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With little expected of the 2020 draft class, our recent power rankings for NBA Rookie of the Year contain five stars that are beginning to make a serious impact on the league and disprove the doubt placed on them prior to the season.
LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards in particular have shown up recently and have not looked out of place going toe-to-toe with the likes of LeBron James. Edwards is a walking highlight at the moment while Ball has grabbed the headlines after nailing down a starting berth for the Hornets.
Not only have Edwards' recent performances earned him a resurgence in our NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings, there is plenty of movement making up our current top-5. Let's take a look at how it has come together in the past month.
NBA Rookie of the Year 2021: Current Top 5 power rankings for award
#1 LaMelo Ball
MP - 28.8, PPG - 16, AST - 6.2, RPG - 5.9 FG% - 45.3%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 1st (-).
LaMelo Ball has led the way for a considerable amount of time in our NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings and the point guard continues to top the pile. Ball is averaging 16 points and 6.2 assists per matchup while he has put up 19.8 points on 46.8% shooting during his 20 games as a starter.
The Hornets' use of their pick at third in the draft on Ball was met with some trepidation for a team looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. However, the 19 year old has been electric since entering the league and is a major part of Charlotte's push to make the postseason - currently placed 6th in the East.
His ability to remain top of our NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings is largely due to his effectiveness on both ends of the floor, leading his class as a two-way player.
His talents as a point guard are going to be highly sought-after in seasons to come, able to shoot the ball with an efficiency of over 53% and having a defense rating of 111 which accounts to a 1.4 defensive win share.
#2 Anthony Edwards
MP - 30.0, PPG - 16.8, AST - 2.5, RPG - 4.2 FG% - 39.0%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 5th (↑4).
The No.1 pick in the 2020 draft and closest contender to LaMelo Ball for the NBA Rookie of the Year award is Anthony Edwards. The Timberwolves forward has been on an absolute tear recently, creating several posterizing dunks and a historic 42-point display against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.
Edwards has been pivotal in Minnesota's three wins since the midseason break and combined with Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell could form a formidable front three in the years to come. In those three games, Edwards has averaged an astounding 34.3 points, all of which were against playoff contenders.
His performance in Phoenix put the rookie into an illustrious club with LeBron James and Kevin Durant as the only 3 teenagers to score 42 points in a game since 2000. Since the 24th of February, the 19 year old has put up 24.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game - bringing up his stats to put him on a closer par with Ball.
If Edwards is able to continue his consistency and help the T-Wolves improve, we can expect to see him steal top spot in the NBA Rookie of the Year rankings.
#3 Immanuel Quickley
MP - 19.9, PPG - 12.8, AST - 2.4, RPG - 2.3 FG% - 39.5%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 3rd (-)
Immanuel Quickley keeps his spot in our NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings despite a recent ankle injury that ruled the point guard out of the Knicks' win over Orlando on Thursday.
New York has an array of options in the backcourt and thus Quickley has benefitted from being afforded plenty of floor time this season and experience from Alec Burks and Derrick Rose latterly.
The 21-year old has mostly been utilized in the Knicks' rotation, though earned two starts this week against the Nets and 76ers, averaging 17 points across the matchups.
Quickley is showing that he can be an elite shooter in the league and a steady offensive controller for the Knicks going forward. He averages 39.5% from the field and 37.3% from beyond the arc with a winning share of 2.1.
It is expected that the franchise could thin out their backcourt options before the trade deadline, therefore we could see him earn a regular starting role alongside RJ Barrett.
#4 Tyrese Haliburton
MP - 29.6, PPG - 12.7, AST - 5.1, RPG - 3.5 FG% - 47.8%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 2nd (↓2)
Haliburton dropped in our NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings this month due to an injury that left the Kings point guard sidelined for four games, after which he took some time to re-adapt to the league's pace and had his minutes limited.
Nevertheless, Haliburton still stands to be a coup for Sacramento, picking up the 21-year old 12th in the draft. With Marvin Bagley III sidelined for the Kings, Haliburton is expected to gain more starting minutes, as he did against Washington this week. With their future in full view, the Kings' fanbase watched on as Tyrese put up 17 points alongside De'Aaron Fox's 28 in the backcourt.
Haliburton leads our list of rookies for shooting efficiency and ranks 8th in 3-point percentage for players taking over 5 attempts per game - the highest in his draft class by some margin.
#5 Saddiq Bey
MP - 23.7, PPG - 10.5, AST - 1.1, RPG - 4.1 FG% - 41.2%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - N/A
Saddiq Bey is our sole new entry for Rookie of the Year after nailing down a starting role for the developing Detroit Pistons. Since the midseason break, Bey is averaging 5 points more per matchup (15.5) than his season average of 10.5 and powered his side past the Raptors with 28 points and 12 rebounds on Tuesday.
With the Pistons content to continue growing their young talent and thinning their roster further prior to the trade deadline, Bey's importance could grow even more as the season progresses.
The former Villanova star will be looking to cement his position as a starting forward and continue to dominate on the offensive end. Per 100 possessions this season, Bey has an offense rating of 117 which has contributed to a 1.2 win share of the Pistons' 11 victories this season.
Guess the Lakers players!
