By Zach Kram | ESPN, 2025-11-13 20:00:00
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
多年来，NBA的管理层人员和公众分析师们都在大肆宣传2025届的选秀。在被誉为数十年来最强美国新星的库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg) 的带领下，这届新秀似乎充满了潜在的全明星球员和即战力球员。
如今，这批备受瞩目的新秀终于登上了职业舞台，当初的宣传或许名副其实。尽管弗拉格的开局表现有些起伏，但2025-26届的新秀中不乏防守悍将、神射手和众多的进攻创造者。在他们职业生涯开启近一个月之际，我们得以一窥他们的球风如何适应NBA，并可以对这批新秀的表现进行初步排名。
请注意，这份榜单是基于他们当下表现的排名，而非长期潜力的预测。因此，榜单排名与选秀顺位之间存在着不少变动。四位前十顺位的新秀未能上榜——犹他爵士队的埃斯·贝利 (Ace Bailey)（5号秀）、华盛顿奇才队的特雷·约翰逊 (Tre Johnson)（6号秀）、布鲁克林篮网队的伊戈尔·德明 (Egor Demin)（8号秀）以及菲尼克斯太阳队的卡曼·马卢奇 (Khaman Maluach)（10号秀）——同时，也有同样数量的非前十顺位球员打出了超出其选秀顺位的表现。
注：数据更新至11月12日上午。
10. 杰里迈亚·菲尔斯 (Jeremiah Fears) 与 德里克·奎恩 (Derik Queen)，新奥尔良鹈鹕 (并列)
这份榜单的开头耍了点小聪明：有11位值得上榜的新秀，但只有10个名额，淘汰任何一位都感觉不太公平。因此，我们用一对鹈鹕队的搭档来开启这份榜单。
公平地说，菲尔斯和奎恩有很多共同点。他们都在新奥尔良开启了自己惨淡的职业生涯，但在整体效率低下的表现中，都闪现出长期潜力的火花。菲尔斯已经是一位娴熟的挡拆持球手，处理每个回合都充满自信——“毫无畏惧 (Zero Fears)”的绰号至少是恰如其分的——而奎恩则已经打出过单场8助攻和7助攻的比赛，预示着他有机会成长为新奥尔良前场的进攻轴心。
9. 科林·默里-博伊尔斯 (Collin Murray-Boyles)，多伦多猛龙
在过去十年里，多伦多已成为那些身形颀长、技术特点独特的运动员的归宿，而默里-博伊尔斯恰好符合这一原型。这位9号秀算不上一位得分手，有时甚至几乎不会使用他的非投篮手——右手——当默里-博伊尔斯在场时，猛龙队的进攻效率会骤降，但他在防守端带来了巨大的活力和潜力。他场均2.8次干扰传球在新秀中排名第二，仅次于VJ·埃奇库姆 (VJ Edgecombe) 的3.4次。
默里-博伊尔斯最适合担任前锋还是小球阵容中锋仍有待观察，但他未来至少能成为一名轮换阵容中的大个子球员。
8. 锡安·詹姆斯 (Sion James)，夏洛特黄蜂
上赛季在杜克大学，锡安·詹姆斯与三位乐透秀——弗拉格、콘·克努佩尔 (Kon Knueppel) 和马卢奇——是队友。相比之下，名气稍逊的22岁新秀詹姆斯在夏洛特打出了低调而高效的表现。他为黄蜂队投出了惊人的61%的三分命中率，即便这个势头肯定无法持续，但他已经早早赢得了主教练查尔斯·李 (Charles Lee) 的信任，连续六场比赛出场时间至少达到25分钟。
考虑到他的角色和背景，詹姆斯在下一期新秀榜单中可能会跌出前十。但这次的上榜是对他令人印象深刻的赛季开局的奖励，作为众多让夏洛特的比赛几乎每晚都极具观赏性的后卫之一，詹姆斯的表现功不可没。
7. 威尔·理查德 (Will Richard)，金州勇士
上赛季，理查德在全国冠军赛中砍下18分，带领佛罗里达大学短吻鳄队夺冠。如今进入NBA，他转换了角色，开始做所有那些定义了这个时代勇士篮球的小事：他能做出聪明的空切，执行防守轮转，并以44%的命中率投进三分球。由于他很少犯错，理查德在本届新秀的球员效率值 (PER) 排名中高居榜首。
当获得机会时，他依然有能力打出杰出的个人表现。根据 Basketball Reference 的比赛得分指标，11月5日在萨克拉门托，当斯蒂芬·库里 (Stephen Curry)、吉米·巴特勒三世 (Jimmy Butler III) 和德雷蒙德·格林 (Draymond Green) 缺阵时，理查德15投10中砍下30分，这是本赛季新秀的最佳单场表现。
6. 库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg)，达拉斯独行侠
弗拉格是本榜单中最难排位的新秀，因为他至今的表现需要结合他所处的环境来看。作为一名18岁的球员，弗拉格正在临场学习如何打控球后卫，而他效力的球队除了他之外，组织能力极其匮乏。
