The 2024 NBA rookie class now has two months under its collective belt, which means it's time to reassess how each team's picks are faring.

Grades are far from final. Realistically, it'll take years to fully evaluate the players picked this past June. Consider this a progress report.

We'll mention rookies who've spent the majority of their time in the G League when necessary, but we're mainly focused on high picks and those who've actually seen the floor this year.

Ultimately, grades are based on performance relative to expectations. High picks who are struggling will have a hard time scoring well, while productive lower picks will earn stronger marks.

Let's see how this class grades out so far.

Atlanta Hawks

Zaccharie Risacher led all rookies in minutes through the first month of the season and continues to start, but his three-point shooting remains in the sub-30.0 percent range. Backup De'Andre Hunter is so consistently outplaying him that it's worth wondering how much longer Atlanta will continue gifting the top pick such significant playing time.

The Hawks are playing some of their best basketball in years but are being outscored when Risacher is on the floor—not ideal considering he spends such a significant chunk of his minutes in a lineup that also includes starters Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Clint Capela.

The rangy forward continues to show flashes of good feel and a well-rounded offensive game. His length and anticipation make him a useful defender, even if he's plagued by expected bouts of inconsistency. Ultimately, the criticism that Risacher profiles as a solid player who lacks the high-impact ceiling of most No. 1 picks feels pretty accurate.

Grade: B-

Boston Celtics

Baylor Scheierman might have been a bigger factor on a non-contender, but his five appearances for the Boston Celtics shouldn't count against him. In fact, a No. 30 selection seeing any action at all with a defending champion is a pretty impressive achievement.

G League averages of 18.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists reflect well on the rookie, and Scheierman leads the Maine Celtics with 9.3 long-range attempts per game. That volume suggests he'll understand the assignment if he ever gets extended minutes with the big club, which leads the NBA in three-point frequency.

Grade: C+

Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets gave a grand total of 13 minutes to rookies through the season's first two months. One of them, Cui Yongxi, suffered a torn ACL and was waived as part of the deal that sent Dennis Schröder to the Golden State Warriors.

Rather than grade the three-minute stint of the Nets' other first-year player, Jaylen Martin, why not get fans acquainted with Reece Beekman, an undrafted rookie who came over with D'Anthony Melton for Schröder?

Beekman is a legitimate point guard who averaged 18.7 points, 7.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 steals while scoring efficiently for the Santa Cruz Warriors. He's Brooklyn's most exciting rookie by default and might even get a chance to run the show for stretches with the Nets as the tank shifts into high gear.

Despite having no picks in the 2024 draft, Brooklyn might get some rookie production this season after all.

Grade: Incomplete

Charlotte Hornets

No. 6 pick Tidjane Salaün got major minutes during a late-November stretch that saw him produce his best game as a pro, a 17-point outing in a four-point loss to the Miami Heat on Nov. 27. The next night out, he hit a career-high four threes, scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

After shooting 28.3 percent from the field through his first month, the 6'9" forward out of France is up to 32.7 percent on the season. Baby steps for a player who perfectly fits the definition of a "project."

Salaün's early shot data shows the Hornets view him as a floor-stretching threat, with 61.0 percent of his field-goal attempts coming from beyond the arc. That ranks him in the 94th percentile among bigs in three-point attempt frequency.

K.J. Simpson, the 12th pick in the second round, cracked the rotation late last month and had a nine-assist game against the Sixers on Dec. 3. The undersized point guard will see less time with LaMelo Ball back and Tre Mann getting closer to his own return, but at least he showed something before likely returning to the G League.

Grade: C-

Chicago Bulls

He's still shooting under 40.0 percent from the field, but Matas Buzelis' increased playing time over the last month came with frequent flashes of upside.

The springy forward put up a career-high 20 points and hit four threes in a blowout win over the Nets on Dec. 2 and continues to leverage his athleticism on both ends. The transition dunks tend to make the highlight reels, but the 6'9" forward also ranks in the 99th percentile at his position in block rate.

Despite cracking the 25-minute barrier in just one game all season, Buzelis is fourth among rookies with 20 rejections.

