Top Rookies to Watch This NBA Season

The NBA season just got underway, and with it, the beginning of dozens of NBA careers. This year’s NBA Draft was a bit different than some in the past. There wasn’t a name like Wemby, who the Spurs took first overall in the 2023 draft.

However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some potential stars who are just getting started.

Find out more about some of the best NBA rookies that you need to keep an eye on as the 2024-2025 NBA season gets underway. Some of these Top NBA rookies may just turn out to be household names over the next couple of seasons.

Zach Edey: Memphis Grizzlies

If there’s one thing that you can’t coach, it’s size. That’s why Zach Edey, the 7’1” center out of Purdue, was near the top of so many draft boards ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft. Edey put together two great seasons to close out his college career, and was considered a top-five draft pick following his final season with the Boilermakers.

His senior year with Purdue saw Edey win his second Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year award, making him only the third player in history to win the coveted award twice.

Interestingly enough, Edey was still considered a late draft pick after his junior season. Edey returned to college for his senior season, when he led Purdue to the NCAA Championship Game.

While the Boilermakers fell to UConn, Edey’s stellar season resulted in his being selected 9th overall. The Grizzlies got the best big man in the draft to pair with Ja Morant, making the future bright in Memphis.

Reed Shepherd: Houston Rockets

Many people thought that Reed Shepherd may return for another season at the University of Kentucky, especially after the Wildcats announced that Mark Pope would be the new head coach.

Pope and Reed’s father, Jeff, were roommates in college and played together on UK’s National Championship team in 1996.

While Shepherd did consider returning to school, he ultimately chose to turn his impressive 2023 season into an NBA career, and the Rockets grabbed him with the third overall pick.

Shepherd shot a remarkable 52% from the three-point line last season, making him one of the most dynamic offensive players in the draft.

However, it’s his defensive prowess that has been getting attention since he was in high school. The only knock on Shepherd’s game is that he’s not quite as fast as some of the other rookies, buts scouts agreed that his coordination and willingness to hustle more than made up for it.

Some analysts thought the Hawks may take him first overall, but ultimately, he fell to Houston, who may have found the best player in the draft.

Zaccharie Risacher: Atlanta Hawks

Risacher made history when he became the second-consecutive French player to be taken first overall in the NBA Draft, a year after the Spurs to Victor Wembanyama.

There was a lot of debate surrounding the first pick in the draft this year, but the Hawks went with the player who they felt had the best offensive game.

There were talks of the team trading the pick, and even going with a different position, but ultimately, Atlanta went with Risacher, based largely on the resume that he built while playing professionally in France.

Riscaher played as a small forward in France, and it’s expected that he’ll move around some in the NBA. In Atlanta, he’s poised to be the third option on offense, and will likely spend some time coming off the bench early in his career.

However, if the Hawks move Trey Young or one of their other top stars, Risacher will be the next man up.

Alexandre Sarr: Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards have been looking for a legitimate number-one scoring option since the team moved on from John Wall several years ago. With the second overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the team grabbed Alexandre Sarr, who had been a standout player in the Australian National Basketball League after spending a year with Overtime Elite.

The Wizards made Sarr their highest selection in 14 years, and he’s in position to get as many minutes as he can stand, as Washington continues to try to rebuild.

The current NBA game is largely about three-point shooting, which is the only area of Sarr’s game that needs some work, but he’s a defensive standout who has a solid mid-range game.

At 7’ tall, Sarr has the size to play inside, and the Wizards hope to develop his perimeter game to try to turn him into the league’s next versatile big man.

Dalton Knecht: Los Angeles Lakers

No, this isn’t the only Lakers rookie that we’re going to discuss on this list, but it could be argued that Dalton Knecht, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, was the best value pick in the 2024 Draft.

Many evaluators had Knecht penciled in as a lottery pick, but his age (23), played a direct role in his falling to the 17th pick in the draft where the Lakers picked him up with hopes that he can be a contributor early in his career.

Knecht averaged 21.7 points and 4.5 rebounds a game at Tennessee last season. He shot 45.8% from the field and nearly 40% from deep.

Knecht likely won’t start for the Lakers, but with LeBron James being the oldest player in the league and other roster pieces getting older, Knecht should start seeing more minutes by next season. In the meantime, he’ll look to be the Lakers’ top contributor from the bench this season.

Bronny James: Los Angeles Lakers

It could be argued that there’s never been a second-round pick under more scrutiny than Bronny James. Some doubters said that James, the son of LeBron James, shouldn’t even be drafted. They pointed to his limited playing time and minimal production at Southern California.

Whether the Lakers took him in the second round as a way to keep LeBron in house, or they thought he had potential, the fact remains that the father-son duo became the first to ever take the floor together in the Lakers’ opening game this season.

After suffering cardiac arrest due to a congenital condition, the younger James averaged 19 minutes per game for the Trojans. He averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 assists per game during his time with USC.

It’s unlikely that Bronny will ever put up the numbers that his father did, but that’s true of virtually every player in the league. It’s unfair to expect Bronny to be the next great player in the NBA, but there’s reason to believe that he could be a solid bench contributor for years to come.

In the meantime, we get to witness history as LeBron and Bronny play together in what could be LeBron’s final season in the pros.

Rob Dillingham: Minnesota Timberwolves

Originally drafted by the Spurs, Dillingham’s rights were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night. Initially, it was expected that Dillingham would share the floor with Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, the faces of the T’Wolves franchise.

Not long after the draft, the team sent Towns to New York in exchange for Julius Randle. The change does little to diminish the expectations on Dillingham, who was a highly-recruited prospect coming out of high school.

Dillingham didn’t start for the University of Kentucky during his one season in Lexington, but he still put up solid numbers.

However, much of his draft attention came from his time with the G-League Ignite. Dillingham’s offensive game is unpredictable, as he seems to improvise a lot with the ball in his hands. With such a deep arsenal of moves, Minnesota is excited to see how he can complement Edwards’ who plays off the ball as well as anyone in the league.

Stephon Castle: San Antonio Spurs

It could be argued that no rookie in the league is walking into a better situation than Stephon Castle, the reigning Big East Freshman of the Year, who averaged 11.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for the UConn Huskies, who won the NCAA Championship last season.

In addition to his offensive prowess, Castle was considered one of the best defenders in the draft, leading San Antonio to take him fourth overall.

Castle gets to play next to reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, Victor Wembanyama, and will learn how to play point guard from future Hall of Famer, Chris Paul. Coach Gregg Popovich has long been considered one of the best coaches in the league, which only makes things better for Castle.

Even if he’s not a major contributor this season, the Spurs are the perfect team for Castle to contribute to in 2025 and beyond.