Cavs’ Evan Mobley holds strong atop Rookie Ladder, but what about #2?

We know who’s No. 1, but what about No. 2?

Up until this week, the only players to grace the top spot in the rookie ladder were Franz Wagner, Scottie Barnes, and Mobley. Although this go-round, we have a new number two, and I think most of us saw this coming. Cade Cunningham is finally coming into his own for the Detroit Pistons.

Also, he’s known for his slow starts, going back to his college days, but now he truly is the franchise centerpiece in Detroit. In my opinion, it was only a matter of time until Cunningham graced one of the top three spots.

With Cunningham taking over in the top spot, Scottie Barnes falls to three. I’m actually very on-board with this move.

Barnes failed to impress coming out of college, and is finally now coming back down to earth after a great start. He’s missed multiple games in the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols, and he just isn’t elite at one skill, which can at times be a good thing. Barnes is your true definition of a versatile player. He’s starting to remind me a lot of Draymond Green, just not quite as sturdy.

From there, the biggest faller this week was Franz Wagner, who had been in the top spot twice in recent weeks, but this week drops to four. Wagner has also been a guy that has come back down to earth a little after a great past couple of weeks. It will be very interesting to see how Wagner’s role changes when Cole Anthony and company return to the lineup.

Overall, Cade Cunningham is the second-best player in this past draft, and he will be the one fighting it out with Mobley for Rookie of the Year. Barnes and Wagner would need to pick up their play if they also want to be in that conversation.

As I said earlier, Barnes just isn’t elite at anything, and you need elite players in this league to be real contenders.