Slick dribble moves, shockingly good defensive awareness, a long-range stroke that looks much better than the 35.4 percent hit rate it produces—Buzelis has as much star upside as anyone in the draft. The numbers aren't there yet, but the tape doesn't lie.

Grade: A-

Cleveland Cavaliers

Jaylon Tyson didn't amass 100 minutes until early December and isn't in line for a big role on a deep and contending Cleveland Cavaliers team that should see Max Strus rejoin the rotation this month.

Tyson got an extended 37-minute look in a Nov. 20 dismantling of the New Orleans Pelicans, and his efforts in that game suggest he could probably be contributing more if given the chance. He scored 16 points, grabbed 11 boards and handed out seven assists while going 7-of-12 from the field in that one.

Considering he only has 30 points, 24 rebounds and 11 assists on the season, that game is clearly the outlier.

Picked 20th in part because he was viewed as a player who could help immediately, Tyson simply hasn't gotten the chance. He often looks overqualified to be in the G League, so we can't knock him too badly for happening to land on a team with too much talent to give him minutes.

Grade: C+

Dallas Mavericks

Not much to see here, as Jazian Gortman (15 total minutes) is the only rookie to see the floor for the Dallas Mavericks this season. Undrafted in 2023, the former 5-star high school prospect is a 6'2" guard with a scoring mentality.

He's averaged 16.0 points per game in seven G League appearances, flashing an aggressive mindset and picking up opponents with full-court pressure.

A 20-point showing in Dallas' preseason opener was probably a key factor him earning a two-way deal, but it'll be a surprise if Gortman accumulates another 20 minutes with the Mavs during the season.

No. 51 pick Melvin Ajinca is still playing in France.

Grade: C

Denver Nuggets

PJ Hall, Spencer Jones and Trey Alexander have combined for 53 minutes this season, a rookie total that surely would have been higher if DaRon Holmes, picked 22nd in the first round, hadn't torn his Achilles less than a month after the draft.

Holmes was a consensus All-American and 20-point scorer in his final year at Dayton who might have pushed his way into backup minutes behind Aaron Gordon as a rookie. His injury cost Denver a potential rotation piece, no small loss on a team that desperately needs live bodies to keep the score close whenever Nikola Jokić is off the floor.

We won't ding Denver for Holmes' injury. He was a shrewd acquisition at the time and likely would have helped the frontcourt rotation.

Grade: Incomplete

Detroit Pistons

Who cares if 20 of his career-high 26 points came in garbage time of a double-digit loss to the Boston Celtics on Dec. 12? Ron Holland canned a pair of triples, shot the ball without hesitation and flashed the form that got him selected with the No. 5 pick in the draft.

For a wildly inexperienced 19-year-old looking to find his place in the league, every hot stretch counts.

The Detroit Pistons are heavily invested in the 6'8" wing, and they've kept him in the rotation all year despite a 21.4 percent hit rate from deep and more turnovers than assists. Holland's effort level is high, he's shown decent touch around the basket and he possesses the ideal big-wing frame teams covet—one he's used to effectively draw fouls on 11.9 percent of his shot attempts, a strong rate for his position.

One solid game doesn't make a season, but Holland's flashes are in line with expectations for a young and raw prospect playing a legitimate rotation role.

Grade: B-

Golden State Warriors

Reece Beekman is gone as part of the Dennis Schröder trade, so unless you were expecting great things from No. 52 pick Quinten Post, the Golden State Warriors have very little to discuss on the rookie front.

Beekman was a G League stud who averaged 18.7 points, 7.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 steals before being traded, while Post has put up 18.4 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 34.0 percent from deep. Not bad for a 7-footer, but clearly not enough to warrant fringe consideration in a deep Dubs rotation.

Well go with a slightly above-average mark because Beekman and Post have both shown signs they could contribute at the NBA level eventually, which shouldn't be the expectation for players who were undrafted and taken at the very end of the second round, respectively.

Grade: C+

Houston Rockets

It's getting a little worrisome for those of us who made outlandish preseason proclamations about Reed Sheppard forcing his way into the Houston Rockets' starting lineup. In fact, merely suggesting Sheppard would have a rotation role now seems far-fetched.

