Top NBA Rookies to Watch on Christmas Day

Some of the top newbies to keep an eye on during the NBA Christmas slate.

Nov 27, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) dunks in the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Wednesday’s Christmas Day slate brings a slew of fun matchups, starting in the morning and finishing up with the Nuggets-Suns matchup in the late slot.

With 10 teams facing off, there’s a variety of notable recent draftees that will be worth tuning in for.

Here are the top rookies to watch on Christmas Day:

Stephon Castle, Spurs

Likely presently the leader in the Rookie of the Year race due to various injuries, Spurs newbie Stephon Castle has been thriving alongside Victor Wembanyama so far.

Most recently, he put up 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting, continuing to add his patented perimeter defense. On the season, he’s now scored 11.6 points and added 3.8 assists per game.

The Spurs will match up with the Knicks in the first game of the day at 11 a.m.

Dalton Knecht, Lakers

After a white-hot first handful of games, Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht has come back down to earth, but as one of the better sharpshooters in the ’24 class, could still present must-watch basketball in any given game.

On the season, he’s scored 9.8 points on 37% 3-point shooting in looking like a perfect piece alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The Lakers take on the Warriors at 7 p.m. CT.

Ryan Dunn, Suns

While Phoenix frosh Ryan Dunn hasn’t been able to live up to his preseason hype, he’s still carved out a nice rotational role with stingy defense and improved 3-point shooting — even at just 31%.

The Suns will look to best a Western Conference rival in Denver at 9:30 p.m. CT.

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