A rookie taken 11th overall is now the first name on the NBA’s most-watched rookie list. Sports Illustrated’s second Rookie of the Year ranking this week puts Yaxel Lendeborg at the top, calling the Golden State Warriors forward the best two-way player in his class and operating as Stephen Curry’s clear second option.
Lendeborg’s season averages of 21.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists, on 49.2% shooting and 39.6% from three, pushed him four spots up the board, past No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa.
Acuff’s Shaq comparison
Behind him, Sacramento’s Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 overall pick, has been the loudest rookie on the floor. Through his first seven games Acuff became the first player with at least 183 points in his first seven career games since Shaquille O’Neal had 187 through seven in 1992. He is averaging 25.2 points and 7.1 assists per game, with a career-high 38-point night against Memphis.
Kings head coach Doug Christie told reporters in Memphis that “the kid is special” and that Sacramento has to do more to help him.
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Boozer holds, Dybantsa slides
Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 pick, held his spot at No. 3 on SI’s list despite leading the NBA’s own Kia Rookie Ladder on November 4. He is averaging 15.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists for a Memphis Grizzlies team that opened the year 6-0.
Caleb Wilson sits fourth. The No. 4 pick is averaging 19.5 points per game for a Chicago Bulls team hunting a long-term building block.
AJ Dybantsa’s slide is the clearest fall on the new list. The Washington Wizards forward and No. 1 overall pick missed the opening four games with an ankle injury and is now averaging 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, dropping from No. 2 to No. 5 in SI’s ranking.
The honorable mentions outside the top five are Oklahoma City’s Aday Mara, Utah’s Darryn Peterson, Cleveland’s Meleek Thomas, Denver’s Trevon Brazile, and the Clippers’ Keaton Wagler.
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