在经历了效率低下、且在新位置上适应困难（尽管可以理解）的11场比赛后，弗拉格已不再是年度最佳新秀的绝对领跑者。根据GeniusIQ的数据，弗拉格的跳投有效命中率仅为37%，在至少出手50次的135名球员中排名第131位；而他作为持球人发起挡拆的每次得分仅为0.76分，在至少掩护100次的72名球员中排名第68位。
此外，根据Cleaning the Glass的数据，当弗拉格在场时，独行侠每百回合净负25分。作为对比，当约纳斯·瓦兰丘纳斯 (Jonas Valanciunas) 替换尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokic) 出任中锋时，丹佛掘金每百回合净负21分。
然而，弗拉格依然会被认为是所有新秀中长期前景最好的那一个；他缓慢的开局并不能否定他作为状元秀的价值。周一，他在对阵密尔沃基雄鹿的比赛中更多地扮演无球角色，并打出了赛季最佳表现。他的基础数据全面而出色，场均贡献15.0分、6.8个篮板和3.1次助攻。
在过去十年中，唯一能场均至少得到10分、5个篮板和3次助攻的新秀只有维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)、保罗·班凯罗、斯科蒂·巴恩斯、约什·吉迪、凯德·坎宁安、拉梅洛·鲍尔、卢卡·东契奇、本·西蒙斯和朗佐·鲍尔——他们后来都成长为不同级别的明星球员。
但是，考虑到弗拉格在成长过程中暴露出的所有问题，前十榜单的中游位置是他目前所能达到的最高排名。
5. 瑞安·卡尔克布伦纳 (Ryan Kalkbrenner)，夏洛特黄蜂
来自克雷顿大学的34号秀卡尔克布伦纳，并没有弗拉格或榜单上接下来几位球员那样的明星上限。但这位7英尺的大个子在填补黄蜂队中锋空缺的同时，已经有两项技术达到了精英级别。
首先，他以81%的投篮命中率领跑本赛季所有符合资格的球员——不仅仅是新秀。当然，卡尔克布伦纳几乎所有的出手都在篮下，但根据GeniusIQ的数据，他的预期命中率为69%，这意味着他的实际表现超出了预期整整12个百分点。
他的第二项优势甚至可能更为特别，卡尔克布伦纳以场均2.3次盖帽排名本赛季第三，仅次于文班亚马和亚历克斯·萨尔 (Alex Sarr)。他有望与文班亚马一道，成为21世纪以来仅有的两位场均至少2次盖帽和1次抢断的新秀。能做到这一点的历史名单非常短，且名人堂成员云集。
场均2+盖帽、1+抢断的新秀
| 球员 | 赛季 | 场均盖帽 | 场均抢断 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 瑞安·卡尔克布伦纳 | 2025-26 | 2.3 | 1.0 |
| 维克托·文班亚马 | 2023-24 | 3.6 | 1.2 |
| 马库斯·坎比 | 1996-97 | 2.1 | 1.0 |
| 克里斯·韦伯 | 1993-94 | 2.2 | 1.2 |
| 大卫·罗宾逊 | 1989-90 | 3.9 | 1.7 |
| 帕特里克·尤因 | 1985-86 | 2.1 | 1.1 |
| 哈基姆·奥拉朱旺 | 1984-85 | 2.7 | 1.2 |
| 特里·泰勒 | 1978-79 | 2.5 | 1.3 |
4. 迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper)，圣安东尼奥马刺
自11月2日在菲尼克斯小腿拉伤后，哈珀就再未出场，否则他的排名可能会更高。在受伤前的六场替补比赛中，哈珀展现了几个令人兴奋的特质，最引人注目的是他那种侵略性十足、坚决冲击篮筐的决心。根据Cleaning the Glass的数据，哈珀62%的出手都来自篮下，这一比例在所有后卫中高居榜首。他还将失误控制得很好，这对一个年轻后卫来说是不同寻常的优点。
对圣安东尼奥来说，最令人鼓舞的迹象或许是哈珀与文班亚马融入得如此之快，这两位前榜眼秀是马刺队长期建队的基石。在共同出场的78分钟里，文班亚马-哈珀二人组的净效率值高达惊人的+36，在本赛季所有出场时间至少75分钟的784对组合中排名第三。（只有亚历克斯·卡鲁索 (Alex Caruso)-以赛亚·哈尔滕施泰因 (Isaiah Hartenstein) 和亚历克斯·卡鲁索-阿杰伊·米切尔 (Ajay Mitchell) 的二人组拥有更高的净效率值。）
3. 콘·克努佩尔 (Kon Knueppel)，夏洛特黄蜂
克努佩尔是为2020年代篮球而生的球员，他投进和出手的三分球比NBA历史上任何新秀都要多：场均出手8.0次命中3.2球（命中率40%）。对于任何球员来说，这都是令人兴奋的数据，更何况他还是一个20岁、场均还能贡献6.4个篮板和3.0次助攻的新秀。
