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The race for the 2022-2023 NBA ROTY award shifted this week with No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero returning from an ankle injury for Orlando. Meanwhile, No. 5 pick Jaden Ivey missed time with a knee injury for Detroit. No. 3 pick Jabari Smith Jr. also continued his improved play for Houston after a slow offensive start to the season.
On that note, here’s this week’s ROTY ladder.
No. 5: Jalen Williams, OKC Thunder
Previous week’s ROTY ranking: 5th (-)
Last Week: Games played - 4, Games won - 1, Games lost - 3
Overall: Games played - 17, Games won - 6, Games lost - 11
Last Week: PPG - 10.8, RPG - 3.3, APG - 1.8, SPG - 0.0, BPG - 0.5
Overall: PPG - 9.8, RPG - 3.1, APG - 2.6, SPG - 0.7, BPG - 0.4
Last Week: FG% - 45.2%, 3PT% - 25.0%, FT% - 92.9%
Overall: FG% - 50.0%, 3PT% - 26.8%, FT% - 88.5%
OKC Thunder wing Jalen Williams didn’t have any big games last week, but he continues to be one of the more reliable and efficient rookies. Williams scored in double digits in two of four games for OKC and had five-or-more rebounds in two games as well. For the season, he is still shooting 50.0% and remains a valuable rotation piece for the Thunder.
No. 4: Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets
Previous week’s ROTY ranking: N/A
Last Week: Games played - 3, Games won - 2, Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 19, Games won - 5, Games lost - 14
Last Week: PPG - 15.0, RPG - 8.3, APG - 0.7, SPG - 0.3, BPG - 0.7
Overall: PPG - 11.6, RPG - 7.2, APG - 0.8, SPG - 0.3, BPG - 1.0
Last Week: FG% - 43.8%, 3PT% - 47.8%, FT% - 100.0%
Overall: FG% - 35.0%, 3PT% - 33.6%, FT% - 85.7%
Houston Rockets No. 3 pick Jabari Smith Jr. has picked up his play as of late, following a slow start to the season. Smith scored 15-or-more points in two of three games last week.
This included a 21-point nine-rebound performance in a win over Atlanta and a 15-point 13-rebound double-double in a win over OKC. Smith also made three-or-more threes in all three games last week and had one block in two of three games.
No. 3: Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons
Previous week’s ROTY ranking: 2nd (↓1)
Last Week: Games played - 1, Games won - 1, Games lost - 0
Overall: Games played - 19, Games won - 5, Games lost - 14
Last Week: PPG - 16.0, RPG - 5.0, APG - 6.0, SPG - 1.0, BPG - 0.0
Overall: PPG - 16.2, RPG - 4.9, APG - 4.3, SPG - 1.1, BPG - 0.3
Last Week: FG% - 38.5%, 3PT% - 0.0%, FT% - 85.7%
Overall: FG% - 42.1%, 3PT% - 31.8%, FT% - 73.8%
Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey only played in one game last week due to right knee soreness. He finished with 16 points, five rebounds, six assists and one steal on 38.5% shooting as the Pistons beat Utah.
The win marked Detroit’s only win of the week as the team went 0-3 without Ivey. Detroit now sits at the worst record in the league at 5-18. However, Ivey continues to offer the Pistons solid all-around production when available and is third in the ROTY rankings.
No. 2: Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Previous week’s ROTY ranking: 3rd (↑1)
Last Week: Games played - 3, Games won - 0, Games lost - 3
Overall: Games played - 14, Games won - 2, Games lost - 12
Last Week: PPG - 20.3, RPG - 3.0, APG - 3.0, SPG - 1.0, BPG - 0.0
Overall: PPG - 22.9, RPG - 7.1, APG - 3.5, SPG - 0.8, BPG - 0.7
Last Week: FG% - 45.7%, 3PT% - 37.5%, FT% - 59.3%
Overall: FG% - 46.0%, 3PT% - 27.5%, FT% - 72.9%
No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero made his much-anticipated return to the Orlando Magic this week after missing seven straight games with an ankle injury. Banchero’s production was slightly down from earlier in the season, particularly his rebounding (3.0RPG).
However, Banchero still finished with 18 or more points in all three games, including a 24-point game against Brooklyn in his last game. Unfortunately, for Banchero, the Magic still lost all three games he played in and now sit at just 5-16, the second-worst record in the league.
No. 1: Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
Previous week’s ROTY ranking: 1st (-)
Last Week: Games played - 4, Games won - 2, Games lost - 2
Overall: Games played - 20, Games won - 12, Games lost - 8
Last Week: PPG - 18.3, RPG - 4.3, APG - 0.3, SPG - 1.3, BPG - 0.3
Overall: PPG - 19.1, RPG - 4.1, APG - 1.6, SPG - 0.6, BPG - 0.1
Last Week: FG% - 42.4%, 3PT% - 40.0%, FT% - 71.4%
Overall: FG% - 43.9%, 3PT% - 41.7%, FT% - 80.5%
Indiana Pacers shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin continued his elite scoring and shooting last week. The ROTY leader finished with 20 or more points and two-or-more 3-pointers in three of four games.
He also had at least one steal in all four games. The Pacers went 2-2 to maintain their place in the top half of the Eastern Conference playoff picture (12-8, 4th in the East).
For last week's ROTY rankings, click here.
