NBA: In-Depth Cases For the Top 3 Candidates
Also read: 5 Best NBA Rookies of all-time
In what has been the most engaging Rookie of the Year race in recent memory, this regular season campaign, we have seen the arrival of 3 players who are surefire studs in the near future. All 3 of them have a genuine case to be the winners this year, and unlike 2013 when none of Michael Carter-Williams, Trey Burke, and Victor Oladipo was seen as an impactful player for that season, these 3 players could give many All-Stars a genuine run for their money.
Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, and Ben Simmons are all playing exceptionally good basketball this year, and have had starring roles for their teams nearly all season long. In this article, we attempt to make lay out a detailed case for all 3 of these rookies, following up with a prediction of the polling results and our verdict on who we think deserves the award.
We start our analysis with Jayson Tatum, for whom we have the following 3 arguments:
#1 Tatum is the most polished offensive rookie
Tatum belongs to the rare breed of players who are elite from every point on the hardwood. He has great foot speed, amazing athleticism and agility, tight handles and can make all those highlight reel plays. But he's also great from mid-range, scoring a bunch of points from the 10-18 foot range on pretty good conversion rates.
His best ability, and really the clincher here, is his ability to consistently nail 3-pointers. Tatum led the league in 3-point percentage for much of the season and is still ranked 8th with a conversion rate of 43.4% from downtown.
The best bit about Tatum on offense is the fact that he rarely, if ever, makes the wrong basketball play. He has a level head, and even on days when he's really feeling it, he doesn't go chucking shots, unlike some players we've seen in the past like JR Smith or Dion Waiters.
Nearly always, he opts for the highest-percentage play, and he always plays within the team's offensive system. Such level-headedness is exceedingly rare among even veterans.