NBA Announces 2025/26 All-Rookie Teams
The NBA has officially revealed its All-Rookie teams for the 2025/26 season (Twitter links). The First Team is made up the top four picks in the 2025 draft, along with the No. 11 overall selection, while the Second Team consists of four additional lottery picks and one second-rounder.
A panel of 100 media members selected the All-Rookie teams, with players earning two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team nod. The 10 players who made the cut, along with their corresponding point totals (Twitter link), are as follows:
First Team
- Cooper Flagg, Mavericks (200 points)
- Kon Knueppel, Hornets (200)
- VJ Edgecombe, Sixers (200)
- Dylan Harper, Spurs (193)
- Cedric Coward, Grizzlies (125)
Second Team
- Derik Queen, Pelicans (110)
- Maxime Raynaud, Kings (110)
- Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans (109)
- Ace Bailey, Jazz (107)
- Collin Murray-Boyles, Raptors (66)
Flagg, Knueppel, and Edgecombe were the three finalists for Rookie of the Year and received nearly all the votes for that award, so it comes as no surprise that they’re the three players who were unanimously selected to the All-Rookie First Team.
Harper played a key role for the 62-win Spurs, while Coward emerged as a reliable scorer for the Grizzlies, averaging 13.6 points per game on 47.1% shooting. They were the only two players besides the three finalists to show up on any Rookie of the Year ballots.
Fears and Bailey ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, among rookies in scoring, while Queen and Raynaud earned starting roles for their respective teams and responded well, with Queen averaging 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, while Raynaud put up 12.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG. Raynaud, the only non-lottery pick on the All-Rookie teams, was the 42nd overall pick last June.
Murray-Boyles’ counting stats were modest, but he played a rotation role and showed off impressive defensive versatility for a Raptors team that finished fifth in the East. His eight first-team votes and 50 second-team votes helped earn him the final All-Rookie spot over Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who had 43 second-team votes.
Wizards guard Tre Johnson (19 points), Celtics wing Hugo Gonzalez (5), Wizards swingman Will Riley (4), Spurs forward Carter Bryant (3), Nets guard Egor Demin (2), Hornets guard Sion James (2), Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (1), and Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard (1) were the other players who showed up on at least one ballot.
Among all the players who received All-Rookie votes, only Nembhard went undrafted — he signed a two-way contract with Dallas as a free agent, then was promoted to the Mavs’ standard roster in February.
All-Rookie is one of the few awards that doesn’t require players to meet the 65-game minimum and certain minutes-played thresholds. Harper, Coward, Queen, Raynaud, Bailey, and Murray-Boyles each would have been ineligible for consideration if the 65-game rule applied to All-Rookie voting.
Eastern Notes: Nets, Marks, Jenkins, Heat, Magic
Sunday’s draft lottery was disastrous for the Nets, who fell from third in the pre-lottery order — tied with three other teams for the best chance at landing No. 1 — to sixth overall. Several reporters described owner Joe Tsai, Brooklyn’s drawing room representative, as appearing “despondent” after the drawing occurred.
According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link), the onus is on general manager Sean Marks to figure out a way to make the best of the situation after Brooklyn dropped in last year’s lottery as well, falling from sixth to eighth and selecting Egor Demin.
Two league sources told Lewis the Nets will look to move up from sixth, but it remains to be seen how that will play out. Rival executives believe the Clippers could be open to moving down from No. 5, Lewis adds.
While Marks said the Nets would be “opportunistic” and “look at everything” regarding the possibility of moving up, he wasn’t sure that landing at sixth would necessarily make the team more aggressive on the trade market.
“Hard to tell. It’s all about how these guys develop,” Marks said, per Lewis. “I don’t think you want to make rash decisions before you’ve seen how they look. We all know there’s a group in this draft that could be game-changers; but I said could be because you never know. You get whether it’s six months from now or two years from now and there’s always surprises.
“So every draft there’s a guy who people didn’t quite expect to be [that good] if you do the redraft. So for us, it’ll be still about having patience. But at the end of the day, we’ve got optionality. We’ve maintained flexibility, we’ve got the cap space and assets. So the word would be opportunistic.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Taylor Jenkins received a six-year contract when he was hired to be the head coach of the Bucks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports within his story about Milwaukee seeking trade offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jenkins was considered the top coaching candidate on the market, Charania writes.
