By Sam Vecenie | The Athletic, 2026-02-19 10:30:59
随着全明星周末的结束，赛季冲刺阶段已然开启，现在正是更新2026届NBA新秀排名的绝佳时机。剖析这一届新秀的成长轨迹，过程极其有趣。
在库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg)和康·克内佩尔 (Kon Knueppel)之间，正上演着一场精彩的最佳新秀之争。除他们之外，大约还有10名球员有实力冲击最佳新秀第一阵容，而一些极具看点的爆发型球员也正在赛季中期崭露头角。这届新秀中潜在的轮换球员深度之广，令我感到兴奋。
在此重申本榜单的评选准则：我们根据新秀们截至目前的NBA赛场表现进行排名，而非对其未来上限的预测。这是一份全赛季表现的排名，而非仅基于“目前谁打得最好”。
在排名时我会看重哪些因素？出场时间和场上角色至关重要。每位新秀被要求承担怎样的职责？他们的上场频率如何？是否被要求创造进攻机会？他们的角色是否受限，在受限的角色中表现又如何？在这样的角色下，球队表现是否成功？此外，还要考量该角色的完成难度。这名球员是在一支强队中出任核心轮换，还是在烂队中刷出场时间？
这更像是一门艺术，而非严谨的科学。排名过程涉及对数据的考量以及对海量录像的钻研，而我更看重后者。
下面让我们切入正题。
| 排名 | 球员 | 球队 | 得分 | 篮板 | 助攻 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 库珀·弗拉格 | 达拉斯独行侠 | 20.4 | 6.6 | 4.1 |
| 2 | 康·克内佩尔 | 夏洛特黄蜂 | 18.9 | 5.5 | 3.5 |
| 3 | VJ·艾奇库姆 | 费城76人 | 14.9 | 5.4 | 4.2 |
| 4 | 塞德里克·考沃德 | 孟菲斯灰熊 | 13.3 | 6.2 | 2.9 |
| 5 | 迪伦·哈珀 | 圣安东尼奥马刺 | 10.8 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
| 6 | 德里克·奎恩 | 新奥尔良鹈鹕 | 12.2 | 7.3 | 4.2 |
| 7 | 科林·默里-博伊尔斯 | 多伦多猛龙 | 7.9 | 5 | 2.1 |
| 8 | 特雷·约翰逊 | 华盛顿奇才 | 12.9 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
| 9 | 叶戈尔·德明 | 布鲁克林篮网 | 10.7 | 3.1 | 3.3 |
| 10 | 艾斯·贝利 | 犹他爵士 | 11.6 | 3.8 | 1.6 |
| 11 | 杰里迈亚·费尔斯 | 新奥尔良鹈鹕 | 13.2 | 3.6 | 3 |
| 12 | 马克西姆·雷诺 | 萨克拉门托国王 | 9.9 | 6.7 | 1 |
| 13 | 瑞安·考克布伦纳 | 夏洛特黄蜂 | 8.3 | 6 | 0.6 |
| 14 | 威尔·理查德 | 金州勇士 | 6.6 | 2.5 | 1.4 |
| 15 | 雨果·冈萨雷斯 | 波士顿凯尔特人 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 0.6 |
弗拉格开始接管比赛
在前两次新秀排名中我都详细写过弗拉格，本没打算这次再浓墨重彩。但弗拉格每个月都在实现的巨大飞跃，让人实在无法忽视。作为达拉斯独行侠的第一进攻选择，弗拉格已经开始展现出统治力。
在弗拉格最近的九场比赛中，他场均贡献27.4分、8个篮板和4次助攻。这段高光表现中还包括对阵夏洛特黄蜂时砍下的49分，这刷新了NBA青少年球员（13-19岁）的单场得分纪录。此后他势头不减，在对阵休斯顿火箭时拿下34分，对阵波士顿凯尔特人砍下36分，对阵圣安东尼奥马刺摘得32分，随后在对阵菲尼克斯太阳时又入账27分。
最令人印象深刻的是他对自己侵略性的调节。他比新秀赛季任何时候都更主动地寻找出手机会，但看上去却不再忙乱。和许多优秀新秀一样，弗拉格学会了“慢下来”以创造更多优势。弗拉格的必杀技一直是利用极佳的身材柔韧性和爆发力，在对抗中建立优势。但在赛季初期，当他试图适应NBA比赛强度时，节奏对他来说显得过快。虽然不至于手忙脚乱，但他当时并没能最大化自己的天赋。
然而现在，你可以看到他已经理解了如何利用柔韧性保持空间，通过比对手压得更低的重心来获得身位。他在场上似乎有更多的思考时间。在利用掩护时，他能更好地将防守人挡在臀后，同时保持自己的进攻空间。当他持球冲击防守时，防守者很难重新挡在他身前，因为他极度擅长利用身体卡位。正如我们上个月提到的，千万别忽视他的左手技术。由于均衡的左右手能力，他可以轻松杀入篮下，并用其他同龄创造者难以企及的柔和手感创造出手角度。在最近对阵休斯顿的比赛中就有好几个范例，他持球突破后用左手在阿尔佩伦·申京 (Alperen Şengün)等高大球员的干扰下完成终结。
