NBA Rookie of the Year Watch: Feb. 10
As of Feb. 9, Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley is first place in the KIA Rookie of the Year race with Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Josh Giddey and Franz Wagner behind him.
Mobley is averaging 14.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field. He leads all rookies in rebounds and blocks per game. Mobley has also shown an ability to stretch the floor, making 18 three pointers so far.
On the defensive side, Mobley has a defensive rating of 104.1, the fifth-highest rating for an individual player in the NBA. His defense has helped the Cavaliers have the second-best defensive rating in the NBA of 105.8.
With Mobley’s contributions, the Cavaliers are fourth place in the East with a 34-21 record. The team is 31-16 in games that Mobley has played in. His contributions has caused point guard Rajon Rondo to call him “the most talented rookie he has ever played with.”
Barnes, small forward of the Toronto Raptors, is currently second in the race. He is averaging 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and one steal per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. To go with his versatility on the offensive side, his 7-foot-3 wingspan allows him to guard point guards to power forwards on the defensive side.
The Raptors are sixth in the East with a 30-23 record. The team is 25-20 in games Barnes has played in.
Cunningham, point guard of the Detroit Pistons, is third in the race. He is currently averaging 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists per game and 1.3 steals a game. While leading the team in assists and steals, he has the highest usage rate of any rookie at 25.9%.
Cunningham’s inefficiencies are concerning, only shooting 39% from the field and averaging 3.5 turnovers a game. Despite this, the Pistons are 11-30 in games that Cunningham has played in compared to the 1-12 record in games that he hasn’t played.
After a rough November, in 24 games played between December and January, Cunningham averaged 17.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 41.9% from the field. He has been sidelined since Feb. 1 due to a hip pointer injury.
Giddey, shooting guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder is fourth in the running. He leads all rookies in assists per game with 6.2. That goes with averages of 12.1 points and 7.6 rebounds a game. His all-around game perfectly replicates the Ricky Rubio comparisons he was getting before the draft.
The Thunder are 16-33 in games that Giddey has played in. He’s only shooting 41.6% from the field and committing 3.1 turnovers a game, but a rookie typically struggles with efficiency. Giddey has the second-highest usage rate among rookies at 22.1%.
Franz Wagner, small forward for the Orlando Magic, has dropped from first on the ladder on Jan. 5 to fifth. Wagner averages 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 46.4% shooting from the field and 35.1% from three. He leads all rookies in points and has made 330 field goals, which also leads all rookies.
The downside for Wagner is that the Magic are 13-43. His lack of statistics outside of scoring and team record has caused the drop in the race.
Mobley is the frontrunner to win Rookie of the Year with a -300 betting line according to Vegas Insider. His defensive impact and team record should make him the favorite, especially with Cunningham having missed 14 games.
Cunningham and Barnes have the second-best betting line to win the award at +600.
Timothy Lonas is a third-year majoring in digital/print journalism. To contact him, email timmylonas@yahoo.com or tpl5336@psu.edu.
