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Zion Williamson has missed the first six weeks of the NBA season with a knee injury, and the teenage sensation has still yet to resume on-court work with the New Orleans Pelicans. It appears increasingly unlikely that the 19-year-old will feature before Christmas, and his prospects of winning Rookie of the Year are quickly fading.
Ahead of the season, the award was considered Williamson's to lose, although it now appears that the Rookie of the Year title will go somewhere other than New Orleans. With six weeks of the season now in the books, plenty of young players around the league have impressed, and here we will take a look at the latest Rookie of the Year power rankings.
#5 Rui Hachimura - Washington Wizards
Rui Hachimura made a promising start to the season with the Washington Wizards, although the Gonzaga product has been largely quiet over the past month. Nevertheless, Hachimura ended November by scoring 16 points in just 26 minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers, before enjoying a breakout performance against the LA Clippers two days later as he recorded a career-high 30 points. Hachimura reached 30 points on 13-23 shooting from the field, and he also picked up 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.
It was the kind of performance that many believed Hachimura to be capable of when he was drafted 9th overall by the Wizards, and through 18 games, the forward is now averaging 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per contest. He is shooting an impressive 48 percent from the field, although his shooting from three-point range still needs work (23%). Ultimately, Hachimura's season looks set for lift-off after a muted start and he could be well within the Rookie of the Year debate by the end of December.
#4 Tyler Herro - Miami Heat
Tyler Herro finished Week 6 with arguably his worst performance of the season for the Miami Heat as he recorded just 4 points in 21 minutes against the Brooklyn Nets. However, the 19-year-old had averaged 21 points over his previous four appearances - including 22 points against the Houston Rockets - and the Miami star is currently shooting at over 40 percent from three-point range.
Despite starting just 3 times this season, Herro is among the rookie leaders in points per game (14.4), and the shooting guard is also averaging 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Herro will be hoping to break into Erik Spoelstra's starting lineup as quickly as possible, although he is currently averaging almost 30 minutes per contest and should be able to stay in the Rookie of the Year race even if he fails to establish himself as a starter.
#3 Kendrick Nunn - Miami Heat
Kendrick Nunn will be almost 25 by the end of the 2019-20 regular season, although the Chicago native is well in contention to be named Rookie of the Year. Nunn didn't have a particularly good Week 6 as he struggled on the offensive end, although through 19 appearances, he is averaging 16.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
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As Miami's starting point guard, Nunn has attracted some criticism for his relatively low assists total, although Jimmy Butler has dominated the ball, and Nunn has been excellent at accommodating the four-time All-Star. The Heat face a big week with games against the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, and Nunn will be under plenty of pressure to perform after last week declaring himself as the player who should be named 2020 Rookie of the Year.
#2 Eric Paschall - Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors' 2019-20 season has turned out to be a disaster, although the franchise looks like it has a star on its hands in Eric Paschall. The 23-year-old has benefited from injuries to Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and D'Angelo Russell - and after starting the season well down Steve Kerr's rotation - Paschall is now a guaranteed starter.
Also read: Rookie Eric Paschall is Golden State Warriors' bright spot in this dim season
Through 21 appearances, Paschall is averaging 17.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game and the forward is also shooting 51 percent from the field. Paschall's consistency has also been excellent as he has failed to score in double figures just once since the opening night of the season.
#1 Ja Morant - Memphis Grizzlies
Ja Morant has missed Memphis' last two games due to back spasms and the dynamic point guard is currently listed as week-to-week due to the injury. Nevertheless, while his injury will provide several rookies around the league to elevate their cases for Rookie of the Year, Morant remains the front runner after making an excellent start to life in the NBA.
As we enter December, Morant has featured 17 times for the Grizzlies, averaging 18.6 points on 45.7 percent shooting from the field. The 20-year-old has also connected with 41 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, and he has also been able to contribute 3.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals per contest. If Morant misses more time than expected, then the Rookie of the Year race could be thrown wide open, however, it remains his to lose at this point.
Guess the Lakers players!