因为弗拉格已经摸索出如何在NBA级别对抗中运用自己的骨架和身体素质，他已化身为一列“重型坦克”。他开始像那些25岁左右的明星球员一样，用肩膀将防守者顶开。我们在他各级成长期见识过的那种无畏与力量已经完全兑现，防守方越来越难挡住他的去路。他一直很擅长利用非持球手在不犯规的前提下创造一点空间。但与赛季初期不同的是，他现在能直接把防守人顶退，而不是被对方截停。上周转换进攻中的一次表现就是完美案例，他直接撞开了狄龙·布鲁克斯 (Dillon Brooks)，然后完成了一记势大力沉的扣篮。狄龙是一名极其出色的防守者，也是一名强悍的硬汉，但在弗拉格面前，他仿佛完全不存在。
这次封盖
这次终结
: KFAA pic.twitter.com/liAdXAUTIG
— 达拉斯独行侠 (@ dallasmavs) 2026年2月11日
看到上面这种回合，你很容易忘记弗拉格年仅19岁。
通常情况下，我倾向于选择赢球球队中的球员，而康·克内佩尔在黄蜂队的出色表现也确实帮助球队打出了一波长连胜。但弗拉格目前的表现完全是另一个次元的，这简直不可思议。以下是在新秀赛季连续九场比赛中，场均能贡献至少27分、7.5个篮板、3.5次助攻且命中率不低于50%的球员名单：拉里·伯德 (Larry Bird)、迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan)、蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan)、布雷克·格里芬 (Blake Griffin)……以及弗拉格。
除了弗拉格，名单上的其他人没一个能在十几岁时完成这一壮举。弗拉格正走在成为天皇巨星的道路上。达拉斯的球迷们尽情享受吧，独行侠管理层想要把这块金字招牌搞砸都难。
默里-博伊尔斯是多伦多的动力源
科林·默里-博伊尔斯 (Collin Murray-Boyles) 一直是这届新秀中最具观赏性的球员之一。他以6英尺6英寸的身高撑起了中锋位置，凭借惊人的预判能力，持续为这支实力不俗的多伦多猛龙队做出积极贡献。即便此前在南卡罗来纳大学经历了一个输球的赛季，且身边天赋平平，默里-博伊尔斯的球商和预判始终是他的杀手锏。在场上，他的移动速度或许不是最快的，但他的思考速度超过了绝大多数人，这种赛场解决问题的能力在他新秀赛季展现得淋漓尽致。
这种特质在攻防两端都有体现。默里-博伊尔斯在防守端表现卓越，这源于他极高的活跃度。有些中锋，比如雄鹿巅峰时期的布鲁克·洛佩斯 (Brook Lopez) 或是被快船交易前的伊维察·祖巴茨 (Ivica Zubac)，倾向于通过稳健的沉退防守位移和极佳的垂直高度，利用巨大的身体覆盖面积来完成防守。默里-博伊尔斯则恰恰相反，他是一名“外放型”防守者。由于身材受限，他需要快速覆盖场上空间，并在进攻回合发生前预判其走向。其结果就是他经常上演各种精彩的补防，在进攻方起跳的最高点给予正面封盖。
赛季初期对阵费城76人时的一个回合就是例证：当贾马尔·谢德 (Jamal Shead) 为了破坏手递手传球而故意紧贴泰瑞斯·马克西 (Tyrese Maxey)，结果被对方抄后门切入时，默里-博伊尔斯保持着高度警惕，迅速横跨篮下，从球框的另一侧杀出将球扇飞。
CMB 说不准投！
pic.twitter.com/hZKEW7arcE
— 多伦多猛龙 (@ Raptors) 2025年11月9日
在最近的10场比赛中，默里-博伊尔斯场均出战超过30分钟，能贡献2次盖帽和1.2次抢断。他的长臂极具干扰性，经常让对方的进攻陷入困境。毫不意外，他与最佳防守球员候选人斯科蒂·巴恩斯 (Scottie Barnes) 已经组成了令对手胆寒的“防守双子星”。在两人共同上场的近500分钟里，对手每百回合只能得到107.9分。显然，他们正在互相成就。
当巴恩斯在场而默里-博伊尔斯不在时，猛龙每百回合失分接近114分。而当默里-博伊尔斯在场而巴恩斯不在时，猛龙每百回合失分则升至116分。在协防中，他们几乎能干扰场上的任何角落。凭借臂展、速度和反应力，他们覆盖了极大的空间，让对手很难获得空位。同时，两人都具备随手切球或无视干扰送出大帽的能力，并随即发起多打少的快攻。默里-博伊尔斯在新秀赛季表现出的一切，都在预示他未来将成为最佳防守阵容的常客。
即便在进攻端，默里-博伊尔斯也在进步。他在挡拆中的威胁超出了人们的预期。他在底线扣篮位的表现也非常出色，切入时机的把握堪称完美。他在半场进攻中篮下终结成功率为65%，虽然作为全职中锋这个数据不算拔尖，但对于一个在联合试训中穿鞋身高仅6英尺6.5英寸的新秀来说，绝对够亮眼。今年他还接到了来自布兰登·英格拉姆 (Brandon Ingram)、谢德和伊曼纽尔·奎克利 (Immanuel Quickley) 等人的大量空接传球，展现出专家级的顺下判断力。
