All is good, as Cavs’ Evan Mobley once again tops Rookie Ladder
Second-rounders getting some love
It’s not very often that we see players drafted in the second round of the NBA draft have much success. However, every year there are a couple of guys who start to stand out as the season progresses. This season, those second-rounders are Ayo Dosunmu of the Chicago Bulls, Herb Jones of the Pelicans, and Oklahoma City’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.
Dosunmu was able to shut down Cunningham when the Bulls played the Pistons earlier this week. He held the first overall pick to 3-of-11 shooting and only gave up eight points to the big guard, with him often in on-ball defense. On top of that, he forced Cunningham into six turnovers (the Ladder cuts off before this game). Dosunmu is a Chicago native and played his college ball at Illinois. He scored 10 points against Cunningham/Detroit that night, but his real impact came on defense, like I previously said.
The two other second-rounders making waves are Robinson-Earl and Jones. Jones has seen his minutes rise as of late, and is now averaging 8.5 points per game. On top of that, Jones has been vital to the Pelicans just as a big presence, with Zion Williamson still not suiting up yet this season.
Robinson-Earl was a very versatile player in college, and has been very versatile this season. For a very bad, but young Thunder team, Robinson-Earl has been sort of a rock of consistency for them. He’s averaging 7.5 points per game, while also grabbing more than five rebounds per game.
Robinson-Earl and Jones will most likely not see any playoff action this season, but Dosunmu could be vital to the Bulls in the playoffs. He’s able to give Lonzo Ball a rest, and is just as good of a defender as Ball has proven to be.
Overall, we’re finally starting to see the best players from the 2021 NBA Draft separate themselves from other rookies. And the best part of it all, is that Evan Mobley is still the best of all the rookies, and has shown no signs of slowing down.
Next. 2022 NBA Draft: First KJG Mock of year for the first round. dark
The Cavaliers play three games in four days starting tomorrow, so look for Mobley to impress while playing against the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City, and the Brooklyn Nets over the next week or so.