I have to admit, I was not looking forward to writing this article this week. After an ugly stretch last week where the Cleveland Cavaliers went 2-1, I had no reason to believe Evan Mobley would move up on the rookie ladder.
In games versus the New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets, and Indiana Pacers last week, Evan Mobley scored only 4, 8, and 9 points. Up until that slump, Mobley had played 17 straight games while scoring in double figures. But what we are seeing from Mobley, and even Scottie Barnes to an extent, is nearly unprecedented for a rookie.
Last year the Cavs finished 22-50, good for 13th place in the Eastern Conference. This year, after drafting Mobley at pick three, the Cavs are already 34-21 after a great win Wednesday night versus the San Antonio Spurs. It’s not the scoring, the shot blocking, or even the overall defensive game that makes Mobley’s season thus far so special. The effect he has on winning, is something you very rarely, if ever see, these days in the NBA. I will get to more of that later, but first, let’s take a look at how the rest of the ladder shaped out.
It was great to see Mobley atop the ladder once again. On top of that, and I may draw some criticism for this, Scottie Barnes is also another rookie that I’m happy to see rising once again. The Toronto Raptors have won six straight, and Barnes has averaged almost 16 points per game, and over eight rebounds during that stretch. He deserved to be back near the top.
Number three on the ladder this week is the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, who supplanted Mobley at #1 last week. I don’t want to jump on this early, but he hasn’t played since Feb. 1, when he picked up a hip-pointer. He has looked like a superstar this season at times, but he’s also looked pretty shaky at times. He’s missed 13 games already this season due to injury. I hope this isn’t a trend that keeps happening with Cunningham, but his injury problems are beginning to concern me. Oh, and if we’re being honest, Cunningham has had the least impact on his team’s winning of the top five on the ladder.
Finally, the last two spots played out just like they did last week. Josh Giddey rolling in on the fourth rung, and Franz Wagner coming in on the fifth. Giddey has stepped up his game since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went down. Wagner, meanwhile, has also been impressive, logging 200 more minutes than any other rookie, as h/t NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner, the author of the ladder.
Overall, this has been a great rookie class thus far.