NBA Rookie of the Year 2021: Latest Power Rankings - April 19th, 2021
The latest NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings hasn't seen any major changes, with the majority of rookies lacking consistency in their recent showings.
LaMelo Ball's injury meant there was a great chance for the likes of Tyrese Haliburton and Immanuel Quickley to close the gap on leader Anthony Edwards. However, they have failed to capitalize on their opportunities of late, which has offered Edwards a decent amount of breathing space at the top.
Latest NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings
The odds, coupled with a few satisfactory outings last week, still see Haliburton keep hold of second place. But that hasn't been the case for Quickley, who has slipped for the second time in three weeks, losing his position to Sadiq Bey this time around.
Bey has been in tremendous form since the start of April and has performed consistently so far, which saw him break into the top five last time. He has bettered that now by gaining a place in the latest edition of the NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings.
On that note, let's see how Bey and the other four picks this week have fared since our 12th April edition of the NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings.
#1 Anthony Edwards
MPG - 31.3, PPG - 18.1, APG - 2.7, RPG - 4.4 FG% - 39.7%
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 1st (-).
Anthony Edwards' performances have improved at a steady pace, allowing him to stay atop the rankings for the fourth successive edition of our NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings.
He played against some of the top sides last week in the form of the Nets, Bucks, Heat and the Clippers. That did not faze Edwards, though, as he managed to average 21.5 points per contest during that run. His production rate was quite remarkable, considering his team lost heavily against the Clippers, Bucks and Nets during that stretch.
Edwards scored 27 points against the Nets, 24 points against the Bucks (shooting 5-of-11 from beyond the arc), had an off night against the Miami Heat with just 12 points but managed to make a strong comeback against the Clippers with 24 points. He shot 5-of-11 from long-range in that matchup as well.
#2 Tyrese Haliburton
MP - 29.9, PPG - 12.6, AST - 5.0, RPG - 3.0 FG% - 47.3%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 2nd (-)
Tyrese Haliburton's production rate has significantly gone down in the last two weeks. The Sacramento Kings' overall struggles have hampered his chances of overtaking Anthony Edwards massively as well. The Kings were on a nine-game losing streak, which ended against the Dallas Mavericks in their last game.
Haliburton has played four games since the last edition of our NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings, averaging a mere 8.5 points per contest, shooting just 36.1% from the field.
A poor run like this compared to Anthony Edwards' terrific output rate was always going to keep the Sacramento Kings' guard miles away from gaining a position in our latest edition of the NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings.
With the Sacramento Kings five games behind a play-in tournament spot, it seems unlikely that Haliburton will make it to the post-season. As a result, the Rookie of the Year race might not seem as wide open as it was until last week.
#3 LaMelo Ball
MP - 28.6, PPG - 15.9, AST - 6.1, RPG - 5.9 FG% - 45.1%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 3rd (-).
LaMelo Ball's previous odds and his staggering numbers have been one of the main reasons that he has managed to stay in the top five of the NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings.
With Edwards capitalizing on Ball's injury, it would be safe to assume that the Hornets guard is potentially out of the race to win the award. However, his performances before his injury cannot be ignored, and his popularity amongst NBA fans and veteran players will see him finish in the top five for sure.
#4 Saddiq Bey
P - 25.5, PPG - 11.5, AST - 1.2, RPG - 4.1 FG% - 41%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 5th (↑1).
Apart from leader Anthony Edwards, if there is any other player who has been consistent on a nightly basis, it has to be Saddiq Bey. He isn't playing for a playoff-contending team either but has made his mark in the league with his latest performances.
Saddiq Bey has played four games since our last edition of the NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings. He started the four-game run brilliantly with a back-to-back contest against the mighty LA Clippers.
In the first of the two games, he scored 25 points, shooting 66.7% from the field, including 62.5% from beyond the arc, making 5-of-8 shots from the long range. Bey followed it up with another decent outing, scoring 17 points, shooting 54.5% from the field, making 4-of-11 shots from the three-point line.
Considering the Clippers' recent form, it was indeed the best two-game span outing of Bey's debut season.
In the third game against the OKC Thunder, Bey led his team with 17 points to record their first win in three games. However, he couldn't continue with that momentum against the Wizards in his last game, scoring just four points on the night.
But it still did not stop Bey from surpassing Immanuel Quickley in this edition of our NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings.
#5 Immanuel Quickley
MP - 19.3, PPG - 11.5, AST - 2.1, RPG - 2.3 FG% - 38.3%.
Previous NBA Rookie of the Year Power Ranking - 4th (↓1)
Despite the New York Knicks' terrific six-game winning run, Immanuel Quickley has now found himself losing out on fourth spot in the latest NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings. The return of Derrick Rose to the lineup combined with Quickley's loss of confidence and minutes has been a huge factor in this.
Quickley has featured for the New York Knicks in all five games since the last edition of our NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings.
He has struggled massively with his shooting during that stretch, as he converted just 27.8% of his field-goal attempts. This affected Quickley's scoring as well, seeing him average just 5.2 points per contest, with his best outing being an 8-point game against the Pelicans.
With the likes of Payton Pritchard producing top-drawer performances of late, Quickley could find himself dropping out of the top-five of the NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings in the coming weeks.
However, if Quickley can make the most of his limited playing time and replicate some of his performances from earlier in the season, he could be in the mix for longer.