- The Heat stayed at No. 13 in the draft lottery, which was their most likely outcome. If they keep the pick instead of trading it, who will they select? Three of the four mock drafts that were updated on Sunday had Miami selecting Alabama guard Labaron Philon, with Arizona guard Brayden Burries, Mexican forward Karim Lopez, Michigan big men Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson, Washington center Hannes Steinbach, and Houston big man Chris Cenac among the other prospects projected to go in that range, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
- Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said last week that the team would evaluate “everything” that led to a disappointing season, including injuries being a factor in the team’s first-round loss to Detroit, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “We look at everything,” Weltman said. “There’s nothing from scouting to analytics to performance to medical that we don’t turn over every rock over the summer. We’ll have deep-dive evaluations on everything.”
Nets Notes: Dëmin, Thunder Loss, Clowney
Nets guard Egor Dëmin underwent a successful non-surgical procedure help with the plantar fasciitis in his left foot, though neither he nor head coach Jordi Fernandez specified what type of procedure it was, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
“Everything went well, and now it’s just the process of rehab and getting back on the court as soon as the season ends, as we planned,” the Russian rookie said in his first comments since being shut down for the season. “Hopefully everything’s going to go in the right direction and I’ll be able to get back to work as soon as I can.”
Dëmin said the foot injury, which he originally sustained last offseason, had been bothering him more and more as 2025/26 went on, Lewis writes. The 2025 lottery pick is looking forward to being fully healthy ahead of summer league.
“Yeah, I’m taking this … I don’t want to say time off, but this time being off the court with a positive approach where I’ve really tried to take advantage of it, where I can have more time in the lifting room without worrying about being sore and not being able to play the same as I could,” Dëmin said. “So I’m just trying to kill as much as I can right now [since] it’s not going to affect my game because I’m not playing.
“So there’s a lot of advantage from not playing, even though I really like basketball and I’d prefer to be [playing]. But everything is happening for a reason and I believe in it, and I’m trying to be intentional with whatever I have in front of me.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- The Nets had a historically awful first half on Wednesday against the defending champion Thunder, per Lewis. They only managed 24 points, the lowest-scoring half in franchise history, and trailed by 36 at the break. “Obviously you feel embarrassed when you score 24 points in a half of basketball,” said Fernandez. “And I do believe, no doubt in my mind, our guys are better than this. But it’s not about what I believe; it’s about going out there and doing it.” Brooklyn had 68 points in the second half but still lost by 31.
- Third-year forward Noah Clowney was forced out of Wednesday’s game in the fourth quarter due to a right wrist issue, but he told Lewis the injury isn’t serious and he should be OK. “Yeah, we have to take a look and see what’s there, and obviously prioritize his body and his health,” Fernandez said. “That’s the most important thing, especially now with 13 games to go. And hopefully he’s fine.”
- In case you missed, leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. may have played his last game of 2025/26 after being diagnosed with a left hamstring strain. He’ll be reevaluated in two-to-three weeks.
Atlantic Notes: Demin, Sixers, Ingram, Shead
The Nets’ top rookie, Egor Demin, is out for the season due to a left foot injury. Demin didn’t want his first season cut short, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, but the pain he was experiencing in his foot grew progressively worse.
“He’s been a kid that wants to play, wants to be out there, wants to develop — and nothing better than playing real games to get better at this level,” coach Jordi Fernández said. “Obviously when you have discomfort and it doesn’t allow you to play at that level, we had to find solutions. We were trying to find the best way. And at the end of the day, the good thing is it’s [a] non-surgical procedure, which is good.”
The expectation is that Demin will be able to avoid surgery as a result of being shut down now.
“Obviously the summer and getting him to work and get better throughout the process and having a summer is important,” Fernandez said. “So, the fact he’s not going to be able to play these 20-some games, it’s not the best, because he wants to and we value real reps. But his health is the number one priority. And we’re very, very optimistic and positive about it.”
Dr. Andrew Brief of the Ridgewood Orthopedic Group said the Nets made the right move.
