Latest news with #EasternConferenceRookieoftheMonth
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Heat's Ware edged out for NBA's first-team All-Rookie honors, but makes second team
Heat center Kel'el Ware was edged out for a spot on the NBA's All-Rookie first team but finished with the most votes among players named to the second team, the league announced Tuesday. In a vote of 100 media members, Ware received 44 first-team votes and 50 second-team points. His 138 points placed him sixth among all rookies, behind Washington's Alex Sarr, who finished fifth with 138 points. The All-NBA rookie first team included, in order by vote totals, San Antonio's Stephon Castle, Atlanta's Zaccharie Risacher, Memphis' Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey and Sarr. Joining Ware on the second team: Chicago's Matas Buzelis, New Orleans' Yves Missi, Portland's Donovan Clingan and Washington's Rob Carrington. Buzelis was seventh in voting with 97 points, well behind Ware. Players are named to the first and second teams regardless of positions. Ware, 21, fell short of becoming the eighth Heat rookie in franchise history to be selected for the All-Rookie first team. The seven to do it in a Heat uniform were Sherman Douglas (in 1989-90 season), Steve Smith (1991-92 season), Caron Butler (2002-03 season), Dwyane Wade (2003-04 season), Michael Beasley (2008-09 season), Kendrick Nunn (2019-20 season) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (last season). Ware became the second Heat player this decade to make the All-Rookie second team, joining Tyler Herro. Besides Ware and Herro, six other Heat players have been named second-team All Rookie: Kevin Edwards (1988-89), Glen Rice (1989-90), Willie Burton (1990-91), Udonis Haslem (2003-24), Mario Chalmers (2008-09) and Justice Winslow (2015-16). In 64 games (including 36 starts), Ware averaged 9.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks and shot 55.4% from the field and 31.5% on threes (35 for 111). Among rookies, Ware ranked fifth in rebounds, eighth in blocks and 12th in points per game, per Ware, who was the 15th overall pick last June, was named NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in January, after scoring 20-plus points in three consecutive games during a stretch that intersected with him becoming a starter. Among all NBA players (not just rookies), Ware finished 19th in blocks per 36 minutes (1.8) and finished 17th in rebounds per 36 minutes at 12.0, sandwiched between a three-time MVP (Nikola Jokic) and a four-time Defensive Player of the Year (Rudy Gobert). Adebayo was 32nd in that rebounds-per-36 category at 10.1. Miami became a better offensive team, for a time, after Ware joined the starting lineup in mid-January. During the regular season, Miami shot 49.1% when Adebayo and Ware were on the floor together, compared with 46.5 overall. The Heat shot 40.9% on threes when they played together, compared with 37.3 overall. Miami averaged more points per 100 possessions with its super sized frontcourt (113.1 to 112.4 otherwise). When Adebayo and Ware played together, the Heat outscored teams by 44 points and five-man lineups with that duo had the fourth-best shooting percentage and the best three-point shooting percentage among any two-man Heat combo that played at least 40 games. But even though Ware provided resistance at the rim, he was slow at times defending pick and rolls and the Ware/Adebayo frontcourt was a disappointment against Cleveland in the playoffs. Ware struggled in the postseason, finishing with 19 points and 19 rebounds in 73 minutes. He played no more than 20 minutes in any game and the Heat was outscored by 43 points during his time on the floor in postseason, as Cleveland demolished the Heat in a combined 122 points in the four-game sweep. Among Ware's standout games of the season: a 25-point game in a win over the Spurs, a six-block game in an overtime loss to the Knicks and 19 points and 17 rebounds in a win against Philadelphia. Ware is due $4.4 million next season in the second year of his rookie contract. The Heat has an Oct. 31 deadline to exercise a $4.7 million team option in Ware's contract for the 2026-27 season.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hawks' Zaccharie Risacher headlines finalists for Rookie of the Year
Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle and Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells were named the finalists for the 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year award. Risacher averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists on 35.5% shooting from 3-point range in 75 games. The two-time Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month finished second in total scoring (942) and was the only first-year player with four 30-point games this season. Advertisement Castle led all first-year players in scoring, averaging 14.7 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds on 42.8% shooting from the field in 81 games. The Rising Stars Game MVP was the only rookie with at least 1,000 points and is one of three in franchise history to also have 250 assists. Wells posted averages of 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists on 35.2% shooting from 3-point range in 79 appearances. He was the Western Conference Rookie of the Month in October and November and was the only second-round pick to average at least 10 points per game. Risacher, Castle and Wells were selected as finalists for Rookie of the Year based on the voting results from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. The ballots, which were announced Sunday on TNT, were due from voters on Tuesday at 6 p.m. EDT. Advertisement Castle is the betting favorite to win the award, with Risacher behind him and Wells in third. The winner will be announced on TNT during its coverage of the playoffs. This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: NBA Rookie of the Year: Hawks' Zaccharie Risacher headlines finalists
USA Today
20-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Hawks' Zaccharie Risacher headlines finalists for Rookie of the Year
Hawks' Zaccharie Risacher headlines finalists for Rookie of the Year Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle and Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells were named the finalists for the 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year award. Risacher averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists on 35.5% shooting from 3-point range in 75 games. The two-time Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month finished second in total scoring (942) and was the only first-year player with four 30-point games this season. Castle led all first-year players in scoring, averaging 14.7 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds on 42.8% shooting from the field in 81 games. The Rising Stars Game MVP was the only rookie with at least 1,000 points and is one of three in franchise history to also have 250 assists. Wells posted averages of 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists on 35.2% shooting from 3-point range in 79 appearances. He was the Western Conference Rookie of the Month in October and November and was the only second-round pick to average at least 10 points per game. Risacher, Castle and Wells were selected as finalists for Rookie of the Year based on the voting results from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. The ballots, which were announced Sunday on TNT, were due from voters on Tuesday at 6 p.m. EDT. Castle is the betting favorite to win the award, with Risacher behind him and Wells in third. The winner will be announced on TNT during its coverage of the playoffs.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hawks' Trae Young makes Rookie of the Year case for Zaccharie Risacher after 38-point game
