Rookie Ladder: Cavs’ Mobley slowly pulling away in yearlong race
NBA Rookie Ladder: Breaking down the Top 5
With three weeks left to play in the NBA regular season, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley is in command of the Rookie of the Year race, and was again atop the Rookie Ladder; you can view that latest one here, via Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. Since Jarrett Allen went down with a fractured finger, Mobley has been filling in at the center position. After two off games following the break, Mobley is now on a five-game tear averaging 21.6 points per game on 56% shooting from the field. Even with an All-Star player out indefinitely, Mobley is still keeping the Cavs in the playoff race, and has been filling it up offensively.
Coming in right behind Mobley is Cade Cunningham. I’m honestly not a big fan of Cunningham. I think this spot should belong to Scottie Barnes, considering the Raptors are actually winning games. Cunningham will be a great player, but he’s struggled through injuries this season, and his+ team has been terrible. Hopefully, another lottery pick helps get Detroit out of the position they are in now. Again, I think Cunningham is great, but he’s playing for a team that hasn’t played a meaningful game since probably November.
As I mentioned, Barnes comes in third on the ladder this week. He has been very consistent for the Raptors and looks to be guiding them back to the playoffs. In fourth place this week is old reliable, Franz Wagner. I don’t have enough good things to say about the guy. His shooting efficiency has dropped as of late, but Wagner has had a special season. He’s going to be a big part of a good young Orlando team in the future.
Finally, closing out the ladder this week in the fifth spot is none other than the second overall pick, Jalen Green. Green has been great since the All-Star break. However, it doesn’t erase the fact that he was pretty bad the first half of the season. Green’s plus/minus this season is the worst in the NBA at minus-542. That is also good for an average plus-minus of -10.2. However, things can only go up from here. Let’s check out the full ladder rankings:
NBA Rookie Ladder (March 18th, 2022)
- Evan Mobey, F/C, Cavaliers
- Cade Cunningham, Guard, Pistons
- Scottie Barnes, Forward, Raptors
- Franz Wagner, Forward, Magic
- Jalen Green, Guard, Rockets
- Josh Giddey, Guard, Thunder
- Herbert Jones, Forward, Pelicans
- Ayo Dosunmu, Guard, Bulls
- Jonathan Kuminga, Forward, Warriors
- Chris Duarte, Guard, Pacers
- Davion Mitchell, Guard, Kings
- Bones Hyland, Guard, Nuggets
As you can see the top five played out as I mentioned in the previous paragraphs. However, at six is Josh Giddey, which is very disappointing. Giddey picked up an injury almost immediately after the All-Star Break and hasn’t seen the floor since. He was by far the best rookie in the western conference at the time, but I can’t blame the Thunder for being cautious.
Holding strong in the top ten is Herbert Jones. Jones surpassed 100 steals on the season, becoming the first Pelicans’ rookie to do so since Chris Paul. In eighth is Ayo Dosunmu who has been playing great perimeter defense, and hitting big shots for the Bulls. He will have a major impact in the playoffs.
Kuminga and Mitchell come in at ninth and eleventh, respectively. Both of these guys haven’t gotten much of a look this season, but they have flashed their potential lately. In tenth is Chris Duarte, who will be a solid guard in the NBA for years to come, if he can put to bed some injury concerns. Finally, new to the ladder is Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland. He hit four fourth-quarter threes in a big game versus the Sixers.