然而，如此依赖三分球也容易导致状态不稳。他最近曾连续两场比赛仅得5分，但在接下来的三场比赛中又爆发性地砍下24分、20分和30分。但他的上限足够高，整体技术也足够全面——周一他距离个人首次三双仅差一次助攻——黄蜂队应该为在第4顺位选中他而感到兴奋不已。
2. VJ·埃奇库姆 (VJ Edgecombe)，费城76人
在经历了一个强势开局后，埃奇库姆的势头略有下滑。他在首秀中砍下34分——这是自威尔特·张伯伦 (Wilt Chamberlain) 以来所有NBA球员首秀的最高分——并在第三场比赛中得到26分，但此后这位新秀后卫的得分再未超过20分。自那前三场比赛之后，埃奇库姆场均仅得到11.8分，投篮命中率35%（三分命中率34%）。
在适应NBA节奏的过程中，埃奇库姆还有一个明显的待改进领域：在所有高频使用挡拆的持球手中，他以每次挡拆仅得0.63分的表现排名垫底（72位中的第72位）。
但积极因素显然多于消极因素。除了得分，埃奇库姆场均5.5个篮板和4.3次助攻的数据也十分突出，并且他能在大量出手的情况下保持36%的三分命中率。他与后场搭档泰瑞斯·马克西 (Tyrese Maxey) 之间电光火石般的配合，为费城未来五年提供了一对可以长期信赖的后场组合。最重要的是，在赛季的头几周，没有哪个新秀的惊艳表现能超过埃奇库姆。
“没有一天，”76人队主教练尼克·纳斯 (Nick Nurse) 11月4日在芝加哥谈到埃奇库姆时说，“他不在运动能力方面做出一些让我们惊叹的事情。”
1. 塞德里克·考沃德 (Cedric Coward)，孟菲斯灰熊
今年五月，我在2025年NBA选秀联合训练营与数十位新秀进行了交流，没有人比考沃德给我留下的印象更深刻。他散发出一种沉着自信的气质，并对自己技术特点有着敏锐的理解——此外还有着出色的身体测量数据。由于在2024年11月遭遇盂唇撕裂并因此结束了他的最后一个大学赛季，考沃德没有参加联合训练营的任何对抗赛，但这并没有阻止灰熊队在将德斯蒙德·贝恩 (Desmond Bane) 交易至奥兰多魔术后，向上交易至第11顺位选择考沃德作为替代者。
这些无形的优势很快在NBA赛场上得到了体现。考沃德职业生涯初期的表现远超预期，无论是他的数据——场均14.5分、5.9个篮板和3.1次助攻，投篮命中率51%（三分命中率40%）——还是他在攻防两端的掌控力和沉稳表现，都令人赞叹，尤其考虑到他只是一个大学高水平比赛经验有限、却被推入一个奇特阵容环境的新秀。
至少，考沃德应该能长期成为一名高价值的3D角色球员，但他的上限可能要高得多。在年度最佳新秀的竞争中，考沃德仍然落后于几位选秀顺位比他高的同届新秀，随着赛季的进行，他们将有更多机会积累基础数据。但就目前而言，考沃德是2025-26赛季表现最佳的新秀。
点击查看原文：NBA rookie rankings: Which new faces have impressed early this season?
NBA rookie rankings: Which new faces have impressed early this season?
For years, NBA personnel and public prognosticators hyped the 2025 draft class. Led by Cooper Flagg, arguably the best American prospect in decades, this group appeared full of potential All-Stars and ready-made contributors.
That hype might be warranted, now that this crop of celebrated rookies has finally arrived on the professional stage. Despite an uneven start from Flagg, the 2025-26 rookie class includes defensive standouts, knockdown shooters and creators galore. As we get a sense of how their games are translating to the NBA now that they’re almost a month into their careers, we can make an initial ranking of this group’s performance.
