NBA Rookie of The Year: The favorites to win the ROY 2018-19

This time last year, there were plenty of questions about the 2017 draft class. Markelle Fultz wasn't playing, while Lonzo Ball and Josh Jackson were struggling. It's safe to say that this rookie class hasn't disappointed one bit thus far.

Almost all of the lottery picks have been hits which is quite remarkable and the top guys have shown flashes of greatness. Luka Doncic has led the way, while DeAndre Ayton has been solid and efficient.

So, with more than a quarter of the season having passed, we decided to look at the favorites to bring home the award this year. It wasn't easy to choose just five out of such an impressive class, but we've decided to give it a shot. Here's the top 5.

#5 Collin Sexton

Collin Sexton has come quite a way since the start of the season when some of the Cavs veterans said that he doesn't know how to play the game. After being on the bench to start off the season, Sexton was finally inserted into the starting lineup 10 games into the campaign and boy, has he has delivered after the reins of the offense were handed over to him.

In 16 starts this season, he's averaging 18.8 Points and has 8 games of over 20 Points in this stretch. He's also been pretty efficient, shooting 45% from the field and 44% from deep. His playmaking, however, does leave much to be desired, averaging 2.7 a game, with his season-high standing at just 6 assists against the Washington Wizards.

Despite the playmaking issues, Sexton has shown that he has what it takes to succeed in this league at least as a scorer. He just about edges out Wendell Carter Jr who's been trending upwards as well

#4 Trae Young

Trae Young had an incredible start to his rookie campaign, averaging 17 Points and 8.1 Assists through 13 games and he looked like a Rookie of the Year frontrunner. He has since then cooled down significantly.

While the stats only show a small decline, as he's now averaging 15.4 Points and 7.2 Assists, his efficiency has plummeted. Young is shooting 24% from three which is worrying, but that's what we expected this season, some great highs and some pretty bad lows.

Young has had moments when he has looked like an absolute star, as evidenced by his 35 Points and 11 Assists against the Cavs and 25 Points and 17 Assists against the Clippers, so the talent is clearly there. The consistency isn't but that's normal for a rookie. He did get into a funk after that hot start, but there has been an uptick in performances off late and if Young can duplicate some of that early season form, he's going to climb up the rankings in a hurry.

#3 Jaren Jackson Jr.

Of all the elite prospects in this draft class, Jaren Jackson Jr was supposed to be the project who'd probably take a few years to develop, but that sure hasn't been the case. Jackson has fitted in seamlessly with the Grizzlies, playing alongside Marc Gasol and Mike Conley Jr.

He provides a combination of the Grit and Grind as well as the modern NBA. Capable of stretching the floor and playing great defense, Jackson is the perfect Stretch 4. His numbers may not leap out of the screen, averaging just 13.3 Points and 4.6 Rebounds, but that's because of Gasol and Conley dominating the ball. When he has been asked to shoulder the scoring burden to an extent, he has delivered, as we saw against the Nets when he became the 3rd youngest player in league history to score over 30 points in a game, with 36 in that encounter. While his stats won't match up with his competitors, team wins will factor in and none of the other contenders will probably match Jackson in that regard.

#2 DeAndre Ayton

DeAndre Ayton hasn't quite been the dominant force that the Phoenix Suns were hoping he'd be, but he's been pretty good nonetheless. He's averaging a double-double thus far, 15.8 Points and 10.1 Rebounds and is the only rookie to do so.

He has 14 Double-Doubles this season, which leads the class and to top it off, he's also been extremely efficient, shooting almost 60% from the field. He's shown flashes of the kind of player he can be in the future, with some pretty impressive outings against the Warriors and the Pistons.

What holds Ayton back from getting to the top are the questions which were asked about him in college. He's not aggressive enough, his effort has been questioned and his defense has been very suspect. That said most rookie's do struggle from a defensive standpoint, but the issues regarding his effort are worrying. The likes of Sexton and Carter are showing steady improvement, and unless Ayton ups his game, he might start sliding down the rankings.

#1 Luka Doncic

It's safe to say any and all doubters have been vanquished, Luka Doncic is the real deal. The Slovenian is probably going to make the Suns and Kings regret passing on him and the Hawks might well be regretting that trade right about now.

Doncic has been pretty consistent this season and is averaging 18.2 Points, 6.5 Rebounds and 4.1 Assists and is the clear frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. His 1eleven 20 Points games lead the class as does that scoring average.

He's also 3rd among Rookies in rebounds per game and is 2nd in assists per game. It's been a pretty well rounded year thus far for Luka and he's come up big in late-game situations as well, most recently with the step back 3s against the Blazers and the Rockets. His Rookie campaign is already being compared with that of some of the greats, and Doncic seems to be set on his path towards greatness.