5 players who are favorites to win the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year award
The 2020 NBA Draft was celebrated two weeks ago, and the new rookie class will have to prove its worth next year. LaMelo Ball is easily the most recognizable figure in the 2020 NBA Draft class, and it is not a surprise to see him as the favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award next year.
5 favorites to win the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year award
LaMelo Ball was selected with the third pick of the latest edition of the NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. His Top-3 colleagues, Anthony Edwards (first overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves) and James Wiseman (second by the Golden State Warriors), join Ball among the favorites to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
It is usual to see some shocking results on the NBA Rookie of the Year award standings.
However, five of the last six winners of the NBA Rookie of the Year award have been selected in the first three spots of their respective draft (Malcolm Brogdon was the exception back in the 2016-17 NBA season).
On that note, let us take a look at five candidates for next year's NBA Rookie of the Year award.
#5 Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards was the first pick of the 2020 NBA Draft and is among the favorites to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
The former Georgia player is an outstanding athlete who could be impactful in Minnesota's rotation. His desire for the game was recently in question after some worrying comments, but he is a good, committed basketball player.
Edwards is not likely to have many options to handle the ball, with a guard crew formed by Ricky Rubio and D'Angelo Russell. Still, he is a scoring guard who might not need the ball in his hands for long periods. A solid all-around play could earn him the NBA Rookie of the Year honor.
He will need to be more efficient than he was in college with his shot (40/29/77 shooting splits), but his potential is enough to make him a contender for the NBA Rookie of the Year.
#4 Killian Hayes
Killian Hayes is already a professional basketball player, even before making his official NBA debut.
Such credentials are enough for him to be a candidate for the NBA Rookie of the Year award, and the oddsmakers agree.
Hayes is an American-born French player who has already played at a professional level in France (for Cholet) and Germany (ratiopharm Ulm) for the last three years.
He averaged 11 points and five assists per game in the German league for Ulm. He is a playmaker who can shoot well.
The Detroit Pistons got a gem in their hands with the French guard, and he could easily become the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year.
At 19 years of age, a 6' 5'' guard with Hayes' talent could have a great impact in today's league as well as the future. The Pistons selected him with the seventh pick of the 2020 NBA Draft.