Where does Pelicans' Yves Missi rank among Rookie of the Year candidates?

There hasn't been much to celebrate for the New Orleans Pelicans so far in their 2024-25 NBA season. After acquiring All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray to join an ensemble cast of talents alongside Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum, they came into the campaign with high hopes.

But they weren't regarded among the top title contenders due to some glaring roster holes, including the lack of an established starting center and a bench that didn't inspire confidence. Fast forward a month later and the Pelicans are far from contention, but not for the reasons that people thought they'd come up short.

Instead, New Orleans has been ravaged by injuries, at one point missing seven of their highest-paid players. On the other hand, their weaknesses may have become among their strengths. Analysts and pundits — myself included — surmised that the Pelicans may have been putting too much pressure on Yves Missi, a 20-year-old rookie taken outside of the lottery, by expecting him to provide reliable center play in year one for a playoff hopeful. Through the first quarter of the season, though, Missi has been one of the few bright spots for the Pelicans.

Yves Missi continues to climb the Rookie of the Year Ladder

It's safe to say that Yves Missi has exceeded expectations so far in his rookie year. Through 17 games, he's averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 54 percent from the field. He's doing so in just over 23 minutes a night. Per 36 minutes, his numbers shoot up to 11.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.

He's looked far more polished than anyone could have expected from a 20-year-old who only started playing basketball a few years ago. He's not one of those stat-chasing centers who abandon all defensive discipline in pursuit of rejections. Instead, he's shown agility and versatility when guarding on the perimeter along with patience and timing as an interior anchor.

His performance hasn't gone unnoticed. Despite playing for the flailing Pelicans, he's steadily climbed up the NBA's Rookie of the Year ladder. After week one, he didn't crack the top 10, despite an impressive debut for New Orleans. By week two, he had shot up to the eighth spot, after earning more opportunities from Head Coach Willie Green due to a combination of his excellence, Daniel Theis's inefficacy, and the Pelicans' injuries.

He stayed put at eight after week three, settling into a role for his shorthanded team. In the NBA's latest update, he shot up to six, behind only Jared McCain, Stephon Castle, Jaylen Wells, Dalton Knecht, and Zaccharie Risacher. That makes Missi the highest-ranking rookie center, even though several big men were drafted ahead of him including Alexandre Sarr, Donovan Clingan, and Zach Edey.

This year's rookie class is lacking a clear runaway favorite, so the opportunity is there for Missi to continue climbing the ranks. He's in a situation where he could put up the numbers he needs to steal the award if he can continue to play well and improve upon his play so far.