The No. 3 pick has played more than 20 minutes in a game just once, and he's averaging 3.8 points and 1.3 assists for the season.

The Rockets have been among the West's best teams, and it's hard to argue Sheppard deserves to play ahead of Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson or Jalen Green. If head coach Ime Udoka would expand his rotation (which currently features seven players logging at least 22.0 minutes per game), maybe Sheppard could get enough time to catch a rhythm. But with Houston firmly in win-now mode, it's going to take an injury for Sheppard to get any real action.

While it's way too early to say Sheppard is a bust, it's increasingly clear he's not going to provide the instant boost some expected after an incredible collegiate season. The No. 3 pick has been a non-factor. That's objectively disappointing.

Grade: D+

Indiana Pacers

No. 35 pick Johnny Furphy has played the vast majority of his minutes over the last month, and his 39.3 percent shooting from long range stands out as the main positive in his profile. That's a surprising development for a 6'8" Aussie wing who came out of Kansas billed not as a shooter but as a slick passer and switchable defender.

The samples are tiny enough to be skewed by single games, and Furphy's three-point accuracy wouldn't look nearly as good if he hadn't hit four of his eight deep attempts against the Nets on Dec. 4. He's 7-of-20 from distance outside of that game.

Still, getting anything interesting from a second-rounder is a win.

Enrique Freeman, picked 50th, had actually played more than Furphy over the season's first month. He's now getting looks mostly in garbage time and, at 24, doesn't exactly come with upside.

Grade: C+

LA Clippers

Cam Christie hadn't played for the big club when we last handed out grades, so his 18 minutes and five points in one appearance with the LA Clippers since then counts as progress.

The No. 46 pick and brother of Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie is averaging 12.2 points but shooting a brutal 23.8 percent from deep in the G League. Just 19, Christie has plenty of time to develop. With the depth of LA's roster, though, whatever growth he enjoys will almost certainly come in San Diego.

Trentyn Flowers, LA's other first-year player, has actually been the better performer. The undrafted 6'7" point forward is averaging 14.5 points and 4.8 rebounds while canning 46.7 percent of his threes in the G League.

His highlights alone, particularly a sky-scraping dunk against Santa Cruz, make him worth an above-average mark.

Grade: C+

Los Angeles Lakers

Dalton Knecht hasn't duplicated his breakout 37-point performance of Nov. 19, but he's still scored at least 15 points in three games since then and remains the rookie leader in three-point makes.

A rough stretch to start December, in which Knecht went a combined 3-of-26 from deep across seven games contributed to the loss of his starting gig, but he's continued to be a solid rebounder for a forward while maintaining value as an off-ball mover. Defenses aren't close to the point of ignoring him as a threat, even amid his shooting slump.

Bronny James continues to get more coverage than any 55th pick has a right to, but he returned from a heel injury to rack up 30 points on 13-of-23 shooting against the Valley Suns on Dec. 12.

Los Angeles' final grade still owes almost entirely to Knecht proving himself as a fringe starter and legitimate deep threat, which is excellent value for a No. 17 pick.

Grade: A-

Memphis Grizzlies

Jaylen Wells ranks first in Estimated Wins Added, second in points, second in games started, third in made triples, fourth in total minutes, eighth in assists and 10th in rebounds among rookies.

That's absurd value for a No. 38 pick, and Wells only looks better when you factor in the circumstances around him. He, unlike so many other first-year players appearing on various counting-stat leaderboards, is producing for a team that is in the thick of the chase for a top-four playoff seed. If anything, his stats undersell the impact he's making.

In addition to Wells, an All-Rookie lock who's shooting 39.0 percent from deep and routinely guards the opposition's toughest wing scorer, Zach Edey is back after missing nearly a month with an ankle injury. All he did in his 24-minute return on Dec. 15 was score 13 points, grab eight offensive rebounds and add a block and a steal.

While Wells leads rookies in the cumulative Estimated Wins catch-all, it's Edey who tops the field in the rate-based Estimated Plus/Minus. If Wells continues to start and Edey stays healthy, there's a good chance the Memphis Grizzlies wind up with the two most positively impactful rookies this season.

