NBA Rookie of The Year (ROY) Rankings 2024-25: Top 5 candidates after Week 21 ft. Stephon Castle

The NBA Rookie of the Year race is down to roughly two weeks of competition. In 18 days, the voters will determine the best player from the 2024 NBA Draft. Although Stephon Castle continues to lead the pack, he is unlikely to cruise to the finish line.

Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr have surged just in time to give the San Antonio Spurs rookie a serious challenge. After week 21, the competition will only get more intense. The last two weeks could turn into a photo finish between the top 3 rookies on this list.

Here are how the best rookies fared last week in the latest edition of the NBA Rookie of the Year rankings.

---

2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings

#5. Kel’el Ware

After falling outside of the top 5 in the NBA Rookie of the Year rankings in the last two weeks, Kel’el Ware is back on the list. In four games last week, he averaged 14.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest. Ware had three double-doubles during that stretch and stepped up against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

Ware stole some of the thunder from former Heat star Jimmy Butler, who made his first return to Miami following the blockbuster trade in February. The rookie put up 14 points, 10 rebounds and one block. He helped anchor the defense that made Butler and Co. struggle.

---

#4. Alex Sarr

Alex Sarr is keeping up with the leaders of the NBA Rookie of the Year race. The Frenchman played five games last week and averaged 17.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 1.8 APG. Sarr was arguably the best player on the floor when the Washington Wizards beat the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

The No. 2 pick in last year’s draft finished the game with 24 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal. Sarr’s two-way impact carried the Wizards to the finish line.

---

#3. Jaylen Wells

Jaylen Wells’ work throughout the season has kept him at No. 3 in the NBA Rookie of the Year race. He may drop a spot if he continues to struggle on offense though. Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins used to trust the rookie in end-game situations. Lately, that has not been the case as the second-rounder’s shooting has plummeted to 30.6%, including 25.4% from deep this month.

---

#2. Zaccharie Risacher

Zaccharie Risacher has made the most strides among the pack chasing Stephon Castle. The Frenchman is firmly entrenched at the No. 2 spot in the NBA Rookie of the Year battle. Like Sarr, Risacher had an impressive outing against the hapless Philadelphia 76ers. On Sunday, the Atlanta Hawks forward strung together 13 straight points versus Philly to lead the Hawks to a 132-119 win.

In three games last week, he averaged 18.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 1.0 APG. He will have to do more to overtake the leader though.

---

#1. Stephon Castle

Despite the surge from Risacher, Stephon Castle continues to lead the NBA Rookie of the Year race. The San Antonio Spurs point guard averaged 18.3 PPG, 5.5 APG and 3.8 RPG last week. His best game during that stretch was against the New York Knicks when he had 22 points, three rebounds and three assists.

The former UConn star ran the plays in the second half and helped put the clamps on the Knicks' offense. If he maintains his performance next week, the ROY title will be his to lose.