NBA Rookie of the Year ladder: Big rise from Brandon Miller in Week 4

The NBA Rookie of the Year race features a wide variety of players in a variety of roles. There are the obvious standouts up top — this is set up to be a two-horse race all the way, with a very strong (and borderline insurmountable at his current pace) No. 3 close behind.

Still, this was a deep draft class, and there are several rookies making an impact across the league. There are also rookies bound to surge in these rankings eventually. Scoot Henderson will figure it out at some point and Amen Thompson's rise is a waiting game as he recovers from an ankle injury.

The "value" of rookies can be difficult to judge. Some have bigger opportunities but tend to be less efficient under more strenuous conditions. Some rookies play niche roles on established contenders, and thus their efficiency profile and advanced stats pop.

Let's try to sift through it all to judge the 10 best NBA rookies to date.

NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings: Week 4

Honorable mentions: Brandin Podziemski, Craig Porter Jr., Keyonte George, Toumani Camara, Scoot Henderson

Marcus Sasser has been a serious positive influence off the Detroit Pistons' bench. Detroit's offense has been a league-worst disaster, largely due to a lack of spacing around Cade Cunningham on the perimeter. The Pistons will continue to force-feed Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes, and now is the time to do so, but there's a chance Sasser emerges as the best player — or at least the best fit — next to Cunningham in the backcourt when all is said and done. His playing time has taken a dive lately, but Sasser is averaging 8.1 points and 2.6 assists on .477/.385/1.000 splits in 17.8 minutes.

Injuries have paved the way for Jordan Hawkins to establish a significant role in the New Orleans Pelicans' rotation. He has made 16 appearances (eight starts), averaging 12.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on .385/.359/.871 splits in 28.6 minutes. By sheer volume, it's difficult to keep Hawkins out of the race. He's an impactful movement shooter whose floor-stretching has made a material impact on the New Orleans offense. It's fair to question his impact beyond shooting, but reigning national champ is well on his way to All-Rookie consideration.

The Miami Heat are rolling and Jaime Jaquez Jr. has established himself quickly in the rotation. He's averaging 10.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on .504/.385/.824 splits in 25.5 minutes. Miami is leaning into Jaquez's unique quirks, such as his playmaking ability out of post-ups, and he's scoring efficiently with all sorts of in-between shots. The 3-point stroke was a big question coming in and he has been a spot-up ace.

Bilal Coulibaly has quietly been a source of light during a dark and uncomfortable Washington Wizards season. His role tends to fluctuate, but as the third-youngest player in the NBA, Coulibaly is averaging 8.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on .506/.439/.619 splits in 25.6 minutes. He has been a complete menace on defense (0.9 steals, 0.8 blocks) and an impressively efficient play-finisher for a Wizards team in need of both.

He doesn't have the sexiest counting stats — 7.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists on .627/.538/1.000 splits in 22.9 minutes — but Wallace has been an efficiency monster for the West's No. 2 seed. He's finishing plays all over the floor and providing invaluable connective tissue as another ball-handler and rapid-fire processor off the Oklahoma City Thunder bench. Plus, he's a legitimately impactful guard defender as a 20-year-old rookie. If OKC makes a run this season, it will be with Wallace playing key minutes.