Note that this is a ranking of the quality right now, rather than a long-term projection. Thus, there has been plenty of movement between the draft order and this list of the top-performing rookies. Four top-10 picks don’t appear here – the Utah Jazz’s Ace Bailey (No. 5), Washington Wizards’ Tre Johnson (No. 6), Brooklyn Nets’ Egor Demin (No. 8) and Phoenix Suns’ Khaman Maluach (No. 10) – while just as many players picked outside the top 10 have outplayed their draft slots.
Note: Stats are updated as of the morning of Nov. 12th.
10. Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans (tie)
This list starts with a little cheat: With 11 worthy rookies to fit into 10 spots, it didn’t feel right cutting any of them. Thus, we begin these rankings with a pair of Pelicans.
To be fair, Fears and Queen have a great deal in common. They’re both starting their careers in a miserable situation in New Orleans but have flashed glimpses of long-term potential amid larger overall inefficiency. Fears is already a smooth pick-and-roll operator and approaches every possession with bravado – the “Zero Fears” nickname is apt, at the very least – while Queen has already had games with eight and seven assists, hinting at his chance to develop into an offensive hub in New Orleans’ frontcourt.
9. Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors
Over the past decade, Toronto has become a home for long athletes with funky skill sets, and Murray-Boyles fits that archetype precisely. The No. 9 draft pick isn’t much of a scorer and can barely use his right non-shooting hand at times – Toronto’s offensive rating collapses with Murray-Boyles on the floor – but he brings tremendous energy and potential to the defensive end. His 2.8 deflections per game rank second among rookies, behind only VJ Edgecombe’s 3.4.
Whether Murray-Boyles will fit best as a forward or a small-ball center remains to be seen, but he has a future as a rotation big, at the very least.
8. Sion James, Charlotte Hornets
Teammates with three lottery picks – Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Maluach – at Duke last season, the less-heralded, 22-year-old James has made an under-the-radar impact in Charlotte. James is shooting a remarkable 61% on 3-point attempts for the Hornets, and even if that pace surely won’t continue, he has gained coach Charles Lee’s trust early on, playing at least 25 minutes in six straight games.
Given his role and background, James might fall out of the top 10 by the next edition of these rookie rankings. But this placement is a reward for his impressive small-sample start, as James is one of a large number of guards making Charlotte an entertaining watch almost every night.
7. Will Richard, Golden State Warriors
Last season, Richard led the title-winning Florida Gators with 18 points in the national championship game. Now in the NBA, he has switched roles and is doing all the little things that have defined this era of Warriors basketball: He makes smart cuts, executes defensive rotations and sinks his 3s at a 44% clip. Because he rarely makes mistakes, Richard leads this rookie class in player efficiency rating (PER).
He’s also still capable of a standout individual performance when granted the opportunity. According to Basketball Reference’s game score metric, Richard’s 30 points on 10-for-15 shooting in Sacramento Nov. 5, in a game Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green missed, was the best single-game performance by a rookie this season.
6. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
Flagg was the toughest rookie to rank, as his performance thus far needs to be placed in his situational context. Flagg is learning the point guard position on the fly as an 18-year-old, while playing for a team with minimal playmaking beyond him.
Flagg is no longer the runaway leader for Rookie of the Year after his first 11 games have been marred by rough efficiency numbers and an understandable difficulty adapting to a new position. Flagg’s 37% effective field goal percentage on jumpers ranks 131st out of 135 players with at least 50 attempts, per GeniusIQ, and his 0.76 points per pick rank 68th out of 72 players with at least 100 screens as the ball handler.
Moreover, the Mavericks have been 25 points per 100 possessions worse with Flagg on the floor, per Cleaning the Glass. For context, the Denver Nuggets are 21 points per 100 possessions worse when Jonas Valanciunas spells Nikola Jokic at center
Yet Flagg would still be the pick for the best long-term prospect of any rookie; his slow start is not an indictment of his No. 1 selection in the draft. He turned in his best performance of the season – while playing more of an off-ball role – against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, and his surface stats are strong across the board, with averages of 15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
The only other rookies to average at least 10 points, five rebounds and three assists in the past decade are Victor Wembanyama, Paolo Banchero, Scottie Barnes, Josh Giddey, Cade Cunningham, LaMelo Ball, Luka Doncic, Ben Simmons and Lonzo Ball – all of whom developed into stars of varying wattage.
But, given all the warts in Flagg’s developing game, the middle of the top 10 is the highest he can realistically land right now.
5. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte Hornets
The No. 34 pick out of Creighton, Kalkbrenner doesn’t have the star ceiling of Flagg or the next few players on this ranking. But the 7-footer is already doing two things at an elite level while filling Charlotte’s hole at center.
