Cavs’ Evan Mobley slips to #3, newcomer emerges to top of Rookie Ladder

It’s not time to panic in Houston yet, and Mobley’s staying power

Houston was always going to have a tough rebuild ahead of them, and that was before the draft over the summer. However, they got lucky and landed the number two overall pick, and selected Jalen Green, who had just played a season for the G-League Ignite. But, everything has not been rosy in Houston.

Green has missed significant time this season with a hamstring injury. That said, in the Rockets loss to the Pacers on Dec. 23, he did have 20 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. The problem in Houston right now seems to be that the Rockets simply play better without him. In the games he has played this season, Houston is 2-18. Without the shooter from California, the Rockets are 8-7. Yes, I know that doesn’t paint the whole picture, but it’d definitely not a good visual.

The good thing for the Rockets is that they have a plethora of young players, so they can kind of just see how the season goes, and make changes during the offseason. I don’t think anyone thought this would be a quick rebuild for Houston. On the other hand, there seems to be a rebuild that’s really coming together in Cleveland.

Barnes and Mobley both fell on the ladder because they missed time. It’s as simple as that. That’s not to take away from Wagner’s play but, Barnes and Mobley have had a bigger impact on the overall season.

Speaking of Mobley, the question that surrounds him is this: how much will the Cavaliers’ team success weigh on Mobley’s Rookie of the Year candidacy? Personally, I’ve already been impressed enough with his season thus far to say he’s one of the best three rookies this year, no matter how the rest of the season goes for the Cavs. However, you can see it take shape a little bit of late.

The Cavs have now lost three straight after a disappointing second half versus the shorthanded Atlanta Hawks, and even though Mobley has played well, he will have his critics. Overall though, this rookie class has been impressive and surprising. Cunningham, Barnes and Mobley will continue to shine throughout the season.

Josh Giddey makes history

Before I let you go, we have to talk about Josh Giddey’s game against the Pelicans last week. Giddey’s final statline was 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and zero points. Yes, you read that correctly, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Josh Giddey had a double-double without scoring any points. This feat has only been done one other time in 1971, as pointed out by NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner.

The Cincinnati Royals’ Norm Van Lier had 13 assists, 11 rebounds, and no points in their 34-point victory over the Lakers. I have to say, that’s incredibly impressive. Oh, and yes, you can use this for trivia.