It’s a pleasure to be bringing you the newest edition of the Rookie Ladder to you on this winning Friday, well after a win on Wednesday. Last week, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost on Wednesday night to the Chicago Bulls, 117-104. On the plus side, the Cavs are back to their winning ways this week, beating the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks 115-99 on Wednesday night. It was a hell of a game to watch, with Evan Mobley and Darius Garland making multiple headlining plays, including this clip for dunk of the year.
Overall it was a great team win, and the Cavs are back on a mini-winning streak, coming out as the victors in three straight games. Kevin Love and Cedi Osman combined for 48 points off the bench, hitting 11-for-23 from the three point line. Once again though, the rookie was the man who made the biggest play of the night, slamming home a pass from Darius Garland, right on top of All-NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo. So it should come as no surprise that once again Mobley finds himself on the top of the rookie ladder for the third straight week.
When it comes to talking about how rookies have fared in their first season in the NBA, very few of the most talented players end up on teams that are in a position to win now. That was the thought when the Cavaliers drafted Mobley over the summer. They would let him ease into the NBA this year, and add a lottery pick to the team next year.
However, Mobley has no intentions on taking a year off, as he’s having one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory. What makes it all the more impressive is that he’s doing it on a team that is a serious contender in the Eastern Conference. Laugh at that statement all you want, but the truth is, after beating the Bucks Wednesday night, the Cavs are in sole possession of third place in the Eastern Confernce. If the playoffs started tomorrow, Cleveland would be hosting a series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
With that being said, there’s still half of the season to play, but if the last two months are any notion of what we’re going to get out of the young man from USC, then the Cavs are in good hands for the forseeable future.
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.
Yes, it’s a three-horse race, maybe even two
We are now officially halfway through the NBA season. The trade deadline is around the corner as well as the All-Star Break, which is taking place in Cleveland. However, it has become pretty clear to me that there are really only three realistic Rookie Of The Year candidates. While I say three, it also might just be two.
Evan Mobley has been the best rookie and has had the most impact on his own team. Evan is a clear two-way star already, with the chance to take a jump to the superstar level in even the next year or year-and-a-half. The young man out of USC is averaging 15 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, and even 2.7 assists. He has been at the top, or near the top for the entire season, and now more than ever, it looks like he’s the clear favorite. Just take a look at what former Cav Channing Frye had to say about the rookie, as h/t NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner.
"“It’s crazy for a young guy like that to have timing the way he does, whether he’s deflecting shots, switches,” Frye said. “I watch a lot of the Cavs. … For me, Evan is everywhere. Where you would expect him to make more rookie mistakes, he’s making veteran plays. He’s really good facing the basket and making plays for the other big men, which is how they can play two other 7-footers. And for me, his aggressiveness towards the rim is uncanny. He’s looking to dunk on people consistently. Now, where he’s gonna build is obviously his strength, but this kid is special, and I haven’t seen somebody like this in a long, long time.”"
With that being said, Mobley’s chances also rise, the more games Scottie Barnes’ misses. He’s been the only rookie to really go head-to-head with Mobley for the entire season. There have been multiple occasions when Barnes has been forced to miss time, only making him fall further behind in the Rookie of the Year Ladder. Yes, Barnes stock is indeed falling, but that also means someone is rising.
That riser is in fact Cade Cunningham. Barring something unforseen, like an inury, or a huge roster change, I think Cunningham and Mobley are the two guys who can take home the award.
Cunningham has been spectacular since recovering from injury. He’s making an impact on both ends of the floor, and is slowly improving the Pistons around him. This year he’s averaging over 16 points per game, while also over five rebounds and five assists per night. It’s going to be hard for Cunningham to overtake Mobley if the Cavs keep winning, but in no way is it impossible.
In the end I really think that the Rookie Of the Year goes to one of those two, with Scottie Barnes having an outside chance. No matter what, the second half of the season should be incredible, especially if you plan on watching the young guys. By the end of the year, I really think there could be almost ten rookie double digit scorers, per game.
The race for Jabari Smith, or Paolo Banchero
As some of you have seen from my most recent NBA Draft Big Board, I think Jabari Smith from Auburn should be the number one pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. However, some of you may feel differently and would take maybe Chet Holmgren or Paolo Banchero. Either way, it seems like the race for the number one pick is going to start to heat up in the second half of the season.
Personally, I’ve watched a lot of Smith play this year, and I haven’t seen a prospect this good come out of college in over 10 years. He is an excellent shooter, and with his size (6-foot-10, 220 pounds), he should be an excellent defender at the NBA level.
Right now, if the draft were held tomorrow, the Orlando Magic would have the number one pick, followed by the Pistons and the Houston Rockets. Now all three of those teams had top-five draft picks this past offseason, so who has the edge to receive the number one pick in the 2022 NBA Draft? Let’s check it out.
It seems like the NBA is the hardest league of all the major sports, to just flat out rebuild. I mean the Magic have been rebuilding for almost a decade now, along with the Pistons it seems. Had James Harden not had a stint in Houston, they would have been rebuilding for almost a decade as well. But, both teams were given a lot of luck this offseason, when they got their top five picks.
Orlando went with Jalen Suggs out of Gonzaga with the fifth pick, and they also picked up Franz Wagner with the eighth pick. The Pistons got the coveted number one pick, and that’s why Cade Cunningham now lives in Detroit. The Rockets, who might have had the worst luck, got Jalen Green in with the second pick. This is what I mean when I say it’s hard to rebuild in the NBA.
Suggs, Wagner, and Cunningham should all be able to help their teams enough to not fall to the absolute bottom of the league. Cunningham is a good enough leader and floor general, that the Pistons should not be picking number one next season. The Magic, who currently have the number one pick, should also rise out of that spot. Wagner has been playing much better than his draft pick this season, and they just got Jalen Suggs back from injury. I would be surprised if the Magic again got the number one pick. When I get to the Rockets, they might be the team that needs another top pick the most.
Jalen Green has been inconsistent this season, and has also struggled staying healthy. And the Rockets also have one of the youngest teams in the NBA, with an average age of 23.7. I would not be surprised to see the Rockets picking number one in the 2022 NBA Draft, as they sit in last place in the Western Conference with a record of 14-34.
I’ll just close out this article by saying this, the Rockets are the team that needs another number one pick the most. Regardless, if Jalen Green can find his groove in the second half of the season, Green and Smith would be a hell of a 1-2 punch!