak going and separate himself from the rest of the competition.
The 2024 NBA Draft class has given fans some amazing players to watch. With the Rising Stars Challenge coming up, there will be the opportunity to see the chosen rookies shine alongside the top sophomore and G-League players in this All-Star Weekend event. The players will be divided into three teams, with the G-League players forming the fourth. The winning team will earn the right to face the NBA All-Star team in the All-Star Game mini-tournament.
With these rookies having been in the league for eight months, the youth movement keeps improving. To learn more about these rookies and their stats, click here.
