With the NBA season in full swing, it’s a good time to take a look at the rookie of the year and who looks like they could be taking home the award. With Zion Williamson out, and Ja Morant going down with an injury for a couple of weeks it has opened up the door for some other players who could come in and steal the award.
RJ Barrett – Knicks
The New York Knicks are woefully bad again this year but they look to have a bright spot in the form of rookie RJ Barrett. Barrett is averaging 14.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. He gets all the shots he wants with the Knicks, but that could be something that hurts him. He is averaging over 15 shots per game and that isn’t a good number with the average number of points he is scoring.
If he can become a more efficient scorer, and the Knicks can win a few more games as the season goes on, it appears he could be taking home the trophy. Check out our free NBA Picks daily for our picks on the Knicks and all NBA teams.
Kendrick Nunn – Heat
Kendrick Nunn is the biggest surprise of the NBA season in terms of rookies, and he isn’t getting the attention right now that he deserves. He signed with the Heat this season after playing in the G-League last year and he is a key player in South Beach. On the season he is averaging 15.7 points and he is playing big minutes for a winning team, which should help him with the voters. If he can continue this hot pace he is my vote to win the Rookie of the Year.
Eric Paschall – Warriors
Eric Paschall might not be getting the playing time he is if he wasn’t playing for the Warriors, but he is and he is taking advantage of all the minutes. On the season Paschall is averaging 31.7 minutes per game putting up 17.3 points. The stats are no doubt there to win the rookie of the year but the question is how much will voters take into consideration how bad his team is. If they take that into consideration he is going to have a lot of issues winning this award.