Grade: A+

Miami Heat

Pelle Larsson continues to be the Miami Heat's most consistent rookie presence, even if his minute total ranks just inside the top 30 in the class. Prior to going down with an ankle injury on Dec. 4, the second-rounder was on a highly efficient scoring run during which he hit at least half of his shots in six of eight games.

Cutting and physical on-ball defense are Larsson's selling points, and they've been among the main reasons he closed a few games for Miami before his injury. Pair those qualities with a 62.7 true shooting percentage, add some scoring volume, and Larsson could become a versatile two-way wing worthy of a major role.

Thomas Bryant wasn't exactly a rotation fixture, but the trade that sent him to the Pacers could theoretically lead to more minutes for preseason darling Kel'el Ware, who's averaging just 6.9 minutes per game and hasn't played since Nov. 27.

Grade: B+

Milwaukee Bucks

We flunked the Milwaukee Bucks' rookie class last time around, which had more to do with the franchise's decision-making than the players themselves.

AJ Johnson, picked 23rd, was a surprise choice. A Bucks team hamstrung by the second apron and in dire need of rotation help should have known it wouldn't get any from a 19-year-old fresh off averaging 2.8 points per game for the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL. Johnson is putting up 13.4 points, 4.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game but hitting just 41.6 percent of his shots from the field for the Wisconsin Herd–which isn't too shabby given his inexperience but doesn't suggest he's on the way to helping the big club.

He and the Bucks' other two rookies—Tyler Smith and Liam Robbins—have only combined for 67 NBA minutes on the season. Milwaukee has sorted things out since the one-month mark. Even if that's had nothing to do with its rookies, better play at least makes it more defensible that they took a raw project in the first round.

Grade: D

Minnesota Timberwolves

A sprained ankle showed up at the worst possible time for Rob Dillingham, who finally logged double-digit minutes (twice in a row!) and made meaningful contributions to a pair of close losses to the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets on Nov. 24 and 26.

We'll all remember where we were when the No. 8 pick flashed the jet-propelled drives and clever shot-creation in that Rockets game—hopefully not because it represents the rookie's only great performance of the season.

Since getting healthy, Dillingham has gone back to afterthought status.

The Wolves have their defense back to an elite level, but they still need scoring. Maybe if the struggle to generate points persists long enough, Dillingham will get another crack at the bigger role his per-36 numbers (16.8 points and 6.3 assists on 58.0 percent true shooting) suggest he can handle.

Grade: B-

New Orleans Pelicans

You would have won a lot of money betting on Yves Missi to rank among the top three rookies in minutes played at this (or any) point of the season. That's where the New Orleans Pelicans' starting center resides, though, and he's earned it with energetic offensive rebounding and shot-blocking.

Missi, picked 21st out of Baylor, found himself thrust into a massive role on a team without many center options. In a lost season, he's been a clear find for New Orleans.

One of two rookies with at least 30 blocks and 15 steals, Missi also has more than twice as many offensive boards as all but three other first-year players.

Maybe all this production on one of the league's worst teams doesn't have much long-term meaning, but Missi is almost certainly in line for an All-Rookie spot, something nobody would have predicted after the draft.

Grade: B+

New York Knicks

Ariel Hukporti is the lone New York Knicks rookie to see double-digit minutes in a December game, and that only happened because Karl-Anthony Towns missed a 120-111 loss to the Detroit Pistons due to injury.

As is typically the case for teams coached by Tom Thibodeau, rookies are on garbage-time-only duty.

Tyler Kolek has shot it well from deep, hitting 45.5 percent of his treys, but he's had five DNPs since Thanksgiving. Pacome Dadiet, a 6'7" wing, probably has the most intriguing upside. But he's now completely out of the Knicks' rotation.

It's worth wondering what all three of these players might be able to accomplish on a team willing to go deeper into its bench, as each has had moments of either intriguing potential or legitimate production in limited doses. Kolek, for example, ranks right between the more highly heralded Reed Sheppard and Donovan Clingan in Box Plus/Minus.

