NBA 2019-20: Rookie of the Year Power Rankings Week 14
We are now more than three months into the 2019-20 NBA season, and basketball fans are finally about to get their first glimpse of Zion Williamson. Following an incredible year at Duke, Williamson was drafted first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans, and the 19-year-old was expected to ease to the 2020 Rookie of the Year Award. Nevertheless, a knee injury has sidelined Williamson for the first half of the season, and he now faces an uphill battle to be named ROY.
During Williamson's absence, a number of players around the league have been able to make a claim for the Rookie of the Year title, and as we head into Week 14 of the season, here we will examine the leading contenders to win the award.
#5 Darius Garland - Cleveland Cavaliers
While Darius Garland hasn't produced the same level of standout performances as some of the other leading Rookie of the Year candidates, the Cleveland Cavaliers star has been among the season's most consistent rookies. Since the turn of the year, Garland has recorded at least 10 points in every game that he has featured in, and the guard is now averaging 12.3 points per contest.
His playmaking skills have also shown signs of improvement, and during Cleveland's defeat to the Clippers, Garland recorded 10 assists for the first time in his young career. Admittedly, Garland is still taking some questionable shots and his field foal percentage remains under 40 percent, although the 19-year-old will continue to get more responsibility on a Cavs team that could lose Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love over the next few weeks - and his numbers will continue to improve.