Ranking the Top Five NBA Rookies After Two Weeks

The 2025 NBA rookie class is off to a strong start, filled with impressive performances -- including VJ Edgecombe's 34-point debut. Below we take a look at the five rookies who are off to a strong start in their rookie campaigns.

Kon Kneuppel, Charlotte Hornets

Oct 28, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) drives to the basket against Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The 6-foot-7, 215-pound wing from Duke is off to an impressive start to his rookie season, averaging 13.8 points, 1.8 assists, and four rebounds per game while shooting 50% from beyond the arc (34 attempts). His best performance was a 20-point, six-rebound, two-assist, and one steal game against the Wizards on October 26th. Look for Knueppel to continue being an important component of the Hornets rotation, as he's averaging 29 minutes per game and has started four contests for the 2-3 Hornets.

Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

Oct 29, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) and guard RayJ Dennis (10) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The 6-foot-9, 205-pound wing is averaging 13.4 points, 2.8 assists, 6.2 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 32.2 minutes per game. His shooting has been inconsistent, however, as he's converting only 26.7% of his attempts beyond the arc so far this season (15 attempts). It's only been a few games and a small sample size, and there's room for optimism: Flagg is 100% from the free throw line on 13 total attempts.

Something else to monitor is that Flagg is shooting 68.8% on attempts within three feet of the basket but only 33.3% on attempts between 3-10 feet of the basket. Flagg impacts the games in a multitude of ways and will continue to improve on an already-solid rookie campaign.

Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs

Oct 27, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) walks up the court in the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound guard is averaging 14.4 points, 4.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 48.2% from the field (56 total attempts), 35.7% from three (14 attempts), and 81.3% from the line (16 attempts). His 27.3 assist percentage has been impressive -- meaning he's assisting an estimated 27.3% of his teammates' made field goals when on the floor this season.

Harper's 18.8 On-Off is also impressive, illustrating a significant impact when on the floor. Additionally, out of the 18 Spurs two-player combinations who have been on the court at the same time and played at least 48 minutes together so far this season, the best duo has been none other than Victor Wembanyama and Dylan Harper -- resulting in a Net Rating of 35.6 when on the floor at the same time so far this season.

Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies

Oct 25, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward (23) reacts after a three point basket against the Indiana Pacers during the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

The Grizzlies may have found themselves another elite shooting wing to pair alongside Jaylen Wells in Cedric Coward. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound wing has averaged 16 points, two assists, 3.8 rebounds, one steal, and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 65.4% from inside the arc (26 attempts), 64.7% from beyond the arc (17 attempts), and 92.9% from the free throw line (14 attempts).

He's been impactful on both ends of the floor -- simultaneously recording a 4.7 offensive rebound percentage, 12.9 assist percentage, a 1.9 steal percentage, 2.2 block percentage, and only a 7.5 turnover percentage. His On-Off is an incredible 45.8 as well.

Lastly, out of 18 Grizzlies two-player combinations who have played at least 48 minutes together so far this season, Coward is in all three of the top three: S. Aldama - C. Coward (26.7 Net Rating and 74 minutes played together), J. Small - C. Coward (16.8 Net Rating and 73 minutes played together), and J. Jackson Jr. - C. Coward (14.8 Net Rating and 73 minutes played together).

VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers

Oct 27, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe (77) and Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) wrestle for ball control during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 22.3 points, 5.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks while starting all four games for the 76ers so far this season and playing 40.3 minutes per game. Additionally, Edgecombe is shooting 47.1% from the field (70 total attempts) and 42.9% from three (28 attempts) while recording a 20.3 assist percentage, a 1.8 steal percentage, and a 1.1 block percentage.

In his first ever NBA game, Edgecombe scored 34 points on 50% shooting from the field (26 attempts) and 38.5% from three (13 attempts) while also garnering seven rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and one block to help them secure their opening game win.