RADIO
Come one, come all, to the summer basketball extravaganza! Welcome RotoBallers, we're in the midst of a busy summer of basketball as the WNBA heats, Summer League progresses, and the Olympics are right around the corner.
With all this basketball going on, dynasty managers will be hard at work to judge which rookies they want to draft after Summer League and if any underrated international players have an NBA roster spot on the horizon. For those who might be just getting into a dynasty league, remember that rankings and projections look much more into long-term value. Especially regarding rookie rankings, we're looking at their potential over the next three to five years.
In addition to these dynasty rookie ranks, our NBA team is going to publish rankings for the entire league as the new season gets closer and training camps take place. You'll be able to find those rankings and more insight on the NBA premium page. Be sure also to download our free mobile app if you haven't yet -- stay up to date on the latest NBA news and articles, including free notifications on injuries and lineup alerts.
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NBA Rookie Rankings for Fantasy Basketball Dynasty
So how about we jump into these rankings?! This draft class is more difficult than most because it's one of the weakest we've seen in a long time. There aren't any real tier 1 or even tier 2 types of rookies this year, so we have to get down to the nitty-gritty. Age plays a sizeable factor while potential, skillset, and opportunities go a long way. For example, a younger rookie on a bad team that has room to grow will likely be higher ranked than a bit older one who goes to a team that's competing for a championship. Let's get into it!
Top 50 Dynasty Rookie Rankings
| Ranking | Player | Pos | Team | Age |
| 1 | Alexandre Sarr | C | WAS | 19 |
| 2 | Reed Sheppard | PG/SG | HOU | 20 |
| 3 | Stephon Castle | PG/SG | SAS | 19 |
| 4 | Ron Holland II | SF | DET | 19 |
| 5 | Carlton Carrington | PG/SG | WAS | 19 |
| 6 | Donovan Clingan | C | POR | 20 |
| 7 | Matas Buzelis | PF | CHI | 19 |
| 8 | Nikola Topic | PG | OKC | 18 |
| 9 | Zaccharie Risacher | SF | ATL | 19 |
| 10 | Rob Dillingham | PG | MIN | 19 |
| 11 | Tidjane Salaun | PF | CHA | 18 |
| 12 | Kel'el Ware | C | MIA | 20 |
| 13 | Devin Carter | PG/SG | SAC | 22 |
| 14 | Zach Edey | C | MEM | 22 |
| 15 | Jared McCain | SG/PG | PHI | 20 |
| 16 | Cody Williams | SG/SF | UTA | 19 |
| 17 | Isaiah Collier | PG | UTA | 19 |
| 18 | Dalton Knecht | SF | LAL | 23 |
| 19 | Kyle Filipowski | PF/C | UTA | 20 |
| 20 | Jaylon Tyson | SF | CLE | 21 |
| 21 | DaRon Holmes II | PF | DEN | 21 |
| 22 | Tyler Smith | PF | MIL | 18 |
| 23 | Tristan Da Silva | SF | ORL | 23 |
| 24 | Johnny Furphy | SF | IND | 19 |
| 25 | Yves Missi | C | NOP | 20 |
| 26 | Ja'Kobe Walter | SG | TOR | 19 |
| 27 | Ryan Dunn | SF | PHO | 21 |
| 28 | Baylor Scheierman | SF | BOS | 23 |
| 29 | Juan Nunez | PG/SG | SAS | 20 |
| 30 | Jonathan Mogbo | PF | TOR | 22 |
| 31 | Kyshawn George | SG | WAS | 20 |
| 32 | Pacome Dadiet | SG/SF | SAC | 19 |
| 33 | Bobi Klintman | SF/PF | DET | 21 |
| 34 | Ajay Mitchell | PG/SG | OKC | 22 |
| 35 | Dillon Jones | SF | OKC | 22 |
| 36 | KJ Simpson | PG | CHA | 21 |
| 37 | Cam Christie | SG | LAC | 18 |
| 38 | Nikola Djurisic | SG/SF | ATL | 20 |
| 39 | Adem Bona | PF/C | PHI | 21 |
| 40 | Terrence Shannon Jr. | SG | MIN | 23 |
| 41 | Tyler Kolek | PG | NYK | 23 |
| 42 | Jamal Shead | PG | TOR | 21 |
| 43 | AJ Johnson | SG | MIL | 19 |
| 44 | Isaiah Crawford | SF | SAC | 22 |
| 45 | Ulrich Chomche | PF/C | TOR | 18 |
| 46 | Jaylen Wells | SF | MEM | 20 |
| 47 | Trey Alexander | SG | DEN | 21 |
| 48 | Enrique Freeman | PF | IND | 23 |
| 49 | Tristen Newton | PG/SG | IND | 23 |
| 50 | Harrison Ingram | SF | SAS | 21 |
Stephon Castle and Carlton Carrington in the Top 5?
