NBA official rookie rankings updated: Flagler leads, Knupel second, and Luff of the Trail Blazers rises to ninth

On January 15th Beijing time, the NBA official site published the newest rookie rankings. The top five positions stayed the same, with Flagler maintaining his lead. Trail Blazers’ undrafted player Luff climbed to ninth place. The specific rankings are as follows—

1. Cooper Flagler, Dallas Mavericks

Season statistics: averaging 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game

Previous ranking: 1st place (unchanged)

Draft position: 1st overall pick in the first round

Flagler’s performance on the court is nearly flawless—frankly, as an emerging young star, he promptly adjusts and corrects every shortcoming in his game this season. The Monday game against the Brooklyn Nets was a perfect example: he scored his sixth 25+ points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists game this season, played 35 minutes without any turnovers, and also contributed 3 steals and 1 block. Such a display is truly impressive.

2. Con Knupel, Charlotte Hornets

Season stats: averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game

Previous ranking: 2nd place (unchanged)

Draft position: 4th overall pick in the first round

Knupel, who has mostly held the second spot this season, has recently experienced some fluctuations: his three-point shooting percentage dropped to 30.4%, ending his streak of consecutive made threes, causing concerns he might fall from second place. However, he managed to maintain his rank and consistently gives opponents trouble with his steady play. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue commented on the Hornets shooter: “He has his own rhythm, can attack the basket, hit mid-range shots, and is also accurate from three; he really understands the game. He never forces shots... In our last matchup, he played very composed.”

3. VJ Echikum, Philadelphia 76ers

Season stats: averaging 16.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game

Previous ranking: 3rd place (unchanged)

Draft position: 3rd overall pick in the first round

This week, he did not surpass Knupel but the 76ers have no complaints about his performance: he averaged 6.5 assists per game, logged 38.2 minutes each night, helping the team win three out of four games.

4. Derrick Quinn, New Orleans Pelicans

Season stats: averaging 12.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game

Previous ranking: 4th place (unchanged)

Draft position: 13th overall pick in the first round

Pelicans assistant coach Greg Monroe, a veteran big man himself, praised Quinn in a way that confirms many rookie observers’ opinions: this young player remains calm when facing the world’s top opponents. Monroe said, “He never gets intimidated... Many players have moments thinking, ‘Wow, I’m really up against this guy.’ But he’s never scared by anyone, and his confidence is unwavering.” Notably, on Friday playing back home in Washington, Quinn recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists—his second triple-double this season—and he is the only rookie in the league to have achieved this.

5. Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies

Season stats: averaging 13.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game

Previous ranking: 5th place (unchanged)

Draft position: 11th overall pick in the first round

Coward’s performance this week was outstanding, largely thanks to his 46.2% three-point shooting accuracy: he averaged 17 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, taking 12 shots per game with 6.5 attempts from beyond the arc. In the rookie rebounding leaderboard, he ranks just behind Quinn; in the past 14 games, he scored double digits in 13 of them.

Players ranked 6th to 10th are: 6. Reno (Kings), 7. Jemin (Nets), 8. Fears (Pelicans), 9. Luff (Trail Blazers), 10. Trey Johnson (Wizards).