Going by the eye test, noting how Kolek and Dadiet can shred G League competition and pricing in Thibs' disdain for the bench, New York quietly has a strong rookie class.

Grade: B

Oklahoma City Thunder

Dillon Jones has shown some facility as a spacer and passer while playing most of his minutes as an undersized big, but the Oklahoma City Thunder's real rookie of note is Ajay Mitchell.

The 38th pick out of UC Santa Barbara has earned minutes mainly on the strength of his defense but has also shown a varied offensive game that includes a little facilitation and transition burst. At 41.9 percent from three, Mitchell's value as a shooter rounds him into form as a multi-faceted contributor on the West's best team. The Thunder trusted him enough to give him double-digit minutes in both the semifinal and final games of the NBA Cup.

Between Wells in Memphis and Mitchell in OKC, it's been a banner year for picks in the 30s.

Grade: B

Orlando Magic

Tristan da Silva is still shooting just 33.3 percent from long distance, and the trend line is heading the wrong way with a December hit rate of just 26.3 percent. It says a lot that the 6'8" wing still looks like a fantastic prospect even without excelling at one of the main skills that got him drafted.

A shrewd playmaker on the ball who makes connective passes with ease, da Silva is also a physical defender with good instincts and enough length to be disruptive in the passing lanes. The Magic were letting him run pick-and-rolls before Franz Wagner joined Paolo Banchero on the shelf, and da Silva's role as a creator will only increase over the next several weeks.

He racked up 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting with three rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes against the Knicks on Dec. 15 and should be a reliable starter for the foreseeable future.

Even if his three-point shooting doesn't come around, da Silva is going to make an All-Rookie team.

Grade: B+

Philadelphia 76ers

Despite being out indefinitely with a torn meniscus that required surgery, Jared McCain is going to remain the rookie scoring leader for at least another couple of weeks. That's how long it'll likely take second-ranked Jaylen Wells to catch him.

McCain was all but guaranteed an All-Rookie spot and was likely the front-runner for Rookie of the Year when he went down.

At 38.3 percent from deep, the combo guard added valuable stretch to Philly's offense. And his sense for bending defenses with relocations and timely cuts showed an advanced ability to create shots for himself when off the ball.

Depending on the length of his absence, McCain might not wind up as one of this season's most productive rookies. But he was arguably the very best first-year player through the season's first two months. The Sixers snagged a good one at No. 16, and we're not going to let an injury obscure that fact.

Grade: A+

Phoenix Suns

Ryan Dunn made 13 of his first 33 long-range attempts this season, but has hit about a quarter of his three-point tries since. Defensively, he's still among the better options in the class. But without the surprisingly reliable spacing he offered in the early going, Dunn isn't quite the steal he once seemed.

Phoenix has played him at least 20 minutes just once since Thanksgiving after trotting him out for seven such stints before it.

Oso Ighodaro continues to score efficiently (love that floater!) and ranks among the top third of big men in assist-to-usage ratio. Mobile enough on defense to survive against some switches, he's unfortunately not enough of a deterrent inside for major minutes at the 5.

This has been a critical appraisal of Phoenix's two best rookies, but we shouldn't overlook the fact that they've each played legitimate roles on a good team—a real achievement for the 28th and 40th picks.

Grade: B-

Portland Trail Blazers

Donovan Clingan has barely played since we last handed out rookie grades, as he went down with an MCL sprain in late November. Upon returning, the Portland Trail Blazers' imposing center picked up right where he left off.

In just 19 minutes agasinst the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 15, Clingan racked up 10 points, nine rebounds (four offensive), three assists and two blocks. That kind of elite bang-for-buck stat-stuffing is exactly what Clingan was doing before the knee injury. If he keeps it up, and especially if the Blazers start giving him major minutes, he's going to lead all rookies in several statistical categories.

Despite barely ranking inside the top 20 in total minutes, Clingan is first in blocks and second in offensive rebounds. And forget rookies; he's the league leader with 5.8 blocks per 100 possessions. When he's not swatting shots, he's preventing them from happening in the first place, as Clingan's presence on the floor lowers opponent rim-attempt frequency by 3.6 percent, an 87th-percentile figure.

