The 2026 NBA Draft class has been predictably great so far. A handful of players already look like stars, some that haven’t hit their stride are already getting starting jobs, and others are already doing well with rotation minutes.

Below is NBA Draft on SI’s first rookie ladder for the 2026-27 NBA season, with plenty of time for rookies to continue gaining steam to start their careers:

1. Yaxel Lendeborg, Warriors

Topping the ladder is Warriors’ lottery pick Yaxel Lendeborg, who seems to be in headlines every other day, be it willing the Dubs to wins on the court, failing to back down in postgame interviews, and everything in between.

There were some expected reservations from the general NBA audience about the selection of Lendeborg in a loaded lottery, due to his turning 24 shortly after the draft. All of which should’ve been dispelled by Lendeborg’s combination of size, strength, athleticism and skill.

Now, he’s off to one of the hottest rookie starts in recent memory, not only tearing up the statistical side, but also genuinely helping the Warriors to wins. He’s averaging 21.0 points, one of the top rebounders on the team, play-making at a fine enough rate for a newbie, and shooting nearly 50-40-75.

Being older, Lendeborg has a clear leg-up on some of his fellow rookies, but he’s also not a finished product. And it’s clear the Warriors knocked it out of the park in grabbing exactly what they need for this iteration of the team.

For now, Lendeborg tops the list with his combination of counting stats and pure impact in Golden State, though his rookie counterparts are quickly ramping up behind him.

2. Darius Acuff Jr., Kings

One such player who’s not so much ramping up as he is simply exiting the launchpad is Darius Acuff Jr., who’s seen a somehow polarizing start despite adding an immediate star-level scoring punch.

Acuff is pulverizing the rookie records for shots attempted, having taken an unbelievable 209 shots through just nine games — good for over 23 per contest. One could deliberate the value of the greenest light in NBA history for a guard in desperate need of good habits, but Acuff has been undeniably productive at putting the ball in the basket given the volume. 

He is currently scoring over 26.0 points per game on 41-32-85 splits, doing everything he can for a pretty dismal offensive product in Sacramento. It’s early from a sample standpoint, but the last player to average in the ballpark of that many points per game in the 3-point era was none other than Michael Jordan.

Again, things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows: Acuff is inefficient, the Kings are awful, the scoring process is almost entirely on-the-ball and we haven’t even covered defense. But there are about a million other timelines that are worse than this start for Acuff, and him already being capable of a star scoring load with so much room to grow is a massive positive and worth of some rookie ladder praise.

3. Cameron Boozer, Grizzlies

For now, Lendeborg and Acuff feel pretty locked into the top-two spots given impact and a historic start, respectively, so No. 3 feels like the first spot firmly up for grabs. We’ve gone with Grizzlies’ forward Cameron Boozer, who’s helped the Grizzlies to an interesting first handful of games.

Memphis started 6-0, and despite a three-game skid, they’re clearly a better product than last season, with Boozer already impacting the game at several levels. At just 19, he’s been a menace on the boards and is effectively the team’s leading play-maker. 

Boozer is averaging 15.6 points, but has struggled to score the ball effectively, especially inside the arc, shooting just 34% overall. His touch will eventually translate, but the speed and size of the NBA is certainly causing some issues around the rim.

There’s little doubt that with his supercomputer basketball brain he’s going to figure out his athleticism deficit and find more efficient ways of scoring, but it’s certainly a hit on his early-season ladder ranking. Otherwise, Boozer has been about as expected: a winning-machine that’s already made a big impact for his squad as a teenager.

4. Caleb Wilson, Bulls

The fourth-ranked rookie is the No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson, who has seemed to slip through the cracks just a little bit given other performances, but has been a real bright spot for a bad Bulls team.

Wilson’s face-value stats of 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, two steals and one block per game have been good. He’s shooting just 40-30-70, but doesn’t have much in the ways help, with Norm Powell as the only other Chicago player averaging more than 13.0 points.

Far-and-away the most exciting part about Wilson is that he’s taking a whopping eight triples per game. Which is up just a little bit from one per game at North Carolina. Even more, he’s hitting 30% of those, which isn’t a sparkling number, but is also up from just 26% at UNC.

In the same way that Acuff’s 25 points per game aren’t perfect, neither has been Wilson’s season. He still needs to hone in on real defense more than simple play-making, as well as initiate more effectively as an offensive play-maker.

But it’s clear that the Bulls have an ultra talent and the crown jewel to their future.

5. Aday Mara, Thunder.

Thunder center Aday Mara doesn’t quite have the pure statistical output to compete with several of the top choices here, but his impact has been truly special for a team in desperate need of it.

