NBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY): November 16th, 2021 | Latest Power Rankings by Sportskeeda

Things are starting to heat up in the 2021-22 NBA season with exciting games every day. The Golden State Warriors finally lost a game, while the Phoenix Suns continued their surge. Consistency is still lacking with the LA Lakers, and the Chicago Bulls are starting to look like legitimate contenders.

The race for Rookie of the Year is also getting interesting with each passing week. Cade Cunningham is finally healthy and showing his potential. Jalen Green might not be shooting the ball well, but he's still finding ways to score. And as usual, Scottie Barnes continues to impress his peers and veterans. Let's take a look at this week's NBA ROTY rankings to see if there are any movements.

#5 Cade Cunningham

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - NA

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 2; Games lost - 2

Overall: Games played - 8; Games won - 3; Games lost - 5

Last Week: PPG - 16.0, APG - 3.6, RPG - 5.3

Overall: PPG - 13.4, APG - 3.6, RPG - 5.5

Last Week: FG% - 46.4%, 3P% - 40.0%, SPG - 1.5

Overall: FG% - 34.8%, 3P% - 27.6%, SPG - 1.0

Cade Cunningham has finally arrived and he's showing everyone why he was the first overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 2021 NBA Draft. Cunningham has made his way into the Top 5 of the NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings with a strong week leading the Pistons to a 2-2 record.

The 20-year-old rookie has only played eight games this season, but he has helped the Pistons win three. Without Cunningham, the Pistons were 0-4 to start the season. He had his best game as a pro on Monday with 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists against the Sacramento Kings.

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#4 Chris Duarte

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #3

Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 2; Games lost - 1

Overall: Games played - 14; Games won - 6; Games lost - 8

Last Week: PPG - 8.0, APG - 1.3, RPG - 4.3

Overall: PPG - 14.3, APG - 2.1, RPG - 4.4

Last Week: FG% - 34.5%, 3P% - 30.8%, FGA - 9.7

Overall: FG% - 43.1%, 3P% - 40.3%, FGA - 12.9

Chris Duarte of the Indiana Pacers barely hangs on to a spot in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year rankings. Duarte started off the first few weeks of the NBA season strong, but he began to struggle with his shot against the Denver Nuggets. He was limited to just 21 minutes of playing, his lowest this season, and going just 2-for-9 from the field.

Duarte continued to struggle in the win over the Utah Jazz before shooting 50.0% against the Philadelphia 76ers. But he took only six shots in that game as he was outplayed by T.J. McConnell. It also doesn't help that Duarte missed a game due to a shoulder injury and Caris LeVert is back in the lineup. Duarte has to play much better if he wants to remain in the top five.

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#3 Franz Wagner

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #4

Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 0; Games lost - 3

Overall: Games played - 14; Games won - 3; Games lost - 11

Last Week: PPG - 12.3, APG - 1.3, RPG - 5.3

Overall: PPG - 13.4, APG - 1.9, RPG - 3.9

Last Week: FG% - 36.1%, 3P% - 25.0%, SPG - 2.3

Overall: FG% - 44.5%, 3P% - 37.1%, SPG - 1.4

Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic cracks the Top 3 of this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. The Magic did not win any of their games this week, but Wagner continued to impress. He registered a career-high six steals in the game against the Brooklyn Nets, including a clean pick on Kevin Durant.

Wagner may have shot the ball inefficiently in the first two games of the week, but he bounced back big time against the Atlanta Hawks. He put up 19 points, five rebounds and three assists while shooting 50.0% from the field. The eighth overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft appears to be a really solid player with good potential.

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#2 Evan Mobley

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #2

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 2; Games lost - 2

Overall: Games played - 15; Games won - 9; Games lost - 6

Last Week: PPG - 13.8, APG - 2.3, RPG - 8.0

Overall: PPG - 14.6, APG - 2.5, RPG - 8.0

Last Week: FG% - 42.9%, 3P% - 44.4%, BPG - 2.5

Overall: FG% - 49.4%, 3P% - 30.8%, BPG - 1.6

Evan Mobley continues to be a solid presence for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. He retained his spot in the NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings this week with another solid four games wherein he averaged 13.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks to lead the Cavaliers to a 2-2 record.

Mobley showed his defensive capabilities with three straight multi-block games. He registered a four-block game against the Detroit Pistons, which tied a career-high.

The only thing that prevented Mobley from taking over the top spot was a dud performance against the Boston Celtics last November 15th. The third overall pick registered just one point while shooting 0-for-11 from the field.

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#1 Scottie Barnes

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #1

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 1; Games lost - 3

Overall: Games played - 13; Games won - 5; Games lost - 8

Last Week: PPG - 15.8, APG - 3.5, RPG - 7.5

Overall: PPG - 16.3, APG - 2.8, RPG - 8.3

Last Week: FG% - 47.9%, FT% - 89.5%, SPG - 0.5

Overall: FG% - 51.2%, FT% - 79.1%, SPG - 1.0

Scottie Barnes remains number 1 in the NBA Rookie of the Year rankings this week. Barnes, who was a surprise pick in the draft at fourth overall, has been impressive and looks like a future superstar. The Toronto Raptors have embraced him as their next star, giving him plenty of playing time to develop this season.

Barnes has the length and athleticism to make him a great player, even getting compared to Giannis Antetokounmpo. He can score with ease and efficiency, but his three-point shooting still needs improvement. Considering it's still early in the NBA season, don't be surprised if he develops a shot later in the season.

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