NBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY) Power Rankings featuring Cade Cunningham, Franz Wagner and more | March 1st, 2022

The final stretch of the NBA regular season is officially underway, and the race for the Rookie of the Year has only become tighter. Evan Mobley remains the favorite, but Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes are not too far behind.

Josh Giddey remains solid for the OKC Thunder, but could miss time due to injury. Franz Wagner is still the iron man of the class, while second-round picks Ayo Dosunmu and Herb Jones are proving to be steals. Jalen Green has started to be more consistent, and could be knocking on the top five.

On that note, here's a look at this week's NBA ROY power rankings to see if there are any changes.

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#5 Josh Giddey

Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder

Previous week's NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #2

Last Week: Games played - 1; Games won - 0; Games lost - 1

Overall: Games played - 54; Games won - 17; Games lost - 37

Last Week: PPG - 15.0, APG - 6.0, RPG - 9.0

Overall: PPG - 12.5, APG - 6.4, RPG - 7.8

Last Week: FG% - 46.7%, 3P% - 0.0%, SPG - 2.0

Overall: FG% - 41.9%, 3P% - 26.3%, SPG - 0.9

Josh Giddey of the OKC Thunder played just one game last week, putting up 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the loss to the Phoenix Suns. The return of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander impacted Giddey's usage rate, but it seems like it's not the main problem moving forward.

Giddey picked up a hip injury in the loss to the Suns, and there appears to be no timetable for his return. In addition to playing just one game last week, the injury caused Giddey to slip down to fifth spot in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings.

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#4 Franz Wagner

Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic

Previous week's NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #4

Last Week: Games played - 2; Games won - 2; Games lost - 0

Overall: Games played - 62; Games won - 15; Games lost - 47

Last Week: PPG - 14.0, APG - 3.0, RPG - 5.0

Overall: PPG - 15.5, APG - 3.0, RPG - 4.6

Last Week: FG% - 47.6%, 3P% - 25.0%, FT% - 75.0%

Overall: FG% - 46.6%, 3P% - 35.7%, FT% - 84.9%.

Franz Wagner has not yet missed a game this season for the Orlando Magic. Wagner remains an underrated player, averaging 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in two wins last week. The German international has proven that he's the real deal, and could get votes at the end of the season.

Wagner enters this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings at number four. He's as consistent as it gets, but has to be more assertive in his play. Markelle Fultz's return may not do him any favors, as it could mean less usage rate for the rookie.

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#3 Scottie Barnes

Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #5

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

Overall: Games played - 52; Games won - 28; Games lost - 24

Last Week: PPG - 20.7, APG - 1.7, RPG - 8.3

Overall: PPG - 14.8, APG - 3.3, RPG - 7.5

Last Week: FG% - 75.7%, 3P% - 50.0%, SPG - 2.3

Overall: FG% - 48.7%, 3P% - 31.6%, SPG - 1.1.

Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors climbs up two spots to number three in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. Barnes probably had the best week among rookies last week, averaging 20.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per outing.

Barnes also shot the ball extremely well at 75.7% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the arc. If he can sustain his efficiency, there's a strong possibility he could move up another spot or even take the number one spot in next week's power rankings.

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#2 Cade Cunningham

Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons

Previous week's NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #3

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

Overall: Games played - 47; Games won - 14; Games lost - 33

Last Week: PPG - 20.3, APG - 5.0, RPG - 6.0

Overall: PPG - 16.0, APG - 5.1, RPG - 5.5

Last Week: FG% - 43.1%, 3P% - 15.4%, SPG - 0.0

Overall: FG% - 39.6%, 3P% - 31.9%, SPG - 1.2.

Cade Cunningham started finding his form for the Detroit Pistons last week. He averaged 20.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in three games last week. The Pistons won two of those games, against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Charlotte Hornets.

There's still some room for improvement for Cunningham, who shot just 43.1% from the field and 15.4% from beyond the arc. Nevertheless, it was enough for him to move to second place in this week's NBA ROTY power rankings. However, the leadership and playmaking is already there for Cunningham.

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#1 Evan Mobley

Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers

Previous week's NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #1

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

Overall: Games played - 53; Games won - 33; Games lost - 20

Last Week: PPG - 13.7, APG - 3.0, RPG - 9.7

Overall: PPG - 14.8, APG - 2.6, RPG - 8.2

Last Week: FG% - 44.1%, SPG - 4.0, BPG - 2.3

Overall: FG% - 50.0%, SPG - 0.8, BPG - 1.7.

Evan Mobley barely hangs on to the number one spot in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. He averaged a modest 13.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in three games last week. The Cavaliers are missing Darius Garland, who makes someone like Mobley a much better player.

Nevertheless, despite his low-scoring averages, Mobley retains the top spot because of his defense. In addition to being one of the top rookies this season, he has also become one of the best defenders in the league. Mobley averaged 2.3 blocks per game last week for the Cavaliers.