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With less than 15 games remaining this season, the NBA Rookie of the Year race appears to be all but wrapped up. However, multiple players are still battling for the position of second place.
On that note, here’s this week’s Kia NBA ROTY Ladder.
No. 5: Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons
Previous week’s ROTY ranking: 5th (-)
Last Week: Games played - 1, Games won - 0, Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 62, Games won - 15, Games lost - 47
Last Week: PPG - 16.0, RPG - 3.0, APG - 6.0, SPG - 0.0, BPG - 2.0
Overall: PPG - 15.4, RPG - 3.9, APG - 4.9, SPG - 0.9, BPG - 0.3
Last Week: FG% - 29.4%, 3PT% - 28.6%, FT% - 100.0%
Overall: FG% - 41.5%, 3PT% - 33.1%, FT% - 73.2%
Detroit Pistons point guard Jaden Ivey only appeared in one game last week due to COVID-19 protocols. He finished with 16 points, three rebounds, six assists two blocks and a whopping seven turnovers on just 29.4% shooting against Charlotte.
Ivey continues to struggle with inefficiency and turnovers as one of the primary ballhandlers on a struggling Pistons team (16-54, 15th in the East). However, no rookie below him has done enough throughout the season to bump Ivey out of the top five of the ROTY race.
That comes as Ivey still ranks third in scoring (15.4 ppg), first in assists (4.9 apg) and fourth in steals (0.9 spg) among rookies.
No. 4: Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
Previous week’s ROTY ranking: 4th (-)
Last Week: Games played - 1, Games won - 1, Games lost - 0
Overall: Games played - 67, Games won - 30, Games lost - 37
Last Week: PPG - 0.0, RPG - 0.0, APG - 0.0, SPG - 0.0, BPG - 0.0
Overall: PPG - 16.6, RPG - 4.0, APG - 1.4, SPG - 0.6, BPG - 0.1
Last Week: FG% - 0.0%, 3PT% - 0.0%, FT% - N/A
Overall: FG% - 42.8%, 3PT% - 31.5%, FT% - 82.6%
Indiana Pacers shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin only played three minutes over one game last week.
That came as he sprained his right ankle on Mar. 9 against Houston. Mathurin finished shooting 0-for-2 with no other stats over three minutes. He now remains without a timetable to return. So with just 13 games remaining for Indiana, Mathurin’s season could be in jeopardy.
Nevertheless, Mathurin still ranks second among rookies in scoring (16.6 ppg) this season. So even if he doesn’t play another game, Mathurin should still finish in the top five of the ROTY race.
No. 3: Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz
Previous week’s ROTY ranking: 2nd (↓1)
Last Week: Games played - 3, Games won - 2, Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 65, Games won - 31, Games lost - 34
Last Week: PPG - 12.7, RPG - 11.7, APG - 1.7, SPG - 0.0, BPG - 2.3
Overall: PPG - 8.6, RPG - 8.3, APG - 0.8, SPG - 0.4, BPG - 2.3
Last Week: FG% - 84.2%, 3PT% - N/A, FT% - 71.4%
Overall: FG% - 72.1%, 3PT% - 50.0, FT% - 54.2%
Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler had another very solid week, finishing with double-doubles in two of three games. Kessler also racked up seven blocks during that span. His week was highlighted by his 17-point, 16-rebound, three-block performance on 80.0% shooting against Charlotte.
In the last 30 days, Kessler ranks first in the NBA in blocks (3.5 bpg) and fifth in rebounding (12.0 rpg). The No. 22 pick continues to look like arguably the biggest steal of the 2022 NBA draft. However, he's still moving down one spot on this week’s ROTY ladder due to the elite play of another top rookie.
No. 2: Jalen Williams, OKC Thunder
Previous week’s ROTY ranking: 3rd (↑1)
Last Week: Games played - 3, Games won - 3, Games lost - 0
Overall: Games played - 63, Games won - 31, Games lost - 32
Last Week: PPG - 20.3, RPG - 7.0, APG - 5.0, SPG - 1.7, BPG - 0.0
Overall: PPG - 13.6, RPG - 4.3, APG - 3.2, SPG - 1.4, BPG - 0.5
Last Week: FG% - 57.9%, 3PT% - 33.3%, FT% - 93.8%
Overall: FG% - 52.4%, 3PT% - 34.9%, FT% - 78.4%
OKC Thunder wing Jalen Williams once again had the best week among all rookies over the last week.
Williams finished with 20-plus points in two of three games, recording two double-doubles. He did so while shooting a blistering 57.9% and 93.8% at the line. Williams’ week was highlighted by his 23-point, ten-rebound, three-assist, two-steal performance on 80.0% shooting against Brooklyn.
Overall, Williams has now scored 20-plus points in six of his last seven games and 15-plus in nine straight games. In the last 30 days, he's now second among rookies in scoring (20.4 ppg) with a hyper-efficient 59.2/48.6/85.7 shooting split. So there's a strong argument that Williams has developed into the best rookie at this point in the year.
The Thunder (34-35, eighth in the West) have also won three straight games to get into playoff positioning in the Western Conference. Unfortunately for Williams, his blossoming into a borderline star didn’t take place until later in the season. So it will likely be difficult for him to win ROTY barring a crazy run to end the season.
No. 1: Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Previous week’s ROTY ranking: 1st (-)
Last Week: Games played - 3, Games won - 1, Games lost - 2
Overall: Games played - 62, Games won - 25, Games lost - 37
Last Week: PPG - 23.3, RPG - 8.0, APG - 3.7, SPG - 0.0, BPG - 0.7
Overall: PPG - 20.1, RPG - 6.6, APG - 3.6, SPG - 0.9, BPG - 0.5
Last Week: FG% - 46.2%, 3PT% - 54.5%, FT% - 72.7%
Overall: FG% - 42.5%, 3PT% - 28.7%, FT% - 74.6%
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero may not be the best rookie in the last 30 days.
However, it's tough to argue against his season-long production, which is far and away the best among rookies. Banchero is still first among rookies in scoring (20.1 ppg), fourth in rebounding (6.6 rpg) third in assists (3.6 apg) and fifth in steals (0.9 spg).
Last week, Banchero scored 20-plus points in two of three games and recorded one double-double. His week was highlighted by his 27-point, six-rebound performance on 52.4% shooting against San Antonio. Overall, Banchero has now scored 20-plus points in five of his last six games.
So despite facing increased competition, Banchero’s lead as the favorite to win ROTY remains safe with 13 games remaining.
For last week’s ROTY ladder, click here.
