Rookie Rising: Jared McCain and Dalton Knecht soar to new heights on the Kia Rookie Ladder

The use of small sample sizes to assess the impact of new players, along with their occasional hot streaks as they establish themselves within their teams' hierarchies, can result in unexpected risers and fallers that may not be as apparent during the traditional evaluation period in February or March.

Such was the case this week with the Philadelphia 76ers’ Jared McCain and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dalton Knecht.

Rookies have reached or topped 20 points in a game 14 times in the season’s first month — and McCain has five of them. They’ve all come in a row since the Sixers have been leaning on him through Tyrese Maxey’s hamstring absence.

Two of the other nine belong to Knecht, who blew past that threshold to score 37 Tuesday vs. Utah. Heck, the 6-foot-6 wing scored 21 points in the third quarter alone. He tied the NBA rookie record with nine 3-pointers, prompting a throwback nod to Michael Jordan’s hot hand in the 1992 NBA Finals vs. Portland — which came almost nine years before Knecht was born.

The performance also prompted a pleased, positive and profane assessment by LeBron James of a player who already looks to be a steal of the Draft.

Here’s more on them, as well as eight other rung-holders in this week’s Ladder.

Weekly recap

Storyline to watch

Stephon Castle is on the rise. The San Antonio guard’s eight double-figure scoring games have come in the Spurs’ nine most recent games — all since assistant Mitch Johnson stepped in for ailing coach Gregg Popovich. And with franchise guy Victor Wembanyama sidelined the past two games, Castle developed a nice chemistry with backup big Charles Bassey. Castle and the Spurs have two games this week vs. Utah, sandwiched around an NBA Cup game against Golden State on Saturday at home.

Latest ranking
(All stats through Tuesday, Nov. 19)

1. Jared McCain, Philadelphia 76ers

Season stats: 15.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.5 apg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 16

McCain’s big jump in the Ladder came from big contributions. His production over the past week — 27.7 ppg, 50.8 FG%, 19.7 shots nightly, 10.7 of them from the arc — is right in line with Maxey’s work in his seven games before his injury. Additionally, his 27.3% usage rate ranks higher than Devin Booker’s and LeBron James’.

2. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies

Season stats: 11.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 1
Draft pick: No. 39

Wells has said he hasn’t had a “Welcome to the NBA” moment yet — which is a good thing, since those often are slaps of reality for a first-year player – and slipping a rung this week certainly doesn’t qualify. Injuries open opportunities for rookies, but rookies also can be surprising first responders when a team’s veterans are beset with ailments.

3. Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers

Season stats: 11.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.1 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 17

For the record, Knecht was the preseason prediction of the Ladder committee (me) to win the Kia Rookie of the Year award from a wide-open Draft class. Just 72 hours before his 37-point barrage Tuesday, he scored 27 at New Orleans. And his rise has coincided with the Lakers’ six-game winning streak. Said Lakers big man Anthony Davis Tuesday: “He can do more than just shoot. But he’s really good at shooting the basketball. We get mad at him when he don’t shoot.”

4. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks

Season stats: 12 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 apg
Last Ladder: No. 4
Draft pick: No. 1

Defined role, consistent minutes, inconsistent shooting for the Hawks forward. After hitting six of 10 3-pointers against the Knicks, he made only one in 19 tries across the next five games before Monday’s 3-of-5 at Sacramento. He has been good at the line, sinking 11 of his last 13 in three games.

5. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies

Season stats: 11.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 2
Draft pick: No. 9

He did not play vs. the Nuggets Tuesday after spraining his left ankle against the same foe Sunday. The initial prognosis was “week to week” for the 7-foot-4 center. He averaged 11 points, eight rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in three games.

The Next 5:

6. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs

Season stats: 9.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.5 apg
Last Ladder: No. 10
Draft pick: No. 4

Tips from LeBron James on Friday, big block of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Tuesday.

7. Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards

Season stats: 10.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: No. 14

Only member of the Class of 2024 averaging 30+ minutes, boosting his counting stats.

8. Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans

Season stats: 6.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 8
Draft pick: No. 21

The Pelicans’ best center so far is called “a sponge” by teammate Brandon Ingram for his learning.

T-10. Alexandre Sarr, Washington Wizards

Season stats: 9.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.1 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 7
Draft pick: No. 2

Lights come on, training wheels off — in spurts. Like this and this.

T-10. Ryan Dunn, Phoenix Suns

Season stats: 6.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 6
Draft pick: No. 28

Guarding top scorers can be a thankless job, especially in a losing streak.

T-10. Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers

Season stats: 5.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.1 bpg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 7

The defensive difference-maker came within two blocks of a triple-double (17-12-8) vs. Timberwolves.

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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