不过，默里-博伊尔斯表现最惊艳的还是在短顺下（short-roll）阶段。他在罚球线位置已经展现出精英级别的决策和传球能力。如果对方对持球人进行包夹，他知道该如何顺下至防守死角，知道如何为后卫拉开传球线路，也清楚身后协防人的轮转方位。甚至在接球前，他就已经想好了下一步。在最近的10场比赛中，默里-博伊尔斯场均得到11分和7个篮板，更重要的是，他场均能送出3.6次助攻，而失误仅1.4次。他不仅出球快，还能通过迅速的决策保持球队的进攻优势，而且几乎不犯错。
如果我们纯粹从对赢球的影响力（攻防两端）而非基础数据来看，默里-博伊尔斯完全有实力竞争最佳新秀第一阵容的最后一个席位。目前排在前四位的弗拉格、克内佩尔、VJ·艾奇库姆 (VJ Edgecombe) 和塞德里克·考沃德地位稳固，第五个席位将在赛季最后三分之一阶段产生激烈竞争，默里-博伊尔斯显然是领跑者之一。
犹他爵士对贝利的培养堪称完美
艾斯·贝利 (Ace Bailey) 的新秀赛季起步有些坎坷。由于双腿膝盖腱炎以及赛季初的一场大病，他并没能以最佳状态迎接赛季。赛季中期，他又遭遇了胯部屈肌拉伤，这打乱了他的节奏并导致他缺席了六场比赛。在这些伤病因素的影响下，贝利在适应联盟的过程中表现起伏不定。当时比赛节奏对他来说似乎太快了，而且只要手感不好，他在场上就几乎没有什么存在感。
但在伤愈归来经过一段短暂的适应期后，贝利已成为得分最高的新秀之一。在最近的11场比赛中，贝利场均得到16.1分、5个篮板和1.6次助攻，投篮命中率46%，三分命中率33%。这与他大学时期的表现类似，但值得注意的是，他在高光表现中的进攻选择变得更加简洁高效。
在罗格斯大学时期，贝利在持球单打时经常陷入那种强投式的中距离跳投。他是一名四肢修长、极具爆发力和力量的运动员，但他打球重心过高，运球虽然有创意但不够稳健，这意味着他很难真正过掉对手，难以突入禁区制造杀伤并吸引协防。从技术层面看，这些弱点本赛季并未完全根除，但我认为犹他爵士更有创意的进攻体系（强调无球移动）帮助贝利找到了更符合NBA规律的打法。他的投篮分布数据也支撑了这一观点。
根据Synergy的数据，贝利半场进攻中只有32%的出手是急停跳投，低于去年大学时期的38%。这看起来进步不大，但以下数据能说明问题：本赛季贝利超过75%的出手是在运球1次或更少的情况下完成的，85%的出手运球不超过2次。本赛季约22%的出手仅运球一次，这表明他在急停跳投前增加了大量的接球位移。上赛季，贝利两分球进球的受助攻率仅为36.5%，三分球为74.5%；而今年，他两分球的受助攻率飙升至74%，三分球更是达到了93%。
在贝利的身材和技术还在打磨阶段时，犹他爵士让他的比赛变得更简单了。爵士队通过让他多跑位、接球前先甩开防守，最大程度地规避了他的弱点，并发挥了他作为投手的优势。贝利正在通过实战机会去感悟比赛速度，这有助于他在未来身体变得更强壮、运球技术更精湛后加速成长。由于爵士在第四节经常让老将轮休，贝利得到了很多打关键时刻的机会。他在2月份的所有比赛中几乎打满了第四节，并被赋予了更核心的角色，本月他约42%的得分都来自第四节。
在培养贝利这件事上，爵士队做到了“鱼与熊掌兼得”。由于运球和传球视野的问题，我对他未来能否成为一支强队的第一进攻选择仍持保留意见。虽然他在爵士不再像在大学时那样是一个“进攻黑洞”，但他观察球场的方式仍显稚嫩，我不确定他现阶段展现出的潜力是否足以支撑其未来发展到顶尖水平。但就爵士目前的用法而言，我认为贝利有机会兑现他作为超级得分手的潜力。他应该多向劳里·马尔卡宁 (Lauri Markkanen) 学习，尽管两人球风看似不同，但如果贝利持续进步，他完全可以像马尔卡宁那样，在有限的触球次数中交出场均25分的答卷。
其他笔记
• 克内佩尔跌至第二并非因为他做得不好，纯粹是因为弗拉格的表现太过于惊为天人。弗拉格曾经的杜克队友自身也展现出了全明星级别的长远潜力，场均得到19分、5.5个篮板和3.5次助攻，投篮三项命中率分别达到了恐怖的48.5%/42.8%/90%。
• 艾奇库姆和考沃德紧随其后。艾奇库姆仍在经历新秀的起伏期，但在强队中依然高效。在经历了12月和1月的火热表现后，艾奇库姆在过去的18场比赛中归于平淡，场均12.3分，命中率41%，三分命中率31%，场均只能获得2次罚球。不过他在防守端和传球方面仍有积极贡献。由于他近一个月的冷手感，76人在全明星赛前遭遇了四战三败，排名跌至东部第六。
考沃德则保持了他作为新秀那种“平淡且靠谱”的高效。在过去的14场比赛中，他场均得到13.3分、5.8个篮板和2.7次助攻，三项命中率为47%/39%/85%。这些数据与他全赛季的场均数据（13.3/6.2/2.9）几乎一致。他依然是一名臂展惊人、拼抢积极的防守者。
