Victor Wembanyama made an ominous prediction for the rest of rookies on the Kia Rookie Ladder and, frankly, for pretty much the entire NBA.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs long man said, “This is probably the worst Victor we’ll ever see. I believe I will keep getting better and better every year, so it’s promising.”

Or frightening, if you’re his opponent. Because he’s already formidable, again right on the heels of Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren in this week’s rankings.

Weekly recap

• Both Ladder leaders picked up praise recently that would make for great book-jacket blurbs. First, here’s Minnesota center Rudy Gobert on Holmgren. “He’s gonna write his own legacy,” the multiple All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year told The Oklahoman, “and I’m excited to witness that.”

• Next it was Denver center Nikola Jokic weighing in with compliments and predictions for Wembanyama. “He’s 19 years old, he’s not getting tired or getting scared,” the two-time reigning MVP told reporters. “He’s playing hard and he wants to be good. … He’s going to change the game, 100%.”

• While the top two spots stayed the same as last week, there was significant movement on other rungs. Seven of last week’s Top 10 shifted position, an indication of improvement, new challenges and mostly small-sample size barely a month into the season. An eighth rookie returned to the ranking, possibly beginning his climb back to preseason projections.

• Portland’s Scoot Henderson was that guy, showing up at No. 10 with new contact lenses and goggles, after a nine-game absence due to ankle injury.

Storyline to watch

Increasing responsibility. Some of the best rookies aren’t simply finding their individual games. Even though it’s early, a few are taking on greater team responsibilities as well. Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., for instance, has been a valuable part of the Heat rotation, picking up injury slack with a consistency that belies his draft spot at No. 18. Brandon Miller has already begun carrying a heavier load with Charlotte star LaMelo Ball out again with a severe ankle sprain.

And it seems likely Henderson will get back to starting for the Blazers. He averaged 9.7 points and was +9.0 off the bench, with an undeniable effect on Portland’s pace. “He brought us a spark,” teammate Jerami Grant said. “We played faster than we’ve been playing over the last whatever games that he hasn’t played.”

Latest ranking

(All stats through Tuesday, Nov. 28 )

1. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

Season stats: 17.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.2 bpg
Last Ladder: 1
Draft pick: No. 2 (2022)

Holmgren had a strong week, averaging 22.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists, though his shooting (46.2/36.4/73.3) was a little off his previous 50/40/90 pace. His plus/minus gap over Wembanyama sits at 216 (Holmgren +91, Wemby -125). And he got a new frontcourt mate for some notable minutes, with coach Mark Daigneault experimenting with fellow big Jaylin Williams alongside Holmgren.

2. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Season stats: 19.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.6 bpg
Last Ladder: 2
Draft pick: No. 1

Hard to quibble with his numbers, all of which ticked up this week with Wembanyama posting 22 points, 11.7 boards and 3.0 assists per game, to go with 2.7 steals and 3.0 blocks. His inability to stop the Spurs’ losing streak and inconsistent shooting have been his downside.

3. Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans

Season stats: 13.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.0 apg
Last Ladder: 4
Draft pick: No. 14

He’s hitting 37% of his 3-pointers, leading the Pelicans in that stat to pick up the slack from injured Trey Murphy III and CJ McCollum. The UConn shooter leads the Class of 2023 in production from deep — he is 50-of-135, making 60% more and taking 80% more than any other rookie. His defense and sub-45% shooting on twos need work.

4. Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons

Season stats: 11.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.1 apg
Last Ladder: 3
Draft pick: No. 5

As his scoring has gone up — 12 ppg for the week, including 16 vs. Washington — his work on the boards has dipped down (5.0 since the last Ladder). Losing has not stymied him, but he will have to pick up the pace now to join Charles Barkley and Gar Heard in a rather quirky club in NBA history: Only players 6-foot-6 or shorter to average 10 boards, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals. Thompson is posting 9.5 rpg, 1.7 bpg and 1.1 spg.

5. Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets

Season stats: 14.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.9 apg
Last Ladder: 6
Draft pick: No. 2 overall

The second pick of the Draft flips back into the Top 5 and back into the Hornets’ starting lineup with the injury departure of Ball. There are 18 teams Miller hasn’t faced at all yet, but he’s averaging 19.3 points on 56.4% shooting against the Knicks. He hit 9-of-17 from the arc Tuesday to get his percentage up to 37.3%.

The Next 5:

6. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat

Season stats: 11.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.6 apg
Last Ladder: 8
Draft pick: No. 18

Had 14 points, four rebounds and six assists in 33 minutes in “Lillard game,” consistent off Heat bench.

7. Keyonte George, Utah Jazz

Season stats: 9.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.1 apg
Last Ladder: 9
Draft pick: No.16

Big scoring week (16.7 ppg, with 4.7 rpg, 5.0 apg) and held firm as starter.

8. Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks

Season stats: 8.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.3 apg
Last Ladder: 5
Draft pick: No. 12

Returned from 1-game absence (back) for eight points, five rebounds vs. Houston.

9. Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards

Season stats: 8.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.8 apg
Last Ladder: 7
Draft pick: No. 7

Wizards beat Pistons by 19, ace defender was a +19.

10. Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers

Season stats: 9.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.0 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 3

Grabs a rung after missing nine games with an ankle injury.

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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