“He might just have a high pain tolerance. But it seems like an opportune moment for the Brooklyn Nets to shut him down now, given the fact that he’s having symptoms, and he’s had recurrence,” Dr. Brief told Lewis. “It’s probably affecting his play, and the team is not in the situation right now where they’re playing for a playoff spot.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers are already without Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. due to injuries for tonight’s game at Detroit. Adem Bona (back) and Johni Broome (knee) are also listed as out and Andre Drummond (back) is listed as questionable, which means the team will be severely depleted up front, Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports tweets.
- Raptors forward Brandon Ingram‘s shortcomings become more apparent when he’s not on the floor with star forward Scottie Barnes, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes. Ingram’s weaknesses as a top option have surfaced during the team’s recent nose dive. Ingram is a willing passer but not a quick decision-maker, according to Koreen, and he’s been in a shooting slump.
- Raptors guard Jamal Shead showed some signs of breaking out of his offensive slump. He had nine points, three assists and no turnovers in 20 minutes against New Orleans on Wednesday. Prior to that, he was shooting just 20 percent from the floor in the month of March, Michael Grange of Sportsnet notes. Overall, Shead is shooting 36.8 percent from the field and he needs to be more of a scoring threat to be an effective NBA player, Grange contends.
Nets’ Egor Dëmin Done For Season Due To Foot Injury
Nets guard Egor Dëmin will miss the remainder of the 2025/26 season due to increased plantar fasciitis in his left foot, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).
The Russian rookie is expected to resume basketball activities early in the offseason and be a full participant in the team’s summer development program, per the Nets.
Dëmin played one college season at BYU prior to being selected No. 8 overall in last year’s draft. The 6’8″ guard was viewed as a long-term developmental prospect after averaging 10.6 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals on .412/.272/.695 shooting in 33 appearances (27.5 minutes per game) with the Cougars last season.
In 52 games with Brooklyn in 2025/26, Dëmin averaged 10.3 PPG, 3.3 APG and 3.2 RPG in 25.2 MPG. The 20-year-old drastically improved from three-point range (38.5%) and the free throw line (81.3%) compared to his freshman year, though he didn’t draw many fouls (1.3 FTA) and struggled to convert inside the arc (43.3% on 2.4 attempts per game).
Dëmin missed most of training camp and the preseason while rehabilitating from a plantar fascia tear in his left foot. He had missed Brooklyn’s last four games after feeling more pain in his foot.
“He’s struggled with plantar fasciitis, and the soreness has increased lately,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said last week. “So we’re being cautious and trying to figure out what’s the best way for him moving forward.”
Fellow rookie guards Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf are candidates for more playing time with Dëmin sidelined.
Nets Notes: Fernandez, Dëmin, Thomas, Carrino
Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez was critical of his starters and a pair of young players after Tuesday’s lopsided loss at Miami, per Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. As Reilly writes, Tuesday was “easily” Michael Porter Jr.‘s worst game of 2025/26 — he finished with nine points on 3-of-17 shooting, including going 0-for-9 from long distance.
“I want Mike and the first group to play as hard as they can,” Fernandez said. “I want to challenge them to do it, because I’ve seen them doing it, especially on the defensive end. If that happens, I can live with whatever happens. If that is there, then you’re being selfless, you’re playing for the team, and just good things happen. I’m trying to just challenge every guy in different ways.”
Rookie Nolan Traore actually received two points of criticism, as he was part of the starting unit. He recorded six turnovers and zero assists, and fellow rookie Ben Saraf had six turnovers as well (he dished out four assists).
“(Traore and Saraf) need to grow. They need to grow and watch it and learn from it,” Fernandez said. “And I know they’re better. It’s not an excuse if they’re young. I’ve watched them play and they’re way better than 12 turnovers. How they organize the team, how vocal they are, all that, it’s important.”
The 19-year-old guards played better in Thursday’s rematch in Miami, combining for 11 assists (nine for Traore) and four turnovers (three for Traore), though Brooklyn still lost its 10th straight game.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Saraf has received backup point guard minutes in recent games because fellow first-round pick Egor Dëmin has been sidelined due to a left foot injury. Fernandez said the Russian guard, who missed most of training camp and the preseason while rehabilitating from a plantar fascia tear, has experienced more soreness of late, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “He’s struggled with plantar fasciitis, and the soreness has increased lately,” Fernandez said. “So we’re being cautious and trying to figure out what’s the best way for him moving forward.”
