NBA Rookie Report Cards: Picks No. 7-10

In the 2025-26 rookie class’ first two sets of report cards, the top six picks each earned a grade for their performance in their respective debut regular seasons. Their grades are displayed in the table below.

Pick Number	Rookie	Team	Grade
1	Cooper Flagg	Dallas Mavericks	A
2	Dylan Harper	San Antonio Spurs	A-
3	V.J. Edgecombe	Philadelphia 76ers	A-
4	Kon Knueppel	Charlotte Hornets	A
5	Ace Bailey	Utah Jazz	A-
6	Tre Johnson	Washington Wizards	B

Now, picks seven through ten will enter the spotlight and get assigned a grade for their rookie campaign.

Remember that this grade not only reflects each rookie's performance this year, but also the level of optimism that should surround them moving forward, particularly relative to their draft position.

Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans: B

No. 7 Overall Pick

Jeremiah Fears showed flashes of everything the Pelicans hoped for when they took him seventh as a downhill guard who pressures the rim, sets up teammates with solid playmaking, keeps defenses honest with a passable jumper and disrupts opposing ball-handlers with active hands that produced 1.2 steals per game. The 19-year-old averaged14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists, and was especially good down the stretch of the season. The former Oklahoma Sooner closed th eyear with three straight games of 36-plus points, including a franchise rookie record 40 against the Utah Jazz, which helped him earn All-Rookie Second Team honors.

Still, his mark of just 52.5 TS% with just 48.0% shooting from two and 33.0% from three represents a long way for the rookie point guard to go on the efficiency front. As a rookie, despite encouraging signs across his game, Fears crucially couldn't yet show he can score productively from either two or three on a nightly basis, so he earns a B.

Egor Demin, Brooklyn Nets: B

No. 8 Overall Pick

Egor Demin answered the biggest question about his game as a rookie. The 6-foot-8 wing, whose 27.3% three-point shooting at BYU brought concern, hit 38.5% of his triples on over six attempts per game and made a three in 34 consecutive games, the longest such streak by a rookie in NBA history. He paired that shooting with great connecitve passing, averaging 3.3 assists to just 1.7 turnovers per game.

However, Demin's defense remains unproven, and his 43.3% shooting in limited two-point volume demonstrates an off-the-dribble capability that is far from reliable. As a result, with a foundation of NBA impact but quetsions around how he can scale this impact, Demin earns a B.

Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors: A-

No. 9 Overall Pick

Collin Murray-Boyles found a bench role right away on a defensively-slanted Raptors team, averaging 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds on 57.9% shooting across 57 regular-season games. Then he really emerged in the playoffs with his physical tools, strength, and smarts. Against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, the 20-year-old averafed 14.4 points per game as a finisher around the basket, and his versatile, disruptive defense shined next to his rebounding in the seven-game series,

While Murray-Boyles established a foundation of high defensive impact that earned him All-Rookie Second Team honors, his offense remains lower ceiling, without much of any off-the-dribble game or a three-point shot to build on. That combination of an impactful floor and a capped scoring projection earns him an A-.

Khaman Maluach, Phoenix Suns: B

No. 10 Overall Pick

This season, Khaman Maluach barely played, appearing in 46 games at just 8.9 minutes per night for a Suns team fighting for playoff position. But in his minutes, he showed the immense potential to become a starting big, as his towering height and 7-foot-7 wingspan pair with great mobility that can enable him to establish an interior presence on both ends of the ball. He projects as a reliable play finisher at the rim and a rim protector who also attacks the offensive glass. This potential was most seen in the former Duke Blue Devil's final regular season game as a rookie, in which he recorded 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks against the Oklahoma City Thunder

Still, the 19-year-old needs reps, so the focus next season will be on earning more opportunity in a crowded Phoenix frontcourt. Given how raw he was as a draft prospect, and the flashes he displayed with thos tools as a rookie, Maluach earns a B.

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