Zaccharie Risacher set a new career high in scoring on Thursday, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a key victory in the race to secure the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Risacher produced 38 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot in a 133-109 win over the Brooklyn Nets on the road. He went 15-of-20 from the field, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, and was a team-high plus-28 on the court in 34 minutes. Advertisement The No. 1 pick finished with the most points in a game by a rookie this season, topping the 37 points scored by Los Angeles Lakers forward Dalton Knecht on Nov. 19. He had 23 points alone in the first half, his fourth 20-point half of the season. He earned high praise from Trae Young afterward. I was hoping he got 40 tonight. The way he was playing was so nice, so effortless. It was great to see. We need him to keep it going. That is the Rookie of the Year right there. ... Zacch is very, very aggressive. He is very smart. There are a lot of guys who are tall, athletic and skilled, but there are not a lot that have all three combined with smartness. ... He is so skilled. He has got the brightest future of any rookie that I've seen this year. The win kept the Hawks one game ahead of the Chicago Bulls in eighth place and the right to face the Orlando Magic in the play-in tournament on Tuesday in Central Florida. The seed is coveted since it would give the team that claims it two chances to earn a playoff berth. Risacher is averaging 12.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 35.5% shooting from 3-point range in 73 games with the Hawks. He is second among all rookies in total scoring (924) and is the only first-year player with four 30-point games this season. Advertisement The reigning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month has connected on at least five 3-pointers in all four of his 30-point outings, tied for the third-most occurrences by a first-year player in history. Only Allen Iverson (7) and Young (5) have more such performances. Risacher is making a late push for Rookie of the Year, though he will likely come up short to San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle. But the Frenchman is ascending at the right time for the Hawks and impressing the organization seemingly on a nightly basis. "The consistency of his competitiveness (impresses me the most)," Hawks coach Quin Snyder said of Risacher. "I think for someone that is embracing competing in a league against night in and night out -- to me -- the best athletes in the world and his ability to take that with an even keel and still compete at a high level regardless of how much success he has in any given moment (is what) mentally, I think, has allowed him to continue to improve throughout the course of the season." This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Hawks news: Zaccharie Risacher joins elite group after 38-point game
USA Today
11-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Hawks' Trae Young makes Rookie of the Year case for Zaccharie Risacher after 38-point game
Hawks' Trae Young makes Rookie of the Year case for Zaccharie Risacher after 38-point game CAREER NIGHT FOR ZACCHARIE RISACHER 🚨 💪 38 PTS (career-high) 💪 4 REB 💪 2 STL 💪 6 3PM — NBA (@NBA) April 11, 2025 Zaccharie Risacher set a new career high in scoring on Thursday, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a key victory in the race to secure the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Risacher produced 38 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot in a 133-109 win over the Brooklyn Nets on the road. He went 15-of-20 from the field, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, and was a team-high plus-28 on the court in 34 minutes. The No. 1 pick finished with the most points in a game by a rookie this season, topping the 37 points scored by Los Angeles Lakers forward Dalton Knecht on Nov. 19. He had 23 points alone in the first half, his fourth 20-point half of the season. He earned high praise from Trae Young afterward. I was hoping he got 40 tonight. The way he was playing was so nice, so effortless. It was great to see. We need him to keep it going. That is the Rookie of the Year right there. ... Zacch is very, very aggressive. He is very smart. There are a lot of guys who are tall, athletic and skilled, but there are not a lot that have all three combined with smartness. ... He is so skilled. He has got the brightest future of any rookie that I've seen this year. The win kept the Hawks one game ahead of the Chicago Bulls in eighth place and the right to face the Orlando Magic in the play-in tournament on Tuesday in Central Florida. The seed is coveted since it would give the team that claims it two chances to earn a playoff berth. Risacher is averaging 12.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 35.5% shooting from 3-point range in 73 games with the Hawks. He is second among all rookies in total scoring (924) and is the only first-year player with four 30-point games this season. The reigning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month has connected on at least five 3-pointers in all four of his 30-point outings, tied for the third-most occurrences by a first-year player in history. Only Allen Iverson (7) and Young (5) have more such performances. Risacher is making a late push for Rookie of the Year, though he will likely come up short to San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle. But the Frenchman is ascending at the right time for the Hawks and impressing the organization seemingly on a nightly basis. "The consistency of his competitiveness (impresses me the most)," Hawks coach Quin Snyder said of Risacher. "I think for someone that is embracing competing in a league against night in and night out -- to me -- the best athletes in the world and his ability to take that with an even keel and still compete at a high level regardless of how much success he has in any given moment (is what) mentally, I think, has allowed him to continue to improve throughout the course of the season."
