NBA Rookie Of The Year Watch: Feb. 19
With the NBA All-Star break just around the corner, the race for the league's rookie of the year rages on. Here’s take a look at how some of the top candidates have been performing.
Evan Mobley, C, CLE
This week has seen Mobley improve steadily during the Cavaliers' three games.
Despite the Cavs picking up a win in the first game, Mobley had his worst game of the three with just eight points and one rebound.
After that, Mobley was able to play much better despite back-to-back losses with his best game coming against the Atlanta Hawks.
Mobley picked up a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Scottie Barnes, F, TOR
Barnes hurt his case for the award just a bit after a four-game stretch which only saw one of those games with Barnes in double figures in the points department.
That game came against the Denver Nuggets where Barnes scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds in a Raptors loss.
The remaining three games saw Barnes combine for just 23 points as the Raptors went 2-1 record-wise.
Barnes scored nine points in two of those games.
Josh Giddey, G, OKC
If there was any rookie who improved his resume this week it was Giddey by a landslide.
During a three-game stretch, Giddey was able to record a triple-double in all three games.
In the lone win of the three games, Giddey had his best performance with 28 points, 12 assists and 12 rebounds against the New York Knicks.
Giddey combined for 28 points, 22 rebounds and 20 assists in the other two losses.
Franz Wagner, F, ORL
While not as impressive as Giddey, Wagner also was able to put together a strong week during his four games played.
In three out of the four games, Wagner scored in double figures despite each game ending in a Magic loss.
The best performance came against the Nuggets as Wagner went off for 26 points and eight rebounds.
Wagner ranks third all-time of Magic rookies in points during their first season behind only Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway.
Logan Bourandas is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
