Kia Rookie Ladder: Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren to take center stage in Panini Rising Stars

Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero headline the pool of players for the 2024 Panini Rising Stars.

• Download the NBA App >

No one knows yet which squad they’ll play for or even if they’ll face each other at all. But the two favorites for the Kia Rookie of the Year Award will be in Indianapolis for All-Star Weekend, participating in the same event.

OK, so it will be the Panini Rising Stars, not the All-Star Game itself. It is possible, because of the mini-tournament format, that San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren won’t actually meet.

Surely, though, they’ll be the centers of attention among the 11 rookies named to the event.

Nine of the rookies on this week’s edition of the Kia Rookie Ladder are on the list – Houston’s Cam Whitmore has a rung here but, barring a replacement invitation, won’t be on one of the four rosters in Indy. Meanwhile, OKC’s Cason Wallace and Washington’s Bilal Coulibaly are on the Rising Stars list but not currently among the Top 10 here.

The actual rosters for the Feb. 16 exhibition won’t be known until next Tuesday. That’s when the honorary coaches – Hall of Famers Pau Gasol and Tamika Catchings, along with Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf – will draft their teams.

Wembanyama and Holmgren have squared off twice already, with two regular-season games remaining. Wemby has put up 16 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks to Chet’s 13, 8 and 1.3. But Holmgren’s team has won both, by a total of 62 points.

Weekly Recap

• The way Moses Malone could pad his offensive rebounding numbers by grabbing his own missed layups, Wembanyama can pile up blocks and steals if he keeps doing this. Who knows, the NBA might one day make “stocks” a real stat.

• The long-haul highlight from Wembanyama Monday, though, came after the home loss to Washington. No matter that it was San Antonio’s third game in four nights – the rookie was disgusted by the outcome. Finally there are some W-L expectations for the Spurs. “We had many, many chances to do things differently, but we did not take them,” Wembanyama said. “We failed to play intelligently. … We were immature.”

• Houston’s Cam Whitmore grabs a Ladder rung this week while reminding the Lakers that he still was on the Draft board at No. 17 when they opted for Jalen Hood-Schifino (1.9 ppg, 6.4 mpg, 14 appearances). But then, so were Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Brandin Podziemski.

Storyline to Watch

Rookie ‘Rookies of the Month?’ Don’t be surprised, in other words, if we get newcomers among the newcomers when the assessments for January are complete. Previously, Holmgren and Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. were honored as the West’s and East’s top rookies for October/November and for December. But Wembanyama seems a shoo-in for January and Charlotte’s Brandon Miller would seem to be the favorite in the East. Which, if it continues in February, might heighten interest in the Rising Stars event and tighten up competition for the three-spot Rookie of the Year ballot.

Latest rankings

(All stats through Tuesday, Jan. 30)

Keep track of how our rookie rankings continue to evolve throughout the season.

1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Season stats: 20.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.1 bpgLast Ladder: 1Draft pick: No. 1

Wembanyama has extended his Ladder lead by exceeding or matching Holmgren at his own game. Beyond the obvious – 24.2 points in January, 9.8 boards and 3.2 blocks on 50.9% shooting to Chet’s 14.8, 6.9, 2.3 and 51.3% – the 20-year-old has helped the Spurs to five victories in 13 games this month (just five in 32 previously). And he is +2.8 for the month to Holmgren’s +2.6.

2. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

Season stats: 16.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.6 bpgLast Ladder: 2Draft pick: No. 2 (2022)

No one is claiming the Thunder need big scoring totals from Holmgren to be effective. But it’s helpful for the rookie to be an active threat. He was held below double digits the past two games, and OKC is 2-5 so far this season when that happens. On tap now: Final regular-season clash with Denver, with Holmgren averaging 20 points on 58% shooting in Thunder’s 2-1 edge.

3. Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets

Season stats: 15.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.3 apgLast Ladder: 3Draft pick: No. 2 overall

LaMelo Ball gets hurt, Terry Rozier gets traded and Miller’s usage (23.9% in Jan.) is increasing. He tied his season high with 29 on 11-of-19 shooting against the Knicks Monday (his previous best came vs. New York on Nov. 18).

4. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat

Season stats: 13.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.7 apgLast Ladder: 4Draft pick: No. 18

Rusty or out of rhythm, pick your metaphor, after missing six with a groin strain. His return – two games, 8 points, 5 assists, 1-of-9 shooting – couldn’t stop the Heat’s bleeding, either.

5. Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks  

Season stats: 9.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.4 bpgLast Ladder: 5Draft pick: No. 12

The Mavs’ barometer player: When he plays at least 26 minutes, they are 14-5. When he scores 7+ points, they’re 16-6. Had a double-double week (14.0, 10.3), shot 72% and was plus-13.3 over three games.

The Next 5

6. Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors

Season stats: 9.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.2 apgLast Ladder: 6Draft pick: No. 19

Merits this spot on guts, taking charge from Embiid Tuesday. Ooph!

7. Cam Whitmore, Houston Rockets

Season stats: 11.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.4 apgLast Ladder: Not rankedDraft pick: No. 20

Learning curve: 5.0 ppg in 6.4 mpg in Dec. to 12.9 in 19.6 this month.

8. Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans

Season stats: 10.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 apgLast Ladder: 7Draft pick: No. 14

From 8 points, 7 boards in 29 minutes at Milwaukee to scoreless in 9 at Boston.

9. Keyonte George, Utah Jazz

Season stats: 11.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.2 apgLast Ladder: 8Draft pick: No. 16

Totaled 36 points on 12-of-23 in Jazz back-to-back at Nets and Knicks.

10. Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers  

Season stats: 12.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.6 apgLast Ladder: 9Draft pick: No. 3

Quadriceps injury Friday, 22 points in 22 minutes 3 nights later.

* * *

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

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.