Taking a look back at pre-draft mocks and rankings directly following the NBA Draft, Stephon Castle and Carlton "Bub" Carrington were not in the top five. Castle may have snuck his way into a couple of non-fantasy mock drafts as a top-five prospect, but he wasn't a consensus top guy. So how does that make them two of the best fantasy candidates in this draft?
Let's start with Castle since he's sitting at three. First of all, he was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs who happen to be one of the best franchises to develop young talent. On top of that, he will have room to make mistakes on a rebuilding squad and get to play alongside the best up-and-coming player in the NBA. Then, throw in the fact that Castle plays well as a primary or secondary ballhandler, navigates the pick-and-roll at a very mature level, and already has an above-average passing ability. The last thing to put together is a consistent jump shot, which can be done.
That's not even including the fact that he played a big role as a freshman on a team that won the national championship for the second year in a row.
Then, we get to Carrington. His argument is a bit different because he's going to the Washington Wizards who have struggled mightily for years. He does, however, fall into the same bucket of a rebuilding team that will give him room to make mistakes and grow from them. Bub Carrington already is close to an elite level as the ballhandler in a pick-and-roll or using the screen in general. His measurements as a combo guard are great, his shot mechanics are top-notch, and he put together a very good freshman season averaging 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.9 turnovers per game.
Outstanding Summer League debut by Bub Carrington, nearly notching a triple-double, just like his Pitt debut –– with 19 points, 9 rebounds & 8 assists. The 18-year-old guard showed the dynamic shotmaking, playmaking, and smarts that had the Wizards thrilled to select him at 14. pic.twitter.com/4xeBkIzfAl
— League Him (@League_Him) July 13, 2024
His biggest weakness comes down to his strength and defense which can both improve given time in an NBA facility during the offseason. His pull-up jumper, however, was second best in the country in terms of points per game off of pull-ups. Shooting off the dribble like that is a skill not many possess that fast at the age of 18.
Zaccharie Risacher Falls Toward End of First Round?
At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if anyone had to do a double-take when they realized the first-overall pick in the NBA Draft is barely inside the top 10 of these rankings. Well, let's just say that some players are better suited for fantasy purposes than others, but that doesn't make one or the other a bad player in real life. Zaccharie Risacher is still a project type of player and with a team like the Atlanta Hawks, there isn't much room for error.
Trae Young's future in Atlanta is hanging in the balance right now, and they're still trying to compete for the playoffs despite trading away Dejounte Murray. Risacher, on the other hand, is 19 years old and hasn't shown much ability outside of a decent outside shot and off-ball movement. He's not the most explosive athlete, and he doesn't create on-ball very well. On top of that, he doesn't rebound well for a player who's 6'9 with an 8'11 standing reach. So, for fantasy purposes, it seems he's limited to shooting numbers and not much beyond that. He does, however, possess upside since he's played professional basketball for multiple seasons and he's only 19 years old, which leaves him as a first-round pick.
Sleepers and Good Fits
In a draft class that's already weak, nailing down a sleeper pick gets increasingly difficult. Sometimes a good fit is all that's needed to create a sleeper, while other times, it just so happens to be the older player at draft time that grows and matures more than the one-and-dones. There are a few earlier and later sleepers that fit this mold, such as Matas Buzelis, Zach Edey, Jared McCain, Cody Williams, and Dalton Knecht.
I'm including Buzelis in this category even though he would be a first-rounder in a dynasty draft because he's been easy to forget after falling to the Chicago Bulls. Now that DeMar DeRozan has moved on and the Bulls are starting to look for trade partners for both Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, there could be plenty of opportunities on the horizon. Plus, Buzelis shows great length size and length for a wing while already going up against G League and NBA talent this past season.
