NBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY) Power Rankings featuring Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes and more | January 25th, 2021

Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons.
Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons.

It's the second half of the 2021-22 NBA regular season, and the contenders are starting to separate themselves from the pretenders. The same can be said for this year's rookie class, with only a handful of first-year players showing that they can effectively impact their team.

Cade Cunningham is getting more consistent with the Detroit Pistons, while Scottie Barnes may be back to his best self for the Toronto Raptors. Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets is struggling again and Chris Duarte is capitalizing on opportunities with the depleted Indiana Pacers.

Evan Mobley still appears to be the favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award, especially if the Cleveland Cavaliers keep winning. Let's take a look at the NBA ROTY power rankings this week and see if Mobley is able to retain the number one spot.


#5 Chris Duarte

Chris Duarte of the Indiana Pacers.
Chris Duarte of the Indiana Pacers.

Previous week's NBA ROTY Power Ranking - NA

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

Overall: Games played - 40; Games won - 17; Games lost - 23

Last Week: PPG - 17.3, APG - 3.3, RPG - 5.0

Overall: PPG - 13.6, APG - 2.3, RPG - 4.1

Last Week: FG% - 45.5%, 3P% - 47.4%, SPG - 1.5

Overall: FG% - 44.1%, 3P% - 35.6%, SPG - 1.1

Chris Duarte is back in the NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings at the fifth spot. Duarte averaged 17.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists last week, with the Pacers very short-handed in the absence of Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis.

The 24-year-old rookie tied a career-high with 27 points in their game against the Golden State Warriors. It was an impressive performance by Duarte, who enters the top five taking the place of Josh Giddey of the OKC Thunder. It would be interesting to see in the coming weeks if Giddey can reclaim his spot from Duarte.


#4 Scottie Barnes

Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors.
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 - 37; Games won - 18; Games lost - 19

Last Week: PPG - 15.7, APG - 2.3, RPG - 6.3

Overall: PPG - 14.6, APG - 3.4, RPG - 7.8

Last Week: FG% - 45.2%, 3P% - 26.7%, FT% - 83.3%

Overall: FG% - 46.9%, 3P% - 30.6%, FT% - 72.0%

Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors returns as he makes his way back to the fourth spot in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. Barnes averaged 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists last week, while shooting 45.2% from the field.

The fourth overall pick put up a career-high 27 points in the Raptors' 109-105 win over the Washington Wizards. Barnes would have been higher on the list if it weren't for a dud game last week when he had only nine points in Toronto's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

#3 Franz Wagner

Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic.
Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic.

Previous week's NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #2

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

Overall: Games played - 48; Games won - 9; Games lost - 39

Last Week: PPG - 14.0, APG - 3.3, RPG - 6.0

Overall: PPG - 15.4, APG - 2.9, RPG - 4.8

Last Week: FG% - 47.1%, 3P% - 20.0%, SPG - 0.7

Overall: FG% - 45.3%, 3P% - 33.5%, SPG - 1.0

Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic drops to third in our latest NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. Wagner remains the iron man of the 2021 Draft Class as he has yet to miss a game this season. He also averaged 14.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists last week.

The German national did nothing wrong last week as he was steady and consistent for the Magic. Wagner even led Orlando to an upset win over the Chicago Bulls last Sunday. The only problem was Cade Cunningham, who simply had a better week overall.


#2 Cade Cunningham

Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons.
Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons.

Previous week's NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #3

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

Overall: Games played - 34; Games won - 10; Games lost - 26

Last Week: PPG - 18.7, APG - 4.3, RPG - 4.0

Overall: PPG - 15.7, APG - 5.2, RPG - 5.4

Last Week: FG% - 47.8%, 3P% - 27.3%, SPG - 1.0

Overall: FG% - 40.2%, 3P% - 32.2%, SPG - 1.3

Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons is now second in the NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. Cunningham averaged 18.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists last week, including a truly complete game against the Utah Jazz.

In 41 minutes, the first overall pick had 25 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks. Cunningham was all over the court in the Pistons' 111-101 loss to the Jazz. But even if Cunningham continues to be consistent, it would be hard to overtake Evan Mobley for the top spot.


#1 Evan Mobley

Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #1

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

Overall: Games played - 40; Games won - 26; Games lost - 14

Last Week: PPG - 16.0, APG - 3.0, RPG - 11.3

Overall: PPG - 15.0, APG - 2.7, RPG - 8.2

Last Week: FG% - 55.6%, 3P% - 66.7%, BPG - 1.0

Overall: FG% - 51.0%, 3P% - 30.4%, BPG - 1.7

Evan Mobley remains atop the latest NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. Mobley had a huge week, averaging 16.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 blocks in three games. He also helped the Cleveland Cavaliers improve to a 29-19 record in the Eastern Conference.

In addition to being the favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year at the end of the season, Mobley is also a legitimate candidate for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. His defense has been key to the Cavaliers' success this season and his overall impact on Cleveland is quite significant.

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