Latest Ladder shows it’s 3-horse race, with Cavs’ Evan Mobley firmly in 1st

Rookie Ladder update

1. Evan Mobley, Forward, Cavs

2. Cade Cunningham, Guard, Pistons

3. Scottie Barnes, Forward, Raptors

4. Josh Giddey, PG/Forward, Thunder

5. Franz Wagner, Forward, Magic

6. Herbert Jones, Forward, Pelicans 

7. Chris Duarte, Guard, Pacers

8. Ayo Dosunmu, Guard, Bulls

9. Jalen Suggs, PG/Guard, Magic

10. Jalen Green, Guard, Rockets

So as you can see, the top three on the ladder have stayed in their spots another week. I’ve talked a lot about Mobley, but one of the most amazing stats is that last year, the Cavs finished 25th in the NBA in defensive rating. However, this year they are third in the league behind the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors with a rating of 105.0. Obviously re-signing Jarrett Allen, and bringing in Lauri Markkanen helped as well, but Mobley’s impact is the biggest in the win-loss column, which is a stat that is rarely used in rookies.

Over in Detroit, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham is finally showing why he was the number one overall draft pick in the summer. He’s really filling up the stat sheet of late. When the Pistons took on the Utah Jazz, Cunningham had 34 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, six three-pointers made, four blocks and two steals. He became the third rookie in the last 40 seasons to lead his team in all six of those categories, as h/t ESPN Stats & Info. Cunningham’s going to be a real threat to the Rookie Of the Year Award.

From there, Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors has lost some ground as of late, but that’s mostly because of missing time with injuries. When he’s on the floor, he’s a box-score stuffer. Helping out the Raptors in more ways than one.

Finally, Josh Giddey is playing consistent basketball, and Franz Wagner’s stock has taken a hit after struggling from the three-point line as of late.

Outside of the top five, not much has changed either. Jalen Green and Jalen Suggs are relative newcomers to the list, but are finally playing like their draft projection. Green had a bad week, but he’s a scorer so the more he shoots, the more comfortable it should feel. Suggs, after returning from a thumb injury, had a huge impact for the Magic, even with the hurt thumb.

Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois’ great floor general last year, has taken advantage of the playing time he’s been given in Chicago. Early on, it didn’t look like he’d be able to carve out a role for himself with a lot of veterans, but he has. In a couple of games as the starter, Dosunmu averaged over 13 points per game, and dished out over six assists per game.

Duarte and Jones are staples on the ladder it seems. Duarte is playing on a bad Indiana Pacers team so he won’t get recognized as much, but he’s been stellar for them this season. The same is true with Jones, who has been a rock for the Pelicans coming off the bench.