NBA Rookie of the Year rankings: Stephon Castle, Kel'el Ware close the gap on No. 1 spot

The NBA regular season is reaching the home stretch. With more eyes on the postseason and beyond, attention on rookies can tend to fall to the wayside. But this is the point where we start to see some of the best performances from the rookie class, as the trade deadline has passed and some guys get bigger opportunities to show their worth.

Take Matas Buzelis in Chicago, who has had an impressive month with the Bulls after the team sent out Zach LaVine at the deadline, effectively opening up a spot in the starting lineup for the 11th overall pick in last summer's draft.

In the seven games that Buzelis has started, he's averaging nearly 13 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists, a promising development for a Bulls team that is inching closer to a full rebuild. Buzelis is just one of many examples of the rookie class still showing us something this late in the season. His performances specifically make you wonder how good he would've been had the Bulls prioritized playing time for him earlier. But that's a conversation for another day.

With just six weeks left in the regular season, let's take stock of where the Rookie of the Year race stands.

5. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks

Over the last month, Risacher has really taken a leap. It's not just that he's putting up more points, he's been far more efficient in doing so. Risacher's month-to-month splits show a massive improvement in his efficiency across the board, a promising development in his rookie campaign.

A recent 19-point, six-rebound, three-assist outing for Risacher highlighted how far the No. 1 overall pick has come. He's being more decisive in his decisions, and more aggressive in looking to score the ball. Risacher's benefiting from an offense that spreads the ball around, as the Hawks rank second in the league in assists per game, and with the recent season-ending injury to Jalen Johnson, Risacher is getting even more touches and opportunities to score.

It's not the output many come to expect from a top pick, but Risacher's shown steady progress. He's a seamless fit on defense, joining the expanding army of lengthy, versatile wing players the Hawks already have in Johnson and Dyson Daniels. And now Risahcer's offense is slowly starting to catch up as the season winds down.

4. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies

Edey being so impactful as a rookie is impressive, in part due to all the detractors he had entering the NBA Draft. His height certainly makes things easier, as the 7-foot-4 center is an automatic deterrent for any team trying to score at the rim. But you still need the fundamentals to be an effective rim protector, and Edey has displayed them.

His role is pretty simple: defend the paint, set screens and use your height to finish at the rim. Edey excels at all three things, and he's showing an improvement in footwork to recover for blocks and slide over to impact shots.

It will be interesting to see how Edey adjusts to getting targeted in the playoffs, as he hasn't shown a great ability to defend in space. It will be paramount for him to not be a liability in that aspect so he can stay on the floor in crucial moments.

3. Kel'el Ware, Miami Heat

No one has risen more in the last month than Kel'el Ware. He's started in each of the last 15 games for the Heat, a stretch where he shot nearly 50% from the field. The gameplan for the Heat has basically been lob it up near the rim and wait for Ware to throw it down.

Ware's athleticism is a welcomed addition to a Heat team that hasn't had someone with his talents in quite some time. He's a 7-footer, but moves with the swiftness of a wing. He's only a rookie, but has such a high IQ to know when to cut, how to move without the ball and has great hands to catch passes from the likes of Tyler Herro.

He's an obvious lob threat, and can space the floor out to the 3-point line, which sets up those backdoor cuts and lob dunks perfectly. On defense, Ware's best weapon is as a rim protector. He's got great timing already on his blocks, and doesn't foul a ton, an important quality for a young player to have. Ware has decent foot speed to defend in space, and recovers well on quicker guards who slip past him to still effect shots. Ware's really blossomed over the last month and a half, and looks to be a foundational piece for a Heat team entering a post-Jimmy Butler era.

2. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs

Castle is progressing at a rate probably faster than even the Spurs envisioned. What will be interesting to see is how he fits into the team's long-term plans after trading for De'Aaron Fox, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Until then, what Castle's been doing has firmly put him in the running for Rookie of the Year.