• 最佳新秀第一阵容最后一个席位的争夺将会非常精彩，我认为迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper)、德里克·奎恩 (Derik Queen)、默里-博伊尔斯、特雷·约翰逊 (Tre Johnson)、叶戈尔·德明 (Egor Demin) 和贝利都有机会。目前，我更倾向于哈珀。他场均得到10.8分、3.3个篮板和3.6次助攻，命中率46%，三分命中率仅25%，罚球命中率75%。但哈珀属于那种你必须看比赛才能理解其影响力的球员。他冲击篮下的压力以及领防对方核心的能力对圣安东尼奥马刺来说极具价值。他在新秀正负值排名中仅次于雨果·冈萨雷斯 (Hugo Gonzalez) 位列第二，这并非偶然——哈珀在场时，马刺每百回合净胜对手8.9分，而他不在场时，这一数字降至4.4分。他的存在感非常强。
自从蔡恩·威廉森 (Zion Williamson) 回归新奥尔良鹈鹕后，奎恩的影响力变得有些被动且不稳定。他偶尔仍能打出亮眼表现，比如1月底战胜灰熊时砍下22分、9篮板、7助攻。但在过去17场比赛中，他场均仅10分、7.5篮板、4.4助攻，远逊于他在11月和12月打出的场均16+7.5+5的高光。鹈鹕目前处境尴尬：由于没有自己的首轮签，他们没有摆烂动力，老将在场时球队表现更好；但他们也想兼顾年轻球员（包括费尔斯）的培养，可新人的存在往往会让阵容效率骤降。詹姆斯·博雷戈 (James Borrego) 及其教练组如何平衡这一点将非常值得关注。
特雷·约翰逊最近为华盛顿奇才队贡献了强劲的表现。(Jim Dedmon / Imagn Images)
约翰逊因踝伤连续缺席了六场比赛，直到全明星赛前的最后一场才复出。在受伤前，他状态神勇，在奇才之前的20场比赛中场均得到15分、3次助攻，失误仅1.5次，三项命中率高达46%/40%/92%。由于这20场比赛的表现非常连贯，他排名压过了德明。不过，德明打得最好的几场球可能比约翰逊更惊艳，比如最近带队击败犹他的25分10篮板4助攻表现。但由于身体对抗薄弱，德明表现糟糕的场次也确实挺让人头疼。
• 最后，我不打算详细展开榜单末尾的五位球员，而是关注几位目前累积表现还不足以进榜，但近期展现出巨大闪光点的球员。
明尼苏达森林狼中锋约安·贝林格 (Joan Beringer) 在最近担任替补中锋的时间里表现抢眼，他利用身体素质和积极性影响着比赛。我希望球队能为他争取更多时间。他防守篮筐时竭尽全力，板凳席上场后的能量极具感染力。当然，有时这种能量会让他显得过于急躁，但他展现出的运动天赋确实转化成了实实在在的贡献。
马刺侧翼卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant) 近期也正式进入了轮换。他在对阵湖人、独行侠和雷霆的四天三战中表现出色，每场都投进3个三分且得分上双。但让他留在场上的是防守。布莱恩特有着9英尺的恐怖站立摸高，且运动能力惊人。他能紧贴对手防到对方“窒息”，并利用臂展和时机进行封盖、断球或干扰。只要他的三分球能保持准星，即便马刺阵容深度可观，恐怕也得继续给他出场时间，他在防守端实在太出色了。
随着奇才为了培养球员和争取签位开始深化轮换，侧翼威尔·莱利 (Will Riley) 也展现了潜力。他在对阵篮网时砍下27分，展示了强硬的突破技术和投篮能力。更重要的是，在战胜活塞的比赛中他拿到了20分，全程保持侵略性。虽然全明星前对阵骑士的比赛中他因进攻受阻表现挣扎，但在那之前，他六场比赛场均得到17分，几乎将赛季场均得分翻了一番。
最后，迈阿密热火后卫卡斯帕拉斯·雅库乔尼斯 (Kasparas Jakučionis) 终于找到了节奏。他在全明星赛前的那周连续砍下20+得分，随后在击败鹈鹕的假期前最后一场比赛中入账11分。他投射稳健，决策果断，在防守端也开始投入精力。热火偶尔会利用他全场领防以消耗时间，他在半场防守中的横移速度也比上赛季在伊利诺伊大学时快了不少。他已经连续15场进入轮换，期间场均贡献7分、3篮板、近4次助攻且失误仅1.2次，投篮命中率45%，三分命中率高达48%。
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。
点击查看原文：NBA Rookie Rankings: This class runs deep behind Cooper Flagg
NBA Rookie Rankings: This class runs deep behind Cooper Flagg
Now that the All-Star break has passed and the stretch run of the season is upon us, it’s the perfect time to update the 2026 NBA Rookie Rankings. It’s been an incredibly fun rookie class to break down.
