King James Gospel
Fansided

Cavs’ Evan Mobley wrongly supplanted by Cade Cunningham in Ladder

By Justin Brownlow

Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Cavaliers big Evan Mobley greets teammates before a game. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Every week I anxiously await the new NBA Rookie Ladder that is released, just to see our own Evan Mobley at the top. However, this week I suspected that Cade Cunningham might be slowly creeping into the back of NBA.com writer Steve Aschburner’s mind. Well, I was correct. For the first time in a while we have a new name atop the Rookie Ladder. Cade Cunningham took over the top spot this week after a string of good performances. However, I disagree with Aschburner on this one, but I’ll get to more of that later.

With Cunningham at the top of the ladder, the rest of the rungs stayed pretty much the same, except for Josh Giddey surpassing a falling Franz Wagner. As most of you are familiar with those guys, let’s take a better look at some of the guys outside the top, who could make the leap to the top five in the coming weeks.

Before being held to only three points against a tough Cleveland Cavaliers defense on Monday, Herb Jones has had a string of good games, as he slots back into the sixth spot. His last game against the Detroit Pistons he had six points, but got in foul trouble early. For the season, he’s been a great pickup by the New Orleans Pelicans. One of the only good stories on the Pelicans roster.

Behind him is Ayo Dosunmu, who really just does everything for head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls. Back in the eighth spot is Chris Duarte of the Indiana Pacers. As the season has gone on he’s come back down to earth. However, he’s having a great season, averaging over 13 points per game, for a very bad Pacers team, albeit one with a litony of injuries.

Bringing up the rear are two names who could make a huge splash after the All-Star break; Jalen Suggs, and Jonathan Kuminga round out the top 10. Since returning from injury, Suggs has struggled with his shooting, but his defensive effort and explosive plays make him someone to watch closely. Kuminga has struggled to find consistent minutes playing for the Golden State Warriors. But, when he gets his chance he more often than not produces. Another super exciting player to keep an eye on.

So with all that being said, it’s been a great half of the year for a lot of rookies. But, with Cunningham at the top, Aschburner has some explaining to do.