Projecting the 2024-25 All-Rookie Team after the NBA Draft

Projecting the 2024-25 All-Rookie Teams after the 2024 NBA Draft.

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Alexander Sarr poses for photos with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected in the first round by the Washington Wizards in the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NBA Draft has come to a close and with top prospects officially having their new home who is set to shine in their rookie seasons given the environment, opportunity and talent? Let's project the two All-Rookie Teams for the 2024-25 NBA season.

First Team All-Rookie

• Reed Sheppard, Rockets
• Stephon Castle, Spurs
• Zaccharie Risacher, Hawks
• Alex Sarr, Wizards
• Donovan Clingan, Trail Blazers

Sheppard is just what the doctor ordered for the Houston Rockets, at a minimum he will bring them a much-needed uptick in 3-point shooting, with the ability to pop with the ball in his hands - defensively some more casual draft observers might be surprised by his effectiveness especially surrounded by players like Dillon Brooks.

Castle is going to be an electrifying defender in the NBA - pairing him with Victor Wembanyama is unfair and will make for some fun defensive highlights - Castle came into this predraft cycle wanting to be a playmaker and now he will be a table setter for one of the best prospects we have ever seen, given his minute load and the ease of playing with Wembanyama to load up on stats.

Risacher with the Hawks in flux entering free agency unsure on if Trae Young or Dejounte Murray will be on the roster next season, there is a good chance Atlanta is heavily featuring their No. 1 overall pick. Couple the workload with voters just casting a ballot that includes the top selection out of habit and it would be silly to leave him off a projection.

Sarr is one of the best talents in this draft and if he didn't refuse to work out for the Hawks he likely goes No. 1 overall. Playing for the lowly Wizards still admittedly a few years away from contention, the modern big man will be a stat sheet stuffer.

Clingan will not lead to wins for Portland in the tough Western Conference, to no fault of his own, but he will be impactful. Anchoring the defense behind a plethora of perimeter athletes while being a safety net for those drive-heavy ball handlers in the dunker spot or on rolls to be spoonfed easy buckets should do wonders for his All-Rookie case.

Second Team All-Rookie:

• Rob Dillingham, Timberwolves
• Devin Carter, Kings
• Dalton Knecht, Lakers
• Cody Williams, Jazz
• Zach Edey, Grizzlies

Dillingham offered the biggest surprise of the draft, going No. 8 overall before being shipped off to the Minnesota Timberwolves. His scoring prowess next to Anthony Edwards and with a screen setting big like Rudy Gobert is exciting - When playing off the bench for the Western Conference contender he is certain to light up the scoreboard. The valuable offensive punch he provides to one of the best teams in the West should net him enough votes to be tabbed to the All-Rookie team.

Carter similar to Dillingham will just provide a massive lift to a Kings team trying to compete in the Western Conference between his firey defense, 3-point shooting and ability to drive the Kings secondary unit to avoid scoring lulls, Carter is one of the best win-now prospects in the draft.

Knecht is playing for one of the biggest brands in all of sports and will surely be a play-finisher next to the Lakers stars, if any coach should know how to use a movement shooter it should be JJ Redick, while he might not be one of the best rookies he will be an efficient, productive weapon for a Lakers team trying to get back to the playoffs. That will be enough to get him on the All-Rookie squad.

Williams is a super-talented prospect who battled injuries all throughout his freshman season of college which changed the perception of who he is. A really good scorer that has shown flashes both on and off the ball with the length to pop on defense as he continues to fill out his frame. Playing in Utah is a perfect opportunity for the Colorado product to shine, an organization has is no stranger to instant success from a first-year player in recent drafts under Will Hardy.

Edey in other environments might not be able to crack an All-Rookie team but in Memphis, they are uniquely positioned to mask his shortcomings defensively being able to stick him in drop coverage repeatedly with Jaren Jackson Jr cleaning up any mess and offensively just trying to float between the dunker spots and on rolls to be a bailout option for Ja Morant.

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