NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings: Unicorns unleashed

Far all the hype around the 2024 NBA Draft, the early returns are a bit muted. The Spurs haven't really given Victor Wembanyama full autonomy within the offense yet. Amen Thompson is buried in the Rockets' guard rotation. Scoot Henderson is... completely out of it right now.

It's the first week of the season — in many ways, this is expected — but it's a bit disheartening to watch Henderson shoot 9.5 percent from 3-point range. One has to imagine the Rookie of the Year race, which is always more volatile one through five than the other major awards, will shift dramatically as the year progresses. There are underdogs who haven't emerged yet, and there are heavy hitters who need more time to convert their workload into production.

Frankly, there aren't many players earnestly in the Rookie of the Year conversation right now. Young players generally start their careers with a short leash and a large burden of proof, but we should see more rookies breakthrough in the weeks and months to come. There are too many blatantly talented players who aren't getting burn at the moment.

Here are the rookies who have separated themselves from the pack through one week of action.

NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings

Honorable mentions: Cason Wallace, Keyonte George, Marcus Sasser, Scoot Henderson, Amen Thompson

Dereck Lively II has emerged as the short and long-term answer for the Dallas Mavericks at center. He came off the bench in the first game of the season, but Lively has been cemented in the starting five ever since. He's averaging 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks on 78.9 percent shooting in 23.5 minutes per game.

Jason Kidd hasn't been very consistent with Lively's playing time, often to the chagrin of Dallas fans. It's clear Lively should comfortably outplay the likes of Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell every night, regardless of matchup. The value of placing a legitimate lob threat next to Luka Doncic has been pronounced. Lively leads qualified NBA players in field goal percentage; he's a complete vacuum for passes within the general vicinity of the rim.

Rookie centers often face a steep learning curve on defense, but as Lively showed during his abbreviated stint at Duke, he's capable of rapid growth. He has been a legitimate force in the middle of Dallas' defense. The Mavs' biggest problem last season was their inability to deter shots in the paint. Lively will only get more reliable as his experience mounts.

He will continue to battle a short leash from Kidd, but Lively looks the part of an everyday starter for a postseason contender. The Mavs are undefeated, in no small part due to Lively's heads-up rim protection and consistent offensive presence. He's going to get better as the season progresses, and it's hard to overstate the value of starting games for a contender in the Rookie of the Year race.