NBA Rookie of the Year Rankings 1.0: How a Stacked Class Looks Heading Into Preseason

Each new NBA season brings a new wave. The latest draft class makes its debut with rookies taking on vastly different roles.

Some immediately arrive on a rebuilding team as the new face of the franchise. A reason for hope after a difficult season. Others land on improved rosters, with teams looking to make a jump from one year to the next à la Dylan Harper—the 2025 No. 2 pick—making an impact in the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals as a rookie.

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This season will be no different, especially with a loaded rookie class. What was a top rookie trio of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer has quickly grown into a top four with the excitement surrounding Caleb Wilson, the fourth pick in June’s draft.

Outside of the first four picks, plenty of rookies are slated to make an impact across the league once the new season tips off Oct. 20, and Sports Illustrated will rank them throughout the year. For now, we’ll take a lay of the land to see how the top rookies stack up as we enter the preseason. Plus, who’s at the top of the next tier?

A lot will change over the course of the season, but here’s our top-five rookies as things currently stand, ranked in order. Let’s dive in:

First five out: Darius Acuff Jr. (Kings), Keaton Wagler (Clippers), Brayden Burries (Bucks), Mikel Brown Jr. (Nets), Bennett Stirtz (Thunder)

5. Yaxel Lendeborg, Golden State Warriors

Summer League stats: 14.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 48.4 FG%, 45.9 3P%, 71.4 FT% (eight games)
Draft: No. 11 pick

Lendeborg, the All-American leader of the national champion Michigan Wolverines, gets the nod at the front of a jumbled second tier group of rookies. Believe it or not, he’s the biggest add the Warriors made over the offseason after the team missed out on LeBron James. As far as we know, the Dubs weren’t a finalist in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes either.

Lendeborg just turned 24. He’s one of the more NBA-ready rookies who steps into a clear role on a team who needs some juice. Steph Curry will take up a lot of Golden State’s volume, obviously, but his gravity will bring the rookie forward some clean looks. Steve Kerr has already sang Lendeborg’s praises as the versatile wing prepares to make an impact on the Warriors this year.

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4. Caleb Wilson, Chicago Bulls

Summer League stats: 23.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 50.0 FG%, 41.9 3P%, 33.3 FT% (four games)
Draft: No. 4 pick

Ahead of the season, the top four rookies can really go in any order. Wilson, the fourth pick in the draft, gave Bulls fans a lot to be excited about in Summer League. Chicago had a good offseason where it added impactful veterans like Nic Claxton and Norman Powell to help the young core, which Wilson now jumps to the front of.

Point guard Josh Giddey’s elite distribution helps Wilson immediately, but there’s some worry that the North Carolina product will already be at the top of opponent’s game plans as the Bulls’ clear franchise player. Maybe Wilson’s good enough to get past the pressure. Maybe Matas Buzelis takes a third-year leap, which would give Wilson more freedom, too. Either way, he should be as much in way-too-early Rookie of the Year conversations as anyone. He shot the ball well from three-point range in Summer League, but wasn’t a distance shooter in his only season at North Carolina.

His ability to knock down threes is the most important item to watch over his rookie season. He has everything else in his bag.

3. Cameron Boozer, Memphis Grizzlies

Summer League stats: 18.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 49.0 FG%, 40.6 3P%, 76.0 FT% (eight games)
Draft: No. 3 pick

Another player who steps into a lead role in their first NBA season, Boozer’s arrival in Memphis signifies the start of a new era with Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane all elsewhere. After one incredible season at Duke, Boozer steps in as the Grizzlies’ new No. 1 option. Zach Edey should be back healthy this year, too. Good luck grabbing any rebounds on an Edey-Boozer frontcourt.

Like Wilson, Boozer will face an issue of a lot of attention on him. He’s good enough to remain impactful, and the threat of his three-point shot will open up driving lanes. The Grizzlies could be frisky with sneaky adds over the offseason like Isaiah Stewart and Quinten Post. Boozer’s development is the most important thing for the franchise moving forward. If he keeps them in striking distance of the play-in range, he’ll be the ROY.

2. AJ Dybantsa, Washington Wizards

Summer League stats: 25.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 39.4 FG%, 9.1 3P%, 85.7 FT% (two games)
Draft: No. 1 pick

The biggest question the top pick faces as he enters is first season is how the presence of Anthony Davis and Trae Young impacts Dybantsa’s on-ball opportunities. Washington signed Young to a massive four-year contract over the offseason and, as one of the best passers in the league, he’ll initiate the majority of the Wizards’ offense. Dybantsa needs the ball in his hands too, though.

Head coach Brian Keefe will have to manage that, but as the No. 1 pick, Dybantsa will get plenty of opportunity. The team’s future depends on it. If Young and Davis work (and remain healthy), the threat each of them can bring will give the rookie more space to operate and ultimately make an immediate impact. In his sole season at BYU, Dybantsa proved why he was a worthy top choice. He led the nation in scoring with 25.5 points per game and showcased his elite athleticism and high-flying ability that have been a part of his aura since his time in the prep ranks.

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He’ll need to get used to the next level and live and learn with things like shot selection, common adjustments for a rookie. But Dybantsa looks like he can develop into a true NBA star, now we just need to see what it looks like on an intriguing Wizards team mixed of star vets and solid youngsters.

1. Darryn Peterson, Utah Jazz

Summer League stats: 23.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.2 APG, 39.8 FG%, 34.5 3P%, 77.8 FT% (five games)
Draft: No. 2 pick

The group of Dybantsa, Boozer, Wilson and Peterson is extremely close. I’ll stick with my preseason ROY pick in Peterson, the new Jazz guard. Utah should be much better this year with a solid roster. Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. at the center of the operation with growth from its young core of Keyonte George, Ace Bailey and, now, Peterson.

If it weren’t for an odd season at Kansas, Peterson could’ve been the unquestioned top pick in the draft. This class was always seen as a “big three” of him with Dybantsa and Boozer, though, which made the Jazz more than happy to take him at No. 2 despite yet another odd pre-draft process for a Utah top-five pick. Peterson didn’t work out for the Jazz before the draft, but that didn’t stop the franchise from betting on his talent.

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"Keyonte [George] and I will be one of the best backcourts in the NBA,” Peterson confidently said after he was taken by the Jazz. He’s absolutely right, too. George got a contract extension this year and could take an All-Star leap, while Peterson has true upside to become one of the NBA’s best scorers alongside. How soon he’s ready is the question. But if the Jazz make a leap and the rookie is one of their top scorers, I like him as the most impactful rookie this year.

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