We have a great Rookie of the Year race between Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. Beyond them, about 10 players could make a first-team All-Rookie push, and some seriously fun breakout players are emerging midseason. I’m enthused by what seems to be a very deep class of potential rotation players.
A refresher on this exercise: We rank the league’s top 15 rookies, based on how they have played in the NBA thus far, not as a projection of who they will become. This is a full-season ranking, not based on “who is playing the best right now.”
What do I look for when I rank players? Minutes and roles matter. What is each rookie getting asked to do? How often are they seeing the court? Are they being asked to create offense? Is their role limited, and how successful are they in that role? How successful is the team with them within that role? What is the degree of difficulty of said role? Is the player logging major minutes on a good team or eating up minutes for a bad team?
This is an art, not a science. The rankings involve examining numbers and analyzing a painstaking amount of tape; I value the latter more.
Let’s dive in.
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cooper Flagg | Dallas Mavericks | 20.4 | 6.6 | 4.1 |
| 2 | Kon Knueppel | Charlotte Hornets | 18.9 | 5.5 | 3.5 |
| 3 | VJ Edgecombe | Philadelphia 76ers | 14.9 | 5.4 | 4.2 |
| 4 | Cedric Coward | Memphis Grizzlies | 13.3 | 6.2 | 2.9 |
| 5 | Dylan Harper | San Antonio Spurs | 10.8 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
| 6 | Derik Queen | New Orleans Pelicans | 12.2 | 7.3 | 4.2 |
| 7 | Collin Murray-Boyles | Toronto Raptors | 7.9 | 5 | 2.1 |
| 8 | Tre Johnson | Washington Wizards | 12.9 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
| 9 | Egor Demin | Brooklyn Nets | 10.7 | 3.1 | 3.3 |
| 10 | Ace Bailey | Utah Jazz | 11.6 | 3.8 | 1.6 |
| 11 | Jeremiah Fears | New Orleans Pelicans | 13.2 | 3.6 | 3 |
| 12 | Maxime Raynaud | Sacramento Kings | 9.9 | 6.7 | 1 |
| 13 | Ryan Kalkbrenner | Charlotte Hornets | 8.3 | 6 | 0.6 |
| 14 | Will Richard | Golden State Warriors | 6.6 | 2.5 | 1.4 |
| 15 | Hugo Gonzalez | Boston Celtics | 3.9 | 3.4 | 0.6 |
Flagg starting to take over games
I didn’t expect to write about Flagg after doing so in each of the previous two iterations of the Rookie Rankings. But Flagg is taking massive leaps every month that are impossible to ignore. As the No. 1 option on the Dallas Mavericks, Flagg is starting to dominate games.
Over Flagg’s last nine games, he’s averaging 27.4 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and that run includes the game against the Charlotte Hornets in which he went for 49 points to set the NBA scoring record for a teenager. He followed that game up with 34 points against the Houston Rockets, 36 points against the Boston Celtics, 32 points against the San Antonio Spurs and then another 27 points against the Phoenix Suns.
What stands out most is the way he’s modulated his aggressiveness. He’s hunting shots more than he has at any point in his rookie season, but he no longer looks sped up. As with many rookies, Flagg has slowed down to create more advantages. Flagg’s superpower has always been his ability to create leverage on his opponent by playing with great bend, combined with his explosiveness. But early in his rookie year, things looked fast for him as he tried to adjust to the speed of the game. He wasn’t quite flailing, but he wasn’t maximizing his tools.