Castle is relentless in attacking the rim, and does so with such aggressiveness that he often gets rewarded with a trip to the free-throw line. He's efficient, has a crafty handle and can play with or without the ball in his hands. At 6-foot-6, Castle's the optimal size for an NBA guard, he plays with the confidence of someone beyond his years and prior to Victor Wembanyama being sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a blood clot, he was developing important chemistry with the big man.

And that's just on the offensive side of the ball. We already have countless examples of Castle -- the Rising Stars Challenge MVP -- being a disruptive defender, capable of guarding multiple positions due to his size, and already being a headache for some of the top players in the league.

Castle rarely gets baited into bad fouls that rookies are prone to, he moves his feet, knows when to apply ball pressure and can muck up so much things on defense for opposing teams that it leads to easy transition offense for San Antonio.

Already we're seeing Castle navigate pick-and-roll defense with ease. He's going to be hunted just for the sheer fact that he's a rookie, but he's stacking up enough clips that may force teams to rethink that strategy.

Bradley Beal probably thought he'd get Castle to foul him on this drive after the switch on the pick-and-roll, instead the rookie just ties up the ball and forces a turnover.

Against the Celtics, the plan on this possession was to get Kristaps Porzingis a mismatch opportunity with Castle on him, but the former UConn product angled himself perfectly to basically seal off Porzingis from getting the ball, forcing another turnover.

Toward the end of that Celtics matchup, Jayson Tatum used a screen to try and break free of Castle, and when that didn't work he tried to get him out on an island. A variety of dribble moves by Tatum couldn't fool Castle, who moved his feet, stayed in front of Tatum and had an excellent close out to force an airball by the six-time All-Star.

These are things that just are not typical for a rookie. Castle is doing so much defensively to help the Spurs keep games close, and offensively he's been so confident and aggressive to make smart decisions. He's come on strong over the last month, averaging north of 15 points, four rebounds and 3.1 assists, and that production is likely to go up with Wembanyama out. He's right on Wells' heels to sit in the driver's seat for ROY.

1. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies

Wells has been consistent all season long, while other rookies in his class are starting to heat up as the year winds down. He's taken a step back over the last month, but when looking at the entirety of his rookie season, he's been efficient on offense and incredible on defense for a team that currently sits No. 2 in the Western Conference.

On a near nightly basis Wells is tasked with the most difficult defensive matchup, and he more than holds his own every time. In a clutch win against the Suns this week, Wells was navigating screens to still impact shots, picking up the likes of Devin Booker 90 feet from the basket and on one occasion providing just enough resistance as a help defender under the basket to deter a Beal basket and keep the lead in Memphis' hands.

His length makes him a matchup nightmare for smaller guards, like Beal on this play:

Wells has this frantic energy on defense that comes out in a positive way. It always looks like he's processing things at a quicker speed than everyone else, and sometimes it may look chaotic until he ends up making the right defensive play. He's aggressive in his closeouts, always using his arms and hands to impact a play, and has great footwork and a quick burst to recover easily.

A lot of players would've just given up on this play, allowing Booker a wide-open corner 3, but Wells, after trying to send help at Durant who was driving toward the rim, quickly realizes that KD was going to kick it out to Booker in the corner. Wells reacts perfectly, and doesn't let Booker get off an easy shot.

Wells is an absolute nightmare defensively, and on offense while he doesn't have a major feature role, he excels in what he's supposed to be doing. Wells knocks down 3s at a high rate, but also can serve as a third creator in the starting lineup behind Ja Morant and Desmond Bane. He still needs some work in that area, but Wells has at least shown he's capable of putting the ball on the deck and create scoring opportunities for himself. Right now, though, him being a 3-point mercenary is plenty enough for the Grizzlies.

With a month and a half to go, Wells remains in the lead spot for Rookie of the Year. Other guys may have caught up, and recency bias may suggest others should hold the top spot, but Wells has been doing all this since Day 1. His numbers don't scream typical Rookie of the Year winner, but his impact on both sides of the ball extends beyond the raw numbers.