- Cam Thomas said last week that his departure from the Nets was “absolutely” because the team didn’t believe in him, adding that the lack of belief wasn’t exclusive to him. Fernandez responded to those comments prior to Thursday’s game, as Lewis relays (via Twitter). “No, I mean, I wish Cam the best. We loved him while he was here,” Fernandez said. “We hope he does very well where he is. I don’t know if he has a right to speak about others; but we’re happy with the guys we have here. I believe that everybody here can help us with what we have planned, and we wish nothing but the best for him.” Thomas signed with Milwaukee last month after being waived by Brooklyn following the trade deadline.
- Play-by-play announcer Chris Carrino has been named the recipient of the Curt Gowdy electronic media award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Friday (Twitter link).
Injury Notes: Flagg, Niederhauser, Nuggets, Demin
Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, who has been out since February 10 due to a left midfoot sprain, is expected to return to action on Thursday in Orlando after missing the club’s past eight games. Co-interim general manager Michael Finley first suggested during a Wednesday radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan that Flagg’s return was imminent, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.
“That’s the plan right now,” Finley said of Flagg returning on Thursday. “I think it’s still a game-time decision, but he looked good in his workouts yesterday, he looked good earlier today, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that he could come back and give us some minutes tonight.”
Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link) has since confirmed that Flagg will return tonight, while Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News echoes that report. According to Curtis, the plan is for the first-year forward to be on a minutes restriction vs. Orlando, then see an uptick in usage on Friday in Boston, barring a setback.
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- After sustaining a right foot injury in the Clippers‘ win over Indiana on Wednesday, reserve center Yanic Konan Niederhauser will miss at least the next two games, staying home as the team visits San Antonio on Friday and Memphis on Saturday, tweets Joey Linn of SI.com. Isaiah Jackson, who took Niederhauser’s place in the rotation in Wednesday’s game, scored 10 points in 18 minutes against his former team and should see an increased role going forward.
- The Nuggets have formally ruled out forwards Aaron Gordon (right hamstring strain), Peyton Watson (right hamstring strain), and Spencer Jones (right shoulder strain) for Thursday’s game vs. the Lakers, the first of a back-to-back set, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. Gordon is reportedly targeting Friday’s matchup with New York for his return, while Watson may not be far behind him. Jones, meanwhile, is missing a third straight game, while Cameron Johnson (right ankle inflammation) is listed as questionable after sitting out on Monday in Utah.
- Rookie guard Egor Dёmin will miss his third straight game on Thursday when the Nets play at Miami, per C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News. The eighth pick in last year’s draft is currently sidelined with what the team calls left plantar fascia injury management. “Right now, he’s not good to go,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “We’ll see what the next step is. It’s important that we manage them.” As Holmes notes, Dёmin missed most of Brooklyn’s training camp and the preseason while rehabilitating from a plantar fascia tear.
Rory Maher contributed to this post.
Nets Notes: Tanking, Rookies, Marks, Schedule
The NBA may be taking a harder stance on tanking but that can’t deter the Nets from getting the best possible position in the loaded lottery, Brian Lewis of the New York Post opines (subscription required).
Lewis notes the Nets are more talent-deficient than other teams who are elbowing for lottery positions. Getting one of those high picks is crucial to accelerating their rebuild. They come out of the All-Star break just a game out of the No. 2 lottery spot and need to keep the wins for the remainder of the season at a minimum, Lewis writes.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- In his evaluation of the team’s performance prior to the break, Lewis points out that most of their rookies remain question marks. In particular, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf still have a lot to prove, though lottery pick Egor Demin has shown that he can be a steady factor — he’s had 34 straight games with a three-pointer, an NBA rookie record. Nolan Traore has also developed into a more reliable threat, posting averages of 13.1 points and 5.6 assists since Jan. 23 on 51.1 percent shooting, including 39.3 percent from distance.