Now, though, you can see that he understands how to maintain his space using that flexibility to get lower than his opposition. It looks like he has more time to think out there. He’s better at keeping defenders on his hip out of ball screens while maintaining his own space. When he attacks closeouts, it’s incredibly hard for defenders to get back in front of him because of how well he uses his positioning to keep his space. And as we mentioned last month, don’t sleep on his left hand. Because of his ambidexterity, he can go to the rim with ease and create angles with touch that other creators at this age can’t achieve. There were several great examples of that from his recent game against Houston, when he drove and went up with the left to finish around and over the top of guys like Alperen Şengün.
Because Flagg has figured out how to use his frame and physicality at the NBA level, he’s become a freight train. He’s using his shoulders to shrug defenders off him in the way that star creators in their mid-20s do20s. The fearlessness and power that we’ve seen from him at every level have arrived, and it’s getting harder for defenses to keep in front of him. He’s always been excellent at using his off-arm to create a bit of space without getting called for a foul. But unlike earlier in the season, he’s now driving opposing players backward as opposed to them standing him up. This played out in transition from last week was a prime example, when he moved Dillon Brooks out of the way before throwing down a thunderous slam. Brooks is a great defender and a tough, physical player. Flagg moved him like he wasn’t even there.
The block
The finish
— Dallas Mavericks (@ dallasmavs) February 11, 2026
Plays like the ones above make you forget that Flagg is only 19 years old.
Typically, I default to picking guys on winning teams, and Kon Knueppel has been awesome for the Charlotte Hornets as they’ve gone on a long run of successful basketball. But what Flagg is doing right now is a level above that. It’s completely ridiculous. Here’s the list of players who have averaged 27 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game over a nine-game stretch in their rookie year while shooting at least 50 percent from the field: Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Blake Griffin … and Flagg.
None of the others did it as teenagers. Flagg is on his way to being something truly special. Dallas fans should enjoy it. It’s going to be incredibly difficult for the front office to mess this up.
Murray-Boyles is dynamic for Toronto
Collin Murray-Boyles has been one of the most fun rookies to watch. He mans the center position at 6-foot-6 and continues to make an incredibly positive impact for a good Toronto Raptors team through his incredible anticipation. Even amid a losing season at South Carolina, surrounded by underwhelming talent, Murray-Boyles’ feel for the game and anticipation were always his superpowers. He might not move faster than everyone else on the court, but he thinks faster than just about anyone else, and his in-game problem-solving ability has shown up as a rookie.
It happens on both ends, too. Murray-Boyles’ defensive play is outstanding because of how active he is. Some centers, like Brook Lopez at his peak with the Milwaukee Bucks or Ivica Zubac before his trade from the LA Clippers, tend to do their work quietly with stout positional defense in drop coverage and strong verticality while taking up an immense amount of space. Murray-Boyles is the opposite. He’s a loud defender. Because he’s smaller, he needs to cover ground quickly and anticipate where plays are going before they happen. The result of that tends to be multiple spectacular action plays in which he meets offensive players at the summit and sends them packing.
Here’s a great example from a game earlier in the season against the Philadelphia 76ers, when Jamal Shead gets beaten backdoor after purposely overplaying Tyrese Maxey to reject a handoff. Murray-Boyles is alert and quickly covers ground to erase the shot from the opposite side of the rim to where he started his rotation.
CMB SAID NOPE
— Toronto Raptors (@ Raptors) November 9, 2025
Over his last 10 games, Murray-Boyles is averaging two blocks and 1.2 steals per game while earning over 30 minutes per night. His hands are incredibly disruptive and force offenses into difficult positions. Unsurprisingly, he and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Scottie Barnes have already combined to form a terror twins duo. In the nearly 500 minutes that they’ve played together, teams only score 107.9 points per 100 possessions. And the evidence is clear that they amplify each other.
When Barnes is on the court without Murray-Boyles, the team allows nearly 114 points per 100. When it’s Murray-Boyles without Barnes, the Raptors allow 116 points per 100. They just disrupt everything on the court in help situations. They cover so much ground with their length, quickness and reactivity that it’s hard to get clean looks. Both are also always a threat to rip the ball away or swat a shot with impunity and start an odd-man break. Everything about what Murray-Boyles has done so far in his rookie season screams that he’s a future All-Defensive team player.
Even on offense, Murray-Boyles is showing growth. He’s lethal in ball screens in ways that weren’t entirely expected. He’s good in the dunker spot, where his timing on when to get behind the defense has been superb. He finishes 65 percent of his half-court rim attempts, not quite an excellent number for a full-time center, but certainly a great number for a rookie who measured in at 6-foot-6 1/2 at the combine. He’s also caught a bevy of lobs this year from guys like Brandon Ingram, Shead and Immanuel Quickley, showcasing expert-level judgment on when to roll to the rim because he understands he can beat his defender.
