NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Luka Doncic takes top spot from Trae Young; Wendell Carter Jr. makes huge leap (2024)

Doncic nearly toppled LeBron's Lakers, which got him to the top of this week's rankings

By Colin Ward-Henninger

Nov 2, 2018 at 10:43 am ET • 5 min read

One of the only consistent aspects about rookies from year to year is their inconsistency. Due to various factors, including physicality, conditioning and forced adaptation, rookies tend to have trajectories that look more like jagged crags than smooth inclines.

We definitely saw that in this week's Rookie Rankings, with four players dropping out altogether and a new No. 1 being crowned. Dallas Mavericks sensation Luka Doncic was brilliant this week, taking the top spot from Trae Young, whose Hawks have lost their last four games by an average of 21.5 points.

Meanwhile Wendell Carter Jr. was the biggest climber, moving all the way up to No. 3 after failing to make the first set of rankings. It will likely be like this all season as some rookies thrive while others hit the wall, so it's best to get used to it. Here are this week's rankings:

This week's NBA Rookie Power Rankings

1	Luka Doncic Dallas Mavericks SF
Last week: 3 Stats this week: 20.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists Doncic is still battling turnover problems (4.0 per game this week), but he's looking more and more comfortable as a playmaker for the Mavs. He made 13 of his 24 3-point attempts this week, which opens up driving and passing lanes for the 19-year-old. Doncic also showed an ability to take over late against LeBron James and the Lakers, as his team trailed by 12 with four minutes left to play. He dished out three assists and scored six points in that stretch, and hit a game-tying, hanging jumper with seven seconds left in regulation. We know from his success overseas that Doncic isn't afraid of a big moment, and he proved it on U.S. soil this week.
2	Deandre Ayton Phoenix Suns C
Last week: 2 Stats this week: 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists We're going to see a lot of weeks like this from Ayton, who continues to be incredibly consistent for a rookie. He put up 16 points and 11 rebounds against a Steven Adams-less Thunder squad, and dished out five assists in a win over Memphis, once again showing his playmaking ability. One concerning development, however, is that Ayton has now failed to block a shot in five of seven career games, including all three this week. His defensive issues are well documented, so if he's not at least blocking shots, that could be a major detriment to the Suns.
3	Wendell Carter Jr. Chicago Bulls PF
Last week: Unranked Stats this week: 15.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.3 steals The Bulls were on the wrong end of history when Klay Thompson hit 14 3-pointers against them on Monday, but Carter's emergence helps soften the blow. The 6-10 center is stuffing the stat sheet, and put up the best game of his young career (25 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three blocks, three steals) in a one-point loss to the Nuggets on Halloween. Some thought Carter was the steal of the draft at No. 7 overall, and he's starting to play like it.
4	Trae Young Atlanta Hawks PG
Last week: 1 Stats this week: 15.5 points, 6.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds This week Young learns the fleeting glory of the Rookie Rankings, as he slips from the No. 1 spot after struggling with his efficiency (24 percent 3-pointers) and turnovers (4.0 per game) this week. The exciting rookie had a net rating of minus-27.7 in four losses, with the Hawks only able to generate 83.6 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. That being said, Young continues to display elite passing ability, leading all rookies in assists again this week.
5	Marvin Bagley III Sacramento Kings PF
Last week: 5 Stats this week: 11.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.0 blocks Who would have thought that Bagley would find himself on one of the NBA's hottest teams nine games into the season? So far he's made a nice role for himself in Dave Joerger's system as an energetic scorer off the bench for the up-tempo Kings. Perhaps surprisingly, Bagley has been largely ineffective in post-up situations (0.56 points per possession according to Synergy Sports Tech), but has been lights out from the 3-point line (4-for-5 this week). He's also been a terror on the offensive glass, pulling down 15 this week alone, and he's among the league leaders in offensive rebound percentage.
6	Donte DiVincenzo Milwaukee Bucks SG
Last week: Unranked Stats this week: 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists DiVincenzo still isn't shooting the 3-ball the way he and the Bucks had hoped (5-for-18 this week), but he's making up for it in plenty of other areas. One of the more athletic players in this rookie class, DiVincenzo has finished nine of his 10 shots around the rim, according to Synergy. He's also using that athleticism on defense, where he ranks among the best in the league -- it's a small sample size, but DiVincenzo's two-way ability is making him a reliable rotation player for Mike Budenholzer at over 20 minutes per game. Watch how he uses his quickness to beat Malik Monk to the spot, makes him change directions, then recovers to contest his fall-away jumper. Carving out a rotation spot on a first-place team is a pretty good start for the No. 17 overall pick, and his ridiculous plus-34.3 net rating for the week shows why the Bucks like him on the floor.
7	Elie Okobo Phoenix Suns PG
Last week: Unranked Stats this week: 12.7 points, 4.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds Okobo got some extra playing time this week with Devin Booker on the shelf, and made the most of it, showing why the Suns are so high on the 21-year-old Frenchman. He dished out 14 assists compared to just six turnovers, and shot a respectable 5-of-13 from behind the 3-point line this week. Okobo earned his first start against the Spurs on Wednesday, and it probably won't be his last.
8	Collin Sexton Cleveland Cavaliers PG
Last week: 7 Stats this week: 13.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists It's rarely a good thing when a rookie loses his head coach six games into his career, but the positive news is that Sexton finally got his first NBA win against the hapless Hawks on Tuesday. He's consistently putting up double-digit point totals, but efficiency has been a major issue -- he shot 38 percent from the field this week with as many turnovers (nine) as assists.
9	Josh Okogie Minnesota Timberwolves SG
Last week: 8 Stats this week: 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.0 blocks Tom Thibodeau is notoriously stingy with his bench minutes, but it's going to be hard to keep Okogie off the court, even when Andrew Wiggins, Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague are all at full strength. Okogie brings relentless energy and athleticism, which was evident in his 17-point, four-rebound, three-assist, three-steal, one-block performance in a win over the Lakers. He's not going to consistently make 3s any time soon, but there's always a place for a player willing to hustle and do the dirty work.
10	Mikal Bridges Phoenix Suns SF
Last week: Unranked Stats this week: 10.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals Bridges hasn't played in a lot of meaningful minutes -- because he's on the Suns -- but he's already displaying the versatility and NBA-ready skill set draft analysts fell in love with. He's proving to be an excellent defender with his tremendous length, he can stretch the floor with the 3 (4-for-12 this week) and he can finish in transition. The 6-7 wing managed to only have a minus-1.2 net rating this week, a real feat with this team, and will likely keep his rotation spot even when Booker returns from injury.

Dropped out

NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Luka Doncic takes top spot from Trae Young; Wendell Carter Jr. makes huge leap (13)

Jaren Jackson Jr.

MEM • PF • #13

On the bubble

Allonzo Trier

Stats this week:

PPG9.3

RPG2.7

APG1.0

NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Luka Doncic takes top spot from Trae Young; Wendell Carter Jr. makes huge leap (21)

Mohamed Bamba

PHI • C • #7

Stats this week:

PPG7.0

RPG6.5

BPG2.5

View Profile

NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Luka Doncic takes top spot from Trae Young; Wendell Carter Jr. makes huge leap (23)

Landry Shamet

WAS • PG • #20

Stats this week:

PPG9.5

APG.5

rPG.5

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