- In an in-depth subscriber-only story, Lewis takes a look at Sean Marks’ roller-coaster decade as GM. One anonymous assistant GM praised Marks for a couple of his biggest deals. “Yeah, he’s had some big wins. The (Kevin) Durant trade (to Phoenix) was a big win. The Mikal Bridges trade (to the Knicks) was a big win,” the assistant GM said. “Other executives that were less good negotiators than Sean might have accepted the deal at a lower price point and not gotten as much. And his willingness to stick to his guns on those got him some big wins.”
- The schedule after the break could facilitate the Nets’ desire to pile up the losses. Their next dozen games include a pair against Eastern Conference leader Detroit as well as two games apiece against Cleveland and Miami. They also have to play Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Boston during that stretch.
Atlantic Notes: Diawara, Tatum, Nets Guards, Hart
Mohamed Diawara‘s emergence as a rotation player has made his future with the Knicks an offseason priority, Stefan Bondy writes for the New York Post.
Diawara, who has become an unexpectedly reliable shooter off the bench for New York, is on a one-year, $1.3MM contract that makes him eligible for restricted free agency this summer. Since the Knicks signed him to that one-year deal, he has become perhaps the team’s best draft pick since Miles McBride was selected in the second round of the 2021 draft, Bondy writes in a separate piece.
“There’s just a lot of little things when you see Mo play that make you go, ‘Oh my gosh, wow,'” coach Mike Brown said. “And all those things, when you add them up to a possible opportunity, it gives you more confidence as a coaching staff to throw him out there and say, ‘OK, let’s see what’s going to happen.'”
While he has shown some interesting flashes of dribbling and passing at 6’9″, Diawara knows what he needs to focus on if he wants to succeed in the future.
“Three-point shooting and defense,” he said. “Those are things that are going to make me stay in the league for the longest.”
Bondy writes that the still-raw wing is not expected to command a large market as a restricted free agent but that his contract situation will be one of the more important ones for the team to resolve, after that of impending unrestricted free agent Mitchell Robinson.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- There’s still no timeline for Jayson Tatum‘s return from his Achilles tear, but there have been encouraging signs of late, including his recent 5-on-5 scrimmage with the Celtics‘ G League team. Teammate and co-star Jaylen Brown recently added his cautious endorsement, saying, “In terms of what I’ve seen, he looks pretty damn good,” according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (via Twitter).
- Nolan Traore knows the Nets are a work in progress, but he believes he and fellow rookie Egor Demin complement one another well and could become Brooklyn’s long-term backcourt, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “We complete each other, and we play great [together],” Traore said. “He is a good shooter, and it is always good for me to play with good shooters.” Head coach Jordi Fernandez says he likes what he’s seen from the two and challenges them to improve their physicality. Traore started the season in and out of Brooklyn’s rotation, but he has hit his stride of late, averaging 12.0 points and 4.8 assists on 43.2% shooting from deep in his last 12 games.
- Josh Hart is an identity-setter for the Knicks, but despite being an integral part of the team’s success, he knows he’s unlikely to ever get an All-Star nod, Steve Popper writes for Newsday (subscriber link). “I think you’d always like to be an All-Star,” Hart said. “Do I think a guy that’s my style of play is really going to be an All-Star? Probably not. If I was ever fortunate to be in that position, I would love it, but I just know the play style, it’s not the glitz and the glamour to it.” The Knicks have a record of 29-14 with Hart playing this season and have gone just 6-6 without him.
Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel Once Again Named Rookies Of Month
Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and Hornets wing Kon Knueppel have once again been named the Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in January, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Flagg and Knueppel, who were Duke teammates last season, have monopolized the award this season, gaining those monthly honors three consecutive times. No one else has won it this season, as the months of October and November were combined.
Flagg, the top overall pick, averaged 20.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game last month. He capped off the month with a 49-point eruption against Charlotte and 34 points against Houston.
Knueppel averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per night in January. He scored a season-high 34 points in the same game Flagg scored 49.
Ace Bailey (Jazz), Cedric Coward (Grizzlies), Caleb Love (Trail Blazers) and Derik Queen (Pelicans) were the other Western Conference nominees. Egor Demin (Nets), VJ Edgecombe (Sixers), Tre Johnson (Wizards) and Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors) were also nominated in the East.