Grade: A-

Sacramento Kings

Viewers outside the 916 area code probably don't know it, but the Sacramento Kings have gotten a little something out of undrafted big man Isaac Jones. After basically not playing at all, Jones put up 54 total points and 20 boards while hitting nearly 70.0 percent of his shots during a seven-game stretch from Nov. 25 to Dec. 6.

Both his point and rebound totals during that run ranked in the top 10 among rookies during that cherry-picked stretch.

Jones is already 24 and unlikely to be a fixture going forward, but his brief stint of effective scoring helps cushion the blow of No. 13 pick Devin Carter missing the season with shoulder surgery.

Grade: C-

San Antonio Spurs

You either love Stephon Castle or haven't watched him play. Those are the only two options.

The efficiency numbers underwhelm, as Castle continues to rank dead last in true shooting percentage among players who've attempted at least 250 shots this season. But Castle's athleticism, keen passing feel and aggressive mindset paint him as a potential two-way star.

Even amid shooting struggles, we've seen increasingly frequent glimpses of potential.

For example, Castle already has the handle and burst to beat his man in one-on-one situations, not to mention the strength to finish through contact. He and Jared McCain are the only rookies to attempt at least 10 free throws in a game this year, evidence of the foul-drawing craft teams crave in on-ball threats.

Already the rookie leader in assists and ranking among the top three in points, steals and minutes, Castle also passes the eye test with flying colors. That's why, with McCain sidelined, he's now the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year.

Grade: A+

Toronto Raptors

Ja'Kobe Walter is easily the highest riser among rookies since we last put out grades. His 202 minutes since Nov. 25 are eighth among rookies, and he's scored in double figures three times during that span.

Considering he'd appeared in just four games at our last check-in, his regular rotation presence is a huge story—particularly for a Toronto Raptors team that was already getting significant production from Jonathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead and Jamison Battle.

Of that trio, Battle has been the most efficient scorer. Though he's essentially a specialist, the 6'7" forward is, in fact, special as a three-point shooter. He's hitting 44.0 percent of his treys.

Shead is a rugged defender and clever passer who's rounding into form as a scorer after struggling mightily to get the ball in the basket earlier in the year.

Mogbo is a high-energy grab-and-go threat who ranks among the top five rookies in steals and offensive rebounds. He's even notched a couple of recent starts in place of the injured Scottie Barnes.

This class may lack a star prospect, but it has more depth and variety than any other.

Grade: B

Utah Jazz

Cody Williams' tentative approach got him a G League assignment late last month, and he hasn't exactly starred at that lower level. Through seven appearances for the Salt Lake City Stars, the No. 10 pick is shooting 31.6 percent from the field and 23.3 percent from deep while averaging just 13.0 points per game.

Rookies take time, and we're a long way from closing the book on the rangy wing. But to say his start has been anything but disastrous is to ignore the truth.

At least the Jazz are getting rotation-worthy play from Kyle Filipowski, who's started eight games while putting up 13.6 points, 8.8 boards and 3.6 assists per 36 minutes. Isaiah Collier has even made some recent appearances with the big club after spending time in the G League, but his total inability to shoot (13.8 percent from deep) looks like it could be a career-crippler.

Grade: D

Washington Wizards

Bub Carrington lost his starting spot for a stretch but never came close to relinquishing a rotation role, so he's still the rookie leader in minutes played. Only Steph Castle has more total assists, though Carrington also joins Castle as one of the only big-minute guards shooting under 40.0 percent from the field.

As was the case last time, Carrington's ability to get to spots and solid feel as a ball-handler suggest he's got a future floor as a backup lead guard. Better shooting efficiency and improved defensive awareness could make him a long-term starter.

Alex Sarr continues to block shots effectively while struggling at everything else, and our optimism about KyShawn George needs to be tempered by his 24.7 percent hit rate from three. Even if he's shown two-way skills and a high level of competitive fire, George isn't going to make it if he can't be a threat from long distance.

Grade: C+

Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Accurate through Dec. 20. Salary info via Spotrac.

Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@gt_hughes), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.