Edey, McCain, Williams, and Knecht, all seemingly fit into backup or complimentary roles right off the bat. Edey, one of the top players in all of college basketball will be tasked with defense, rebounding, and cleaning up the paint on offense either alongside or after Jaren Jackson Jr. With a big-time guard trio of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Marcus Smart, Edey's job is cut and clear after averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game in his senior year.
In terms of McCain and Knecht, we have two players who fill a need for both teams they landed on. McCain provides an elite level of shooting, a dedication to growth, and a great compliment to Tyrese Maxey or Kyle Lowry off of the bench. His shooting ability as the off-ball guard is already great, which brings us to the rest of his game growing with a great coach in Nick Nurse. That's a bet I'm willing to take. Knecht, on the other hand, gets to learn from one of the greatest of all time LeBron James as he plays the wing. The 23-year-old has proven to be a very good scorer and will need to work on the other facets of the game. That gets to be a bit easier with some great teammates on the Lakers.
"That was like Dr. J-ish"
Dalton Knecht had a team-high 20 PTS, 9 REB, 2 3PT & 2 finger rolls for the Lakerspic.twitter.com/WhUKM3ajmo
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) July 16, 2024
Finally, we get to Cody Williams. His freshman year at Colorado wasn't anything outstanding, but his frame is perfect for an NBA wing and he's already a very good shooter. He finishes at the rim at an elite level and will get plenty of chances to grow with a Utah Jazz team that's still looking for their core players moving forward.
The Alexandre Sarr Conundrum
Have you also been annoyed while looking at any NBA content on social media due to the hundreds of comments about Klay Thompson going 0-for-10 in an elimination game? Well, now we have the Summer League version after Alexandre Sarr went 0-for-15 in a game. This probably caused a lot of people to scratch their heads when they saw that Sarr was sitting at the top spot in these rankings.
The first thing everyone understood about Sarr as a prospect is that his offensive game is a big-time work in progress. His defense, paint presence, size, and potential were the big calling cards that had him at the top of a lot of draft boards. So, his offensive game so far in the Summer League hasn't been a big surprise. He remains the top fantasy prospect because of that defensive prowess, the opportunities he'll receive on a bad Wizards team, and the fact that he has flashed potential to stretch the floor. Some bad Summer League games don't always foreshadow the rest of their career.
Taxi Squad Heroes (Or Zeros)
Now, we get to the later part of the rookie draft where everyone is looking for flashes in a pan or bargain bin prospects. These are the guys who might latch on to a team with a two-way contract or undrafted players who play their way to the bottom of the roster.
Tristan Da Silva, Ja'Kobe Walter, Baylor Scheierman, Bobi Klintman, and Jamal Shead are the four names I like the most as the low-risk, high-reward type of players. If I was forced to pick one above the others, Da Silva would be the name at the top of this group. He's already matured into a solid role as a wing and he can be a nice compliment to an up-and-coming Magic team that lost one of their veterans in Joe Ingles.
Walter and Shead happen to be on the same team, but the Toronto Raptors have a lot of experimenting to do. They know their core begins with Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley, but there's plenty of room to fill out the rest of the rotation. Walter and Shead will both be competing for backcourt minutes and the backup guards are going to be very important on this squad. I tend to lean to Walter's side a bit more due to size, age, and draft capital.
Then, we get to Scheierman and Klintman who are in very different situations but equally have the chance to break through for some minutes. Scheierman seems to be a prototypical role player for the Boston Celtics, especially one that would have been feature off of the bench for Brad Stevens. His shooting ability is already at a high level, so he could be a potential provider in threes and shooting percentages. Klintman has a chance to carve out a role with the Pistons despite the fact they loaded up on some more veterans. The key here is to not expect much in the early goings with any of the players in this stage of the rookie draft.
That about does it for the dynasty rookie rankings heading into the 2024-25 NBA season. Make sure to check back for more rankings and draft strategies as the season grows closer. Do you agree or disagree with any of these rankings? Let me know on Twitter @__Fisch. Plus, be sure to follow @RotoBaller and @RotoBallerNBA for fantasy updates throughout the offseason.
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