Still, where Murray-Boyles thrives most is in short-roll situations. He’s an elite decision-maker and passer from the foul line already. He knows where to roll into the dead zone of the defense if teams put two on the ball, knows how to keep the pocket open for his guards and knows exactly how the help defense is rotating behind him. He also knows what he’s doing before he catches the ball, too. Over his last 10 games, Murray-Boyles is averaging 11 points and seven rebounds, but more importantly, he’s dishing out 3.6 assists per game versus only 1.4 turnovers, too. He not only moves the ball quickly, but he also maintains advantages by making rapid decisions. And he does all of it without making mistakes.
If we’re going purely off impacting winning basketball on both ends of the court as opposed to who puts up the most counting stats, Murray-Boyles is in the race for the last first-team All-Rookie spot. The top four seem solid right now with Flagg, Knueppel, VJ Edgecombe and Cedric Coward. That fifth slot is up for grabs in the final third of the season, and Murray-Boyles is certainly one of the players chasing it.
Utah is developing Bailey perfectly
Ace Bailey had a bit of a rough start to his rookie season. He dealt with knee tendonitis in both legs and wasn’t nearly ready for the start of the season due to an illness. Throughout the middle of the season, he dealt with a hip flexor strain that threw him off and forced him to miss six games. Between those issues, Bailey was a bit up and down while still adjusting to the league. Things seemed too fast for him, and he’d often not impact the game much unless his shot was falling. There were games where he was fairly invisible.
But after a quick reacclimation period following his return from that hip injury, Bailey has been one of the top-scoring rookies. Over his last 11 games, Bailey is averaging 16.1 points, five rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 46 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3. It’s not dissimilar from what he did in college, but it’s worth noting that the process in his good games seems a lot more streamlined now.
At Rutgers, Bailey often settled for bad, contested midrange jumpers as he tried to take guys off the bounce. He’s a long, wiry athlete with explosiveness and power. But he also plays very upright with a handle that is creative but too loose, meaning that he struggled to break opposing players down, get downhill for a paint touch and force help. That part hasn’t changed from a skill perspective this season, but I think that getting into a much more creative offensive system that focuses on off-ball movement has helped Bailey start to play in a way that makes more sense for the NBA. The numbers in his shot distribution back this up, too.
According to Synergy, only 32 percent of his half-court shot attempts are pull-up jumpers, down from 38 percent last season at Rutgers. That might not look like a massive leap, but here’s where you can see the big leap: Over 75 percent of Bailey’s overall shot attempts this season are coming with him taking one dribble or fewer, and 85 percent of his shots are coming with two dribbles or fewer. About 22 percent of Bailey’s shots this season have come with just one dribble, which indicates that he’s taking many more relocation shots on many of his pull-up attempts. Last season, only 36.5 percent of Bailey’s makes were assisted from 2-point range, and only 74.5 percent of his makes were assisted from 3-point range. This year, 74 percent of his makes from 2-point range are assisted, and 93 percent of 3-point makes are assisted.
Utah is making life easier for Bailey while his frame and game develop. The Jazz are minimizing his weaknesses and maximizing his strengths as a shotmaker by moving him around and getting him loose before he gets the ball. Bailey is getting live-ball reps to figure out the speed of the game, allowing him to develop at a more accelerated pace once he gets stronger, more physical and improves his handle. With Utah employing its interesting minutes strategy for its veterans by sitting them in the fourth quarter, Bailey is getting chances to play in crunchtime. He’s played nearly the full fourth quarter in all the team’s games in February and is being asked to play more of a primary role, while scoring about 42 percent of his points in the fourth this month.
The Jazz are having their cake and eating it, too, when it comes to Bailey’s development. I remain skeptical of him as a primary offensive option on a particularly good team because of the issues with his handle and his passing. He’s been less of a black hole with Utah than he was at Rutgers, but the vision still isn’t quite there yet with how he’s seeing the court, and I’m not sure we’ve seen enough at this stage to ever buy into it developing at a significant level. But with how the Jazz are utilizing him, I think Bailey has a chance to maximize his potential as a serious shot maker. He should learn as much as he can from Lauri Markkanen, because while the two may not seem like they’re similar as players, they might play similar roles as big-time shot makers who can drop 25 points per game over limited touches if Bailey keeps improving.
Other notes
• Knueppel drops to No. 2 not because of anything he did, but purely because what Flagg is doing is exceptional. Flagg’s former Duke teammate is showing All-Star upside long-term in his own right, averaging 19 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists on absurd shooting splits of 48.5 percent from the field, 42.8 percent from 3 and 90 percent from the line.
• Edgecombe and Coward come next, with Edgecombe continuing to ride the rookie roller coaster while still being productive on a good team. After a hot run in December and January, Edgecombe has fallen back down to earth over his last 18 games, averaging 12.3 points while shooting 41 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3 and only getting to the line two times per game. He’s still contributing in positive ways on defense and as a good passer who hits the box score beyond his own scoring. But he’s been cold for a month now, and the Sixers dropped three of their last four before the All-Star break to fall to sixth in the East.
