2 goals Yves Missi must meet to make an All-Rookie team in 2024-25 NBA season

After the mania that followed the arrival of Victor Wembanyama, the hype, or lack thereof, surrounding the new rookie class has been severely underwhelming. This past draft was always expected to be a weaker one, and the indifference shown towards the incoming freshmen has been indicative of that.

In fact, this current rookie class was so weak at the top of the board that the favorite to win Rookie of the Year is Zach Edey, the Memphis Grizzlies' ninth-overall selection. Not only is ROTY virtually a craps shoot this next season, there's no telling which first-year players will wind up on the two All-Rookie teams.

That gives a late first-rounder like Yves Missi an honest chance to fight his way in. Missi is in a unique situation as a rookie in which he'll have the opportunity to play an absolutely crucial role for a playoff-caliber team hoping to be a dark-horse contender. The New Orleans Pelicans have a dreadful center rotation. That doesn't bode well for the team, but it does mean that Yves Missi has a chance to rise to the top of the rotation quickly. If he can hit these two goals, he'll have a great chance to land on an All-Rookie Team due to his situation with the Pelicans.

Yves Missi has to have a great rookie season for the New Orleans Pelicans

1. Average 20+ minutes per game

To succeed in the NBA, a player has to be available. This is a problem that's plagued the Pelicans, a team led by two injury-prone stars in Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. As a young athlete without any notable injury history, it's unlikely that health will keep Yves Missi off the floor next season. Some things that could keep his playing time down, though, are conditioning, foul trouble, consistency, and overall effectiveness.

This goal is a bit confusing because to make an All-Rookie team, a player has to be good. To be considered good, that player has to put up numbers. To put up numbers, that player has to get minutes. And to get minutes, that player has to be good. This might seem needless to say, but, to make an All-Rookie Team, Yves Missi has to be on the floor early and often for the Pelicans.

It's not like he has to worry about getting buried behind any legends even if he has tot talent to crack the rotation. If Missi has the skill necessary to play, New Orleans has the center minutes to give him a shot at All-Rookie. Of the 10 players that made All-Rookie last season, Cason Wallace averaged the lowest minutes per game at 20.6. Missi will need to meet that mark to be in consideration.

2. Average 8+ rebounds per game

The New Orleans Pelicans were a middle-of-the-road rebounding team with Jonas Valanciunas manning the paint. Head Coach Willie Green likes to have his players gang-rebound, with the boards well distributed up and down the roster. Last season, six different Pelicans averaged more than four rebounds and not a single player grabbed more than nine a night.

With two of their top glass cleaners in Valanciunas and Larry Nance Jr. now gone, New Orleans will need their new rag-tag group of centers to step up on the boards to keep the team from sliding down the rebounding ranks. Like the Pelicans, the Baylor Bears handled their rebounding through a collective effort. But, due to his combination of athleticism and effort, Yves Missi shined on the glass, especially on the offensive end of the court where he notched a 14.6 percent rebounding rate. For comparison, Jonas Valanciunas's career offensive rebounding rate is 12 percent.

Rebounding is mostly effort and instinct, so it's an area in which Missi should be able to make his mark right away. Dominating on the glass will be an easy way for him to earn trust from Head Coach Willie Green, maximize his opportunities with the team, and pad his resume for All-Rookie.