Cameron Boozer tops first Kia Rookie Ladder of 2026-27
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Cameron Boozer leads the first Kia Rookie Ladder of the 2026-27 season.
- Boozer averages 14.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.
- Memphis is 4-0, and the ladder will be updated every week.
Cameron Boozer is the top rookie in the NBA right now. The NBA named him number 1 in its first Kia Rookie Ladder of the season. The ladder came out on October 28, 2026.
A rookie is a player in his first NBA season. A ladder is a weekly ranking. It lists the best rookies in order, from number 1 to number 10.
What happened
The NBA published the debut ladder after the first week of games. Jeff Zillgitt wrote the ranking for the NBA. The ranking is his own choice.
It does not reflect the views of the NBA or its teams. Boozer plays for the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis picked him third in the 2026 NBA draft.
The draft is how NBA teams pick new young players each year. Boozer is 19 years old. He played college basketball at Duke before joining the NBA.
He now starts for a Memphis team that has won all four of its games. His stats back up the number 1 spot. He averages 14.8 points per game.
He also averages 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. A rebound means grabbing the ball after a missed shot. An assist means passing to a teammate who then scores.
Boozer leads all rookies in both rebounds and assists, according to NBC Sports. Memphis is 4-0 with Boozer on the court. The NBA reports that Boozer is plus-36 over that stretch.
Plus-36 means Memphis scored 36 more points than its rivals while he played. His best game so far came against Golden State. He scored 25 points in that win.
He also grabbed 13 rebounds and handed out 6 assists. That game made a small piece of history. Boozer became the third-youngest player ever with a 25-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist game.
The NBA notes that he joins LeBron James and Cooper Flagg on that list. The ladder will be updated every week. The ranking is based on season production, the past week's games, and availability.
Availability means whether a player is fit to play.
The rest of the top 10
Yaxel Lendeborg sits at number 2. He plays for the Golden State Warriors. Golden State picked him 11th in the draft.
Lendeborg leads all rookies in scoring. He averages 21.8 points per game. He also averages 9.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
His best game came against Denver. He scored 31 points in that win. He added 12 rebounds and 6 assists.
He is the first Warriors rookie since Steph Curry with a 30-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist game. Curry did it on February 10, 2010, according to the NBA.
Caleb Wilson is number 3. He plays for the Chicago Bulls. Chicago picked him fourth in the draft.
He averages 21.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Wilson scored 30 points against Washington. He also grabbed 14 rebounds in that game.
He is one of three rookies with a 30-point game this season.
Darius Acuff Jr. is number 4 on the list.
He plays for the Sacramento Kings. Sacramento picked him seventh in the draft. He averages 21.5 points per game, second among rookies.
Acuff scored a rookie-high 33 points against Portland. He takes 23.3 shots per game. Only Minnesota star Anthony Edwards takes more shots per game, according to the NBA.
Keaton Wagler is number 5. He plays for the LA Clippers. He averages 13.0 points per game.
He shoots 40 percent from three-point range. Three-point range means shots from behind the long arc on the court. Those shots are worth three points instead of two.
Wagler gets to the free-throw line 6.3 times per game.
Darryn Peterson is number 6. He plays for the Utah Jazz. Utah picked him second in the draft.
He averages 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Peterson found his shooting touch against Memphis. He made 3 of 5 three-point shots in that game.
He finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Aday Mara is number 7. He plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 7-foot-3 center averages 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Mara recorded his first double-double against Phoenix. A double-double means reaching double figures in two stats in one game. He scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in that win.
Trevon Brazile is number 8. He plays for the Denver Nuggets. Denver picked him 35th in the second round of the draft.
He averages 9.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Brayden Burries is number 9. He plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. He averages 7.3 points per game.
He has scored in double figures twice already this season.
Mikel Brown Jr. closes the list at number 10.
He plays for the Brooklyn Nets. He averages 10.3 points and 4.3 assists per game. He scored 17 points against Boston, with a late three-pointer that forced overtime.
Why it matters
The ladder is only a snapshot. It covers just the first week of the season. Still, it tells us a lot about this rookie class.
First, the class is deep. Ten different players already made a real impact. The top four picks are not the only names to watch.
Second, Boozer leads without leading in scoring. Lendeborg, Wilson, and Acuff all score more points per game than him. Boozer leads because he does a bit of everything.
He rebounds, passes, and defends. He also helps his team win. Memphis is unbeaten, and that counts in his favor.
Third, the ladder shows how fast things can change. One big week can lift a player several spots. One quiet week can drop him just as fast.
There is one big name missing from the top 10. AJ Dybantsa was the number 1 pick in the draft. He plays for the Washington Wizards.
At the time of the ladder, Dybantsa had not played yet. He had a sprained left ankle. A sprain means stretched or torn ligaments in a joint.
He was set to make his debut against Cleveland on October 28. That shows how the ladder works. It rewards what players have done on the court.
It does not reward draft position alone.
The honest caveats
Boozer is not perfect. His shooting needs work. NBC Sports reports that he shoots just 29.5 percent from the field.
Field goal percentage means how often a player's shots go in. A rate under 30 percent is low for a top player. NBC Sports gave Boozer a B grade for the first week.
No Ceilings, a scouting site, noted the same point. Boozer missed shots early in the season. But most of his shots came within the flow of the offense.
That means he was not forcing bad shots. He took the shots the team play created for him. The site expects his shooting to improve as the season goes on.
Lendeborg earned an A-minus grade from NBC Sports. Wilson earned a B grade. Acuff earned a B-minus grade.
These grades are early and will change. One week of games is a tiny sample. A sample means the small set of games we have seen so far.
Four games cannot tell us how a whole season will go. Injuries can also shake up the ladder. If a top rookie misses games, his ranking will fall.
Availability is part of the ranking formula.
What happens next
The next ladder comes out next week. Boozer must hold off Lendeborg to stay number 1. Lendeborg scores more points per game than any rookie.
Wilson and Acuff are close behind too. Both average more than 21 points per game. A big scoring week from either one could move him up.
Dybantsa is the wild card. A wild card is an unknown factor that could change everything. Once he plays, he could jump straight into the top 10.
Memphis fans will watch Boozer's shooting. If his shots start to fall, his case for number 1 gets stronger. If they do not, the race will tighten fast.
The race for Rookie of the Year has started. Rookie of the Year is the award for the best first-year player. The ladder is an early guide to that race, not the final word.
For now, the message is simple. Cameron Boozer leads the class after week one. The rest of the rookies are chasing him.
Next week's ladder will show if he can stay there.
See also: Luka Doncic's 52-point night against Utah.
Related stories
Why Is Altitude Sickness Worse for Some People?
Altitude sickness hits some people harder because of genetics, ascent speed, and prior history, not fitness level. Here is what raises risk
Why Do You Get Blisters When Hiking and How to Prevent Them
Friction plus moisture plus heat equals a blister. Learn why hiking breeds all three, and the boots, socks, and tape system that keeps
How to choose hiking boots for beginners: fit, features, and break-in
Beginners should buy for fit first: snug everywhere, tight nowhere, with a thumb's width at the toes. Here is how to size, test,