Coward has maintained his ho-hum competence and effectiveness as a rookie. Over his last 14 games, he’s averaging 13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 47 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3 and 85 percent from the line. Those numbers are nearly identical to his season-long averages of 13.3/6.2/2.9. He’s a long, active defender, too.
• The race for the final first-team All-Rookie spot will be fun, as I’d include Dylan Harper, Derik Queen, Murray-Boyles, Tre Johnson, Egor Demin and Bailey as options. Right now, I’m defaulting to Harper. He’s averaging 10.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 46 percent from the field, only 25 percent from 3 and 75 percent from the line. But Harper is one of those players you have to watch to understand how much he’s impacting the game. His ability to get downhill rim pressure as well as defend at the point of attack is super valuable for the San Antonio Spurs. There’s a reason why he’s second among rookies in plus-minus behind Hugo Gonzalez and why the Spurs win their minutes by 8.9 points per 100 possessions in the minutes that Harper plays versus by only 4.4 points per 100 possessions in the minutes he is off the court. His presence is really helpful.
Queen’s impact has been a bit more muted and inconsistent since Zion Williamson re-entered the lineup for the New Orleans Pelicans. He still posts massive games occasionally, like the 22-point, nine-rebound, seven-assist beauty he played in a win against the Memphis Grizzlies at the end of January. But he’s only averaging 10 points and 7.5 rebounds with 4.4 assists over his last 17 games, a far cry from the superb 19-game run he put together in November and December when he averaged 16 points, 7.5 rebounds and five assists. The Pelicans are in a strange spot, as the team has been much better with its veterans in the lineup, and they have no reason to tank without a draft pick to worry about. However, they also likely want to balance that with developing their younger players, whose presence generally tends to tank their lineups (that goes for Jeremiah Fears, too). It’ll be fascinating to see how James Borrego and company handle this.
Tre Johnson has been coming on strong for the Washington Wizards. (Jim Dedmon / Imagn Images)
Johnson missed six straight games with an ankle injury before returning for the Wizards’ final game before the All-Star break; he’d been on a tremendous run before the injury. He’d averaged 15 points and three assists versus only 1.5 turnovers while shooting 46 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3 and 92 percent from the line in the Wizards’ previous 20 games. He got the nod over Egor Demin because that’s a more consistent 20-game sample than any that Demin has put together. But Demin’s best games have probably been more impressive than Johnson’s. His recent 25-point, 10-rebound, four-assist game versus Utah was superb in leading the Brooklyn Nets to a win. However, Demin’s bad games are pretty egregious in nature because of his lack of physicality.
• Instead of focusing on the last five players on the list, I’ll focus on some guys who don’t quite have the body of work to be ranked, but who are showing serious flashes recently.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Joan Beringer has been fun in the minutes he’s played as a backup center recently, using his athleticism and motor to impact the game. I’d like to see the team carve out more minutes for him. He tries to protect the rim with everything he has and plays with such energy off the bench that he clearly gives the Wolves a boost. It’s to his detriment sometimes, too, and things always seem to be moving incredibly fast for him. But his athleticism has translated in a big way.
Spurs wing Carter Bryant also entered the rotation more substantially recently. He put together three awesome games in four nights against the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder, when he scored in double-figures by drilling three 3s in each. But it’s his defense that is earning him minutes. Bryant is massive with a 9-foot standing reach for being as athletic as he is. He gets right up underneath opposing players’ skins and then has incredible length and timing to contest, recover and block shots and get deflections. He’s so active that, as long as his 3-point jumper continues falling, the Spurs are probably going to have to keep playing him despite how deep they are. He’s been that good on defense.
Wizards wing Will Rileyis also showing potential as the team starts to utilize more of its depth in an effort to both develop players and lose games. He dropped an impressive 27 points against Brooklyn, showcasing his tough driving skills in addition to hitting shots. More importantly, he had 20 in a game that the Wizards won over a sleepwalking Detroit Pistons, never letting up and consistently applying pressure offensively. He had a catastrophic getaway game before the All-Star break against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who bottled up his attacking forays into the paint. But before that game, he’d averaged 17 points per game over his prior six, nearly doubling his full-season point total.
Finally, Miami Heat guard Kasparas Jakučionishas arrived at the rookie party. He dropped back-to-back 20-point games during the week before the All-Star break and then had 11 in the team’s getaway victory over the Pelicans. He’s knocking down shots and making good decisions, and he’s starting to take pride on defense. The Heat have occasionally used him to pressure the ball up the court to drain shot clock time, and he also looks quicker laterally than he did last season at Illinois in half-court settings. He’s engaged and aggressive, doing a better job of fighting over screens. He’s been in the team’s rotation for 15 straight games, and he’s averaging seven points, three rebounds, nearly four assists versus only 1.2 turnovers, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 48 percent from 3.
By Sam Vecenie, via The Athletic