It’s way, way too early in the NBA season to be handing out report cards. Not that it’s going to stop me, but think of this more like the grades on a pop quiz some annoying teachers surprise students with the first week of class. It’s a small-sample-size theater, but here are the early grades for some standouts from the rookie class, including the top four picks. (Note: Some relatively high-profile rookies are not on this list, I just want to see more before grading them.)

Dybantsa has yet to take the court for the Wizards, but that is going to change Wednesday night (Oct. 28) when he plays in his first game, on the road against the Cavaliers.

During Summer League, Darryn Peterson showed the explosiveness that had scouts drooling over him going back to high school (something we didn’t see nearly enough at Kansas). Now facing NBA defenses, Peterson is struggling to show that same burst of athleticism.

So far this season, only 8% of his shot attempts have come at the rim (in the restricted area), while 34% have been taken in the floater range of three-to-10 feet. Another 30% of his shots come from the pull-up midrange of 10-16 feet. The result is a guy shooting 36% on the season so far, and also just 33.3% from 3. It’s why he’s averaging 11.5 points a game, plus 2.4 assists a night.

Also, the chemistry between him and backcourt partner Keyonte George is very much a work in progress. In crunch time this season, the Jazz leaned into the George/Jaren Jackson Jr. pick-and-roll (although that will change with Jackson out). Peterson needs more time to figure out how to process the NBA game and make it work, but the first week left questions.

You can kind of make the stats say whatever you want with Cameron Boozer. There are the rock-solid counting stats: He is averaging 15.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game (he leads all rookies in rebounds and assists per night). Or there are legitimate concerns that he’s shooting just 29.5% from the field and under 10% inside the restricted area. Or there’s the fact that the 4-0 Grizzlies are +7.3 points per 100 possessions when he is on the court.

While Boozer is struggling to hit shots, he’s getting those looks within the rhythm and flow of the offense. He’s picking his spots (and letting Ty Jerome go off on the nights he’s cooking), and he’s playing within himself. Put simply: He’s being exactly the polished, professional player we expected Boozer to be. The shooting will come around, and one reason scouts were high on Boozer is that he’s won big at every level, so it’s no coincidence the Grizzlies are off to a fast 4-0 start with him on the court.

How are Bulls fans enjoying the Caleb Wilson roller coaster? On opening night, against Toronto’s strong perimeter defense, he shot 7-of-21, had nine turnovers and zero assists, and finished with a -45. A few nights later, he dropped 30 points on Washington, with 14 rebounds, and zero turnovers.

Wilson was always the player with the highest ceiling in this draft class but also was more raw compared to the three players taken above him. He needs reps, he’ll get that in Chicago, and it’s always been about growth. He’s averaging 21 points per game on 41.9% shooting (a rough 49.9 true shooting percentage), plus 7.3 rebounds a night. What matters most with Wilson (and all the rookies, but especially him) is how he looks in February compared to now.

Yaxel Lendeborg

Grade: A-

Everyone wants to talk about Yaxel Lendeborg getting in Luka Doncic’s face, and why the rookie may not have wanted to tug on Superman’s cape. However, if you’re the Warriors, you love that he won’t back down — they need more of that attitude. And it’s authentic with Lendeborg.

However, that debate misses the bigger picture: In his first NBA game, Steve Kerr trusted Lendeborg with the Doncic defensive assignment, one of the toughest in the league. Lendeborg is fearless, physical and knows how to use his 6'9" frame. He has a good handle and his jumper looks real — he drove the Warriors’ first win of the season, dropping 31 points with 12 rebounds on the Nuggets.

It’s early, but Lendebord is the surprise standout of the class. He only gets a minus behind his A grade because maybe you don’t piss off Doncic (because that tends to spark Lakers runs and half-court shots), but aside from that he has been everything the Warriors could have hoped.

Darius Acuff Jr.

Grade: B-

This grade may be a bit kind, but there are reasons for it. Sacramento has handed the keys to the offense over to Acuff, and he has taken that as a personal challenge — he attempted more shots through his first three NBA games than any player in league history. Through four games, he’s averaging 23.3 shot attempts per night, only Anthony Edwards is taking more (yes, he’s attempting more shots than Luka Doncic). Acuff has the fifth-highest usage rate in the league, higher than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. You have to love Acuff’s confidence.

The problem: Acuff is shooting 34.4% on all those shot attempts. And he’s hitting just 20.6% of his 3-point attempts. Where other high-usage players (such as Doncic, Edwards, Giannis Antetokounmpo, etc.) thrive is that they are efficient shooters while carrying this offensive load. Acuff isn’t close to that yet, he has a 41.2 true shooting percentage that is not even in the ballpark of league average.

Asking what the Kings and coach Doug Christie are asking of Acuff is a lot and a little unfair, which is partially why he got this grade. His efficiency feels like something that will improve over time. What’s more, his decision-making process largely has been solid, he has developed some pick-and-roll chemistry with Domantas Sabonis and is good at winding through a defense to a shot he likes. He’s good at finding a solid midrange shot if the paint is packed. Eventually more of those shots will fall and he will be better at setting up teammates. That’s why he gets an optimistic grade early — expected improvement.

When I watched Aday Mara at Summer League and talked to scouts and team officials, there were a lot of people who thought he could develop into a rotation player for the Thunder. Nobody thought that was happening this season. Then again, nobody thought he’d shut down Victor Wembanyama at the rim in the first game of the season, either.

Ignore the counting stats (5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game), Mara has become a reliable part of the NBA’s best frontcourt rotation alongside Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams. That is very impressive for the rookie.

The Nuggets forward is the most under-the-radar rookie in this group, but he has brought energy and athleticism to the Nuggets that they needed.

The athleticism of Brazile, a second-round pick out of Arkansas, was never in doubt — he can run the floor and jump with anyone. The question was how he would fit that into the NBA.

“The main thing for me was kind of learning spacing and stuff,” Brazile said a few days before the season started. “Just knowing where to run the floor, not just running around, but having a purpose where I’m running has definitely helped.”