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The NBA Rookie of the Year award race heats up from here on as we inch closer towards the end of the regular season. This week's power rankings for the same have seen some major shakeups due to injuries, dips in form, or improvement by some of the most well-established players from this 2020's NBA draft class.
The long-term injury that initial favorite LaMelo Ball suffered recently has seen him drop a place in this edition's Rookie of the Year power rankings. It's none other than Anthony Edwards, the no.1 draft pick, who has now replaced Ball as the number one ranked rookie in our latest power rankings.
The likes of Tyrese Haliburton and James Wiseman have also made significant improvements to their game lately, which has helped the former gain a place. The latter has broken into the top five in this week's Rookie of the Year power rankings.
So without any further ado, let's find out how each of the top five players have fared since our last edition of the NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings.
Latest NBA Rookie of the Year rankings
#1 Anthony Edwards
MP - 30.5, PPG - 17, AST - 2.5, RPG - 4.3 FG% - 38.5%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 2nd (↑1).
Anthony Edwards, post the All-Star break, has been one of the most impressive players alongside Karl-Anthony Towns on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster.
The unfortunate long-term injury to LaMelo Ball and Edwards' resurgence in recent weeks have been decisive factors. They've helped the no.1 pick from the NBA 2020 draft class grab the top spot on our latest NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings.
Since registering a career-best 42 points against the Phoenix Suns, Edwards has cooled off a bit. However, his averages are still intact and better than all the other Rookie of the Year contenders. He has managed 19 points per game during that stretch.
The most remarkable thing about Anthony Edwards is the way he bounces back from poor outings. He is never low on confidence and is unfazed by who his opponents are, which is a sign of a champion player.
With LaMelo Ball out for an indefinite period, it would be a shocker if Edwards doesn't manage to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award this year. This, of course, if he manages to stay fit throughout the season.
#2 LaMelo Ball
MP - 28.6, PPG - 15.9, AST - 6.1, RPG - 5.9 FG% - 45.1%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 1st (↓1).
LaMelo Ball was at the top of our Power Rankings for the last couple of editions and was the clear favorite to clinch the Rookie of the Year award. This was due to the fact that he had been instrumental in helping his team emerge as a strong playoff contender via his overall performance this campaign.
Despite his recent long-term injury (wrist fracture), he has managed to stay in the top two of our rankings this week as well, owing to his overall season performance compared to the rest of the pack below him and Anthony Edwards.
LaMelo Ball's overall stats this season in every category (points, assists, and rebounds) have been significantly better and more consistent than every other rookie this season.
He is a close second on the scorers' averages behind Edwards, while he continues to lead the average assists and rebounds charts so far.
#3 Tyrese Haliburton
MP - 30.1 , PPG - 13.1, AST - 3.3, RPG - 4.9 FG% - 48.8%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 4th (↑1).
Tyrese Haliburton has probably had his best week in terms of his performances since the last time we put out our NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. During that stretch, he averaged 15.6 points per game.
He also managed to score a career-best 28 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a matchup that took place on March 22nd.
His top performances during that period have helped him gain one position from our last edition of the NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings as he swapped with the New York Knicks' Immanuel Quickley for third place.
If Haliburton continues to perform this way and LaMelo Ball doesn't return by the end of the regular season, there is a small window for the Kings' guard to finish as the runner-up eventually.
#4 Immanuel Quickley
MP - 20.1, PPG - 12.8, AST - 2.3, RPG - 2.3 FG% - 39.1%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 3rd (↓1).
Immanuel Quickley has certainly cooled off between now and our last edition of the NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings, which have seen him slip one spot in our latest rankings.
However, it is still a minor dip and not something huge for him or the Knicks to worry about for now, as he has been consistent throughout that stretch. He has still been scoring a minimum of ten points in each of the games he has played.
Quickley's performances will be key to the New York Knicks' hopes of finishing in the top six positions in the Eastern Conference. This will help them avoid the play-in tournament (played before the playoffs between teams ranked 7th-10th to determine the last two teams to qualify) and qualify directly for the playoffs.
#5 James Wiseman
MP - 21.4, PPG - 11.8, AST - 0.6, RPG - 5.9 FG% - 51.6%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - NA (-).
James Wiseman is the only player who isn't playing the guard position this year. His performances playing as a 5 for the Golden State Warriors have been commendable so far, despite his team's overall struggles.
Wiseman has had to suffer a lack of game time due to injury and covid protocols this campaign, which could have hampered any rookie's confidence in his debut NBA season. But Wiseman made sure he didn't let that put him down.
Like Edwards and Ball, Wiseman too thrives on self-confidence and is always up for a challenge. In the coming few weeks, he will be highly relied upon by Steve Kerr. The Warriors will now look to accelerate their charge with regards to securing a place in the play-in tournament positions.