First, he leads all qualified players this season – not just rookies – with 81% shooting from the field. Granted, Kalkbrenner takes almost all his shots at the basket, but his expected field goal percentage is 69%, according to GeniusIQ, meaning he has over performed by a robust 12% margin.
The second strength is arguably even more special, as Kalkbrenner ranks third behind Wembanyama and Alex Sarr this season with 2.3 blocks per game. He could join Wembanyama as the only qualified rookies in the 21st century to average at least two blocks and one steal. The all-time list is exclusive and littered with Hall of Famers.
Rookies With 2+ Blocks, 1+ Steal Per Game
| Player | Season | BPG | SPG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | 2025-26 | 2.3 | 1.0 |
| Victor Wembanyama | 2023-24 | 3.6 | 1.2 |
| Marcus Camby | 1996-97 | 2.1 | 1.0 |
| Chris Webber | 1993-94 | 2.2 | 1.2 |
| David Robinson | 1989-90 | 3.9 | 1.7 |
| Patrick Ewing | 1985-86 | 2.1 | 1.1 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | 1984-85 | 2.7 | 1.2 |
| Terry Tyler | 1978-79 | 2.5 | 1.3 |
4. Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
Harper hasn’t played since straining his calf in Phoenix on Nov. 2, or else he might rank higher. In six games off the bench before his injury, Harper showcased several exciting traits, most notably an aggressive, relentless focus on getting to the basket. According to Cleaning the Glass, 62% of Harper’s shot attempts have come at the rim, which leads all guards. He has also kept his turnovers down, which is an unusual strength for a young guard.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign for San Antonio is how quickly Harper has meshed with Wembanyama, as the former top-2 picks serve as key building blocks in the Spurs’ long-term foundation. In 78 minutes, the Wembanyama-Harper duo has a whopping plus-36 net rating, which is the third-best margin among 784 pairings with at least 75 minutes this season. (Only the Alex Caruso-Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso-Ajay Mitchell duos have a better net rating.)
3. Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
Knueppel is a player built for the 2020s, as he’s both taking and making more 3s than any rookie in NBA history: 3.2 makes on 8.0 attempts (40% accuracy) per game. Those would be exciting numbers for any player, let alone a 20-year-old who also contributes 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Relying that much on 3s, however, is a recipe for inconsistency. He recently scored just five points apiece in back-to-back games, then exploded for 24, 20 and 30 over his next three. But the highs are high enough, and the broader skill set well-rounded enough – he finished an assist shy of his first triple-double on Monday – that the Hornets should be thrilled they landed him at No. 4.
2. VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
Edgecombe has slid a bit following a strong start. After scoring 34 points in his debut – the most for any NBA player since Wilt Chamberlain – and 26 points in his third game, the rookie guard hasn’t reached 20 since. Since those first three games, Edgecombe has averaged just 11.8 points per game on 35% shooting (34% from distance).
Edgecombe also has one clear area of improvement as he adjusts to NBA pace: He ranks 72nd out of 72 high-volume pick-and-roll ball handlers, with just 0.63 points per pick.
But the positives clearly outweigh the negatives. In addition to Edgecombe’s scoring, his 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game stand out, and he’s shooting 36% on a high volume of 3-pointers. His electric partnership with backcourt partner Tyrese Maxey gives Philadelphia a set-it-and-forget-it duo for the next half-decade. And most of all, no rookie has outperformed Edgecombe in the wow factor in the first few weeks.
“There’s not a day that goes by,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said about Edgecombe in Chicago on Nov. 4, “that he doesn’t do something athletically that wows us.”
1. Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies
I spoke with dozens of prospects at the 2025 NBA draft combine in May, and nobody impressed me more than Coward, who exuded a calm confidence and keen understanding of his own skill set – in addition to excellent physical measurements. Coward didn’t participate in any scrimmages at the combine because of a torn labrum that ended his final college season in November 2024, but that didn’t prevent the Grizzlies from trading up to No. 11 to draft Coward as a replacement after trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic.
Those intangible advantages have quickly translated to the NBA court. Coward has blown away expectations early in his career, whether with his statistics – 14.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game on 51% shooting (40% on 3s) – or with his command and composure on both ends, even as a rookie with little high-level college experience thrust into a strange roster situation.
At minimum, Coward should be a high-value 3-and-D role player for a long time, but his ceiling could be much higher. In the Rookie of the Year race, Coward still ranks behind several peers who were drafted higher than him and will have more opportunities to accrue counting stats as this season continues. But right now, Coward has been the best rookie of the 2025-26 season.
By Zach Kram | ESPN, via ESPN