NBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY) Power Rankings featuring Evan Mobley, Franz Wagner and more | January 19th, 2021
The 2021-22 NBA season is already at its halfway point, and the top rookies are starting to separate themselves from the rest of their draft class. Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers has established himself as one of the best young players in the league.
Meanwhile, Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors seems to have hit the dreaded rookie wall, but his defensive prowess and versatility have been on display. Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors and Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets are starting to make some noise as well.
On that note, here's a look at this week's NBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY) power rankings and see if there are any changes in the top five from the last week:
#5 Scottie Barnes
Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #5
Last Week: Games played - 2; Games won - 0; Games lost - 2
Overall: Games played - 34; Games won - 17; Games lost - 17
Last Week: PPG - 12.0, APG - 4.0, RPG - 7.5
Overall: PPG - 14.5, APG - 3.5, RPG - 7.9
Last Week: FG% - 32.3%, 3P% - 22.2%, FT% - 66.7%
Overall: FG% - 47.0%, 3P% - 31.3%, FT% - 71.3%.
Scottie Barnes remains at number five in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. Barnes played just two of four games last week for the Toronto Raptors. He averaged 12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists, but shot the ball poorly.
WHAT A FINISH SCOTTIE BARNES 😳 https://t.co/VaBmWqzIt2
The rookie wall has not been kind to Barnes, and he has not been the same since entering the NBA's health and safety protocols. It might take some time for him to get back into form, but he could fall out of the top five, as the likes of Jonathan Kuminga, Herb Jones and Jalen Green are making some noise.
#4 Josh Giddey
Previous week's NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #4
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 1; Games lost - 3
Overall: Games played - 38; Games won - 13; Games lost - 25
Last Week: PPG - 14.5, APG - 5.8, RPG - 6.3
Overall: PPG - 11.4, APG - 6.3, RPG - 7.3
Last Week: FG% - 50.0%, 3P% - 34.8%, SPG - 1.0
Overall: FG% - 40.8%, 3P% - 28.9%, SPG - 1.0.
Josh Giddey of the OKC Thunder remains in fourth spot in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. Giddey has been a consistent presence for the Thunder, averaging 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists in four games last week.
One of the most impressive aspects of Giddey's performance last week was his efficiency. He shot the ball at 50.0% from the field, and his three-point shooting was 34.8%.
Josh Giddey has scored in double digits in all 8 games since coming out of Covid protocols.
Giddey in January:
13.8 points
8.1 rebounds
7 assists
1.4 steals
41% from 3
Go ahead and give him that Western Conference Rookie of the Month... again.
However, he needs to improve his ability to draw fouls, as he did not have any attempts at the line last week.