It’s hard to watch how injuries, inconsistent play, and at times, coaching blunders have proved to be very costly down the stretch for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After losing All-Star center Jarrett Allen with a fractured finger in early March, the Cavs just have not looked like the same team that we saw before the All-Star break.
Cleveland beat the Orlando Magic at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Monday night to halt a three-game losing streak. But, the Cavs now have a tough stretch to fight for a spot in the playoffs with only seven regular season games left in the season. Darius Garalnd, the floor general on the court, has been averaging 21.5 points per game this season, and has also picked up his assist numbers this year. Evan Mobley, still the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year, had probably his worst week of his season. However, he’s stayed atop the Rookie Ladder.
So we can talk about Mobley and his unfortunate injury later. Let’s take a look at the Ladder’s top-12 this week:
- Evan Mobley, Forward, Cavs
- Cade Cunningham, Guard, Detroit Pistons
- Scottie Barnes, Forward, Toronto Raptors
- Jalen Green, Guard, Houston Rockets
- Franz Wagner, Forward, Magic
- Josh Giddey, Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Herbert Jones, Forward, New Orleans Pelicans
- Davion Mitchell, Guard, Sacramento Kings
- Ayo Dousnmu, Guard, Chicago Bulls
- Jonathan Kuminga, Forward, Golden State Warriors
- Bones Hyland, Guard, Denver Nuggets
- Chris Duarte, Guard, Indiana Pacers
After a disappointing week as a team as an individual, Evan Mobley is still the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year. The 7-footer has had a huge impact on the Cavaliers this season. It’s been said multiple times already, but the fact that the Cavs are in a position to make the playoffs outright with a strong finish (that is easier than done, though), is all you need to hear regarding Mobley and his ROY case.
Following Mobley closely, is Detroit’s Cade Cunningham. Usually the cut-off for games is Monday when talking about the ladder each week, but Aschburner had to include Cunningham’s star performance in Madison Square Garden earlier this week. Even though they will miss the playoffs, Detroit could be very good next season.
Filling out the last three rungs on the ladder are Scottie Barnes, a streaking Jalen Green, and the always steady Franz Wagner at fifth.
In my opinion Barnes should be ahead of Cunningham simply because he’s playing and contributing on a team that is in a playoff battle. I was skeptical of Barnes coming out of Florida State, but he’s been awesome this season. Green is finally showing the explosiveness that is the reason the Rockets drafted him. Over the past week he’s averaged 21.5 points per game and just over four rebounds per game.
Filling out the top five is probably the most consistent in rookie Franz Wagner. Wagner doesn’t get the credit he deserves, but he’s been great this entire season.
Josh Giddey is in, and should hold, the sixth rung. I have no doubt in my mind that Giddey would have finished much higher had he not gotten injured. Behind him is Herbert Jones, who has been another constant on this ladder this season. And finally, Davion Mitchell has moved up to the eighth spot. Mitchell is averaging 21.6 points per game while filling in at point guard for the injured De’Aaron Fox.
From there, another guard who is cooling down a bit down the stretch is Ayo Dosunmu of the Bulls. However, he’s had a great season thus far, going 16-19 as a starter and hitting over 45% of his threes in Bulls victories.
Rounding out the top 12 are Jonathan Kuminga, Bones Hyland, and Chris Duarte. All three were a bit undervalued coming out of the draft, but have produced good results in the past month or so.
With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, can Cunningham, Barnes, or any other rookie catch Evan Mobley in the Rookie of the Year race? It might be possible now.