The thinking on the 2024 rookie class prior to the draft was that there were no obvious superstars in it. That has borne out after one season. There are some good future starters, but not many top-end talents. Several reasonable candidates could win the Rookie of the Year after the probable winner Jared McCain suffered a season-ending injury in his 23rd game.
Who voters think should win the award this year depends mostly on their criteria for selection. Do you pick the player who has played the best this season? The one who has contributed to winning the most? Or the one with the rosiest long-term future? There would be three or four different winners based on those categories.
Jaylen Wells started 74 games for a good Grizzlies team, playing solid defense, making smart plays, and shooting the ball well. It's been a crazy rise for a player who was playing D-II basketball two years ago and was the 39th pick in last year's draft. His season unfortunately ended last Tuesday with a broken wrist.
Wells' teammate Zach Edey had started 53 games and is already one of the league's best screeners and rebounders. Edey is a force down low and has surprised with a sparingly-used but accurate 3-point shot. Those two have been the biggest contributors to winning.
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Stephon Castle has the most promising future. His tenacious defense at UConn has carried over into the NBA. He's shown bursts of playmaking, high feel, and scoring ability. His shooting percentages aren't there yet though, which is why he hasn't been the best rookie this year.
That honor belongs to Zaccharie Risacher, who has very quietly had a solid season for the Hawks after a horrible start to the year buried him from the national spotlight. The No. 1 pick has done pretty much exactly what the Hawks expected, and he's a deserving Rookie of the Year pick.
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Zaccharie Risacher is Sporting News' Rookie of the Year
The big question mark about Risacher coming into the year was how good of a shooter he could be. The streakiness that he showed in France continued in the NBA. He hit only 28.1 percent of his 3's during the first half of the year, and only 40.3 percent of his field goals overall.
Risacher ended on a high note though, finishing fourth among rookies in 3-point makes and shooting lights-out in the second half to bring his season percentage to a respectable 36 percent from deep and 46 percent from the field. That improvement came from thousands of reps in the gym. Quin Snyder pointed to improvements in his balance, footwork, and confidence which led to better results.
| PPG | 12.6 |
| RPG | 3.6 |
| BPG | 0.5 |
| SPG | 0.7 |
| 3PT% | 35.5 |
| MPG | 24.6 |
That 3-point shot is essential because while Risacher leads all rookies with four games of 30 or more points, he isn't the type of apex scorer that you can build an offense around. He did show much more creation ability in the second half of the season, putting the ball down on the floor and getting good looks against some of the league's best defenders.
For the most part though, Risacher is more of an opportunistic scorer than a heavy volume one. He's got a great motor, running the floor hard and getting a few easy fast break buckets every game. He's very good at finishing off cuts, timing them well and shooting 68 percent off those possessions. He's been able to finish at the rim with either hand. And when he does get advantages created for him, he's been a smart passer, showing some ability as a secondary pick-and-roll creator.
Risacher clearly displays a high feel for the game on offense. That shows up in his defense as well. He turned 20 years old at the very end of the season, and his understanding of positioning is unusual for such a young player. He generally rotated well and used his 6-foot-9 length to contest shots.
Risacher isn't quite strong enough yet to guard the bigger forwards in the league. He was still able to defend multiple positions capably this year and was put to the test with plenty of responsibilities. The Hawks' defense was frequently in rotation because of other teams' tendencies to target Trae Young. Risacher was able to protect his teammate with timely switches and double-teams thanks to his high basketball IQ and terrific effort.
Castle is the significant odds-on favorite to win the NBA's Rookie of the Year award over Risacher. That makes some sense given the Spurs guard's higher upside. Both have contributed with their defense this year. But Risacher has been a far better offensive player on a team that was competing for the playoffs all season. In my opinion, we should reward for the present, not the future. Risacher is my pick based on that criteria.
It's unlikely that Risacher is ever the best player on a contender. But he looks like a very solid second or third option. He's in contention for the most unheralded No. 1 pick of the 21st century. That didn't stop him from letting his play do his talking for him. His future is bright, and he's a deserving winner for our Sporting News Rookie of the Year.