Mara’s averaging 8.1 points on 63% shooting and 6.0 rebounds in less than 20 minutes played, already packing a better offensive punch than most NBA bigs, and has even made some starts for OKC alongside other bigs.

The kicker has been his defense, which has been resoundingly some of the best rim protection seen from a rookie since Victor Wembanyama. Mara is averaging 3.5 blocks per 36 minutes, and is leading the entire league in FG% allowed near the rim at just 36.8 — beating out all of Rudy Gobert, Donovan Clingan, and more.

Mara has the huge benefit of playing in an elite system — even accounting for the Thunder’s major injuries — and one would expect several of his fellow rookies to start to gain some ground on him as far as impact.

Still, OKC very clearly has its big of the future with a long runway for continued development as far as passing, shooting and more.

6. AJ Dybantsa, Wizards

The top pick in AJ Dybantsa has played less games than his peers due to an early ankle injury that sidelined him for the Wizards’ first games, but he’s looked expectedly fluid on the wing in Washington.

The Wizards have a truly unique roster composition right now, made up of win-now stars in Anthony Davis and Trae Young, as well as a budding young core of Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr and more. Dybantsa’s done well to fit in to the tune of 16.0 points, nearly 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a steal, but the Wizards just aren’t yet sure what they want to be and that extends to Dybantsa.

In the least, his size, athleticism and ability to maneuver his way to space at 6-foot-10 immediately jump off the page. And there’s little doubt that he’s going to improve and do so rapidly once they hand him the keys to this thing. 

One would expect both counting stats and efficiency to trickle up as we progress through the season.

7. Darryn Peterson, Jazz

Seventh is Darryn Peterson, who got off to a slow start, but is slowing coming into his own for the Jazz, who have had a truly dreadful start to the year.

Peterson’s scoring process has looked so-so in the Utah core, which is a bit of an unorganized mess right now. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen are hurt, and Keyonte George is the only real offensive hope, but a weird fit next to Peterson due to some overlap and lack of straight point-guard skills.

Despite that, Peterson has started to turn things on some, shooting more efficiently in picking his spots better. He’s now hovering above 40% from the field and 37% on good 3-point volume, much more in line with his fellow rookies while scoring just shy of 15 points per game.

The way more exciting part is that the early returns on Peterson’s play-making and on-ball work has seemed legit — he’s averaging four assists to just 1.5 turnovers, and has had moments of real impact defending on the perimeter, snatching steals and racking up deflections.

Peterson has a long way to go in Utah, but the early signs of stardom are already seeping through, despite a pretty putrid situation presently.

8. Meleek Thomas, Cavaliers

Cavaliers guard Meleek Thomas, who somehow slipped into the second round on draft night, led the entire Las Vegas Summer League in points per game and looks spectacular while doing so. Now, he’s carried that success over into a limited role with the real Cavaliers.

Athletically, Thomas seems to fit into the pros even better than he did at Arkansas. He’s got some zip to him, and the spaced-out NBA feels tailor-made for his style. 

Across seven games, he’s averaging 12.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, one assist and one steal, looking mightily comfortable in shooting 45% from the field and from three. He’s earned some spot starts, and has been a real spark plug at times for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers, at 5-5 and presently the No. 7 seed in the East, are a hard team to project, and that carries over to Thomas’s role. Though he should be able to cement at least his status in the rotation.

9. Brayden Burries, Bucks

There weren’t massive expectations for Brayden Burries coming into the year — mostly due to Milwaukee’s outlook as a whole — but he’s already been better than expected with room for growth.

Burries is averaging a respectable 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists while operating efficiently inside the arc. He’s shooting 44% overall, but shooting just 22% from three, something I’m fairly certain will work itself out sooner rather than later.

He’s already wormed his way into the starting lineup, and last offered up 21 points, 11 rebounds, six assists to one turnover and a block.

In a class with tons of wow, Burries feels like a pretty steady force that won’t need to do too much for Milwaukee this year to find his footing in the NBA. Which would be a win for a team in desperate need of all the talent it can get.

10. Kingston Flemings, Hawks

Another player who has seemingly worked their way into the first five out is Hawks’ guard Kingston Flemings, who’s fittingly carried over his speedy style to the pros.

Flemings is scoring 8.5 points on efficient splits, but the kicker has been his play-making at 7.3 assists per 36, which has been an essential need for Atlanta. He’s posted a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio, isn’t massively forcing shots, and has gotten loose in the scoring department a few times.

It’s made for a pretty impactful player for the Hawks, one who’s obviously done enough to warrant some starter reps. 

The very same development needs Flemings had coming in are still there — he needs to add strength and work on the 3-point volume regardless of efficiency drop-off — but otherwise he’s seen a positive start to his career.