With three players being ahead of the pack, Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes are entering last week of their rookie season being the favorites to win the Rookie of the Year award.
Mobley slid into a frontcourt slot for the Cavaliers and, offensively and defensively, has been as big a reason for the Cleveland Cavaliers resurgence this season. Mobley has immediately become a starter in a winning squad.
The rookie big has missed the last five games of his team due to an ankle sprain. The last time he logged regular minutes, he scored in double digits and Cleveland was 11 games over .500, two games out of fourth place in the East.
Without Mobley, the Cavs are 4-9, while with him are 39-28. Cleveland has faced several injury struggles as the team slipped to the 7th seed and the play-in tournament, especially after missing Mobley’s frontcourt partner Jarrett Allen.
On the other hand, Scottie Barnes seems to be an important part of the Raptors second-part of the season uprising. The Raptors forward had a strong week, then added 19 points and 14 rebounds, including six of Toronto’s 20 offensive boards in its victory over Atlanta.
The Raptors clinched their playoff spot and Barnes will have the first taste of postseason basketball in his rookie year. However, playing alongside NBA champions like Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam surely helps, especially for a raw talent like Barnes.
Cade Cunningham remains at no.2 of the rankings as the No. 1 pick has an impressive portfolio, ranking in the top six among rookies in scoring, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, minutes and free-throw percentage.
Cunningham has also been having a strong case for the ROTY award despite being the one playing for a rebuilding team. However, winning percentage was never a big factor for the Rookie of the Year award.
Comments