NBA Rookie of the Year (ROY) 2024: Top 5 candidates ft. Keyonte George (Week 20)

The 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year race has become one of the most exciting contests that basketball fans have been monitoring. Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren are making it a thrilling battle as the regular season winds down. While the two are seemingly going nowhere, there are some changes in the top five ladder.

For the first time in a long while, a new name has been added to the mix of weekly first-year best performers. A guard from the Utah Jazz was superb in week 20 to earn a spot on the list. Perhaps he will make his name a mainstay if he sustains the way he has been performing.

Top-five contenders for the NBA Rookie of the Year award for week 20

#5 Keyonte George

Last week: Games played 3 (1 win - 2 losses )
Season: 57
Last week: 20.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 3.3 APG
Season: 12.3 PPG, 4.4 APG and 2.8 RPG

Keyonte George makes his debut on the weekly NBA Rookie of the Year rankings. He had a stellar performance in week 20. George showed why the Utah Jazz are so excited for him when he had a team-high 29 points against the Denver Nuggets. He also had a team-best 31-point output versus the Miami Heat. Although both were losses, he is turning out to be the point guard Utah can build around.

Brandin Podziemski also had a solid case but the Golden State Warriors lost 126-113 on Saturday to the San Antonio Spurs that didn’t have Victor Wembanyama. George takes over Podziemski’s spot in the weekly NBA Rookie of the Year ladder.

#4 Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Last week: Games played 4 ( 1 win 3 losses)
Season: 57
Last week: 13.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.5 SPG
Season: 12.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.6 APG and 1.1 SPG

Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 25 points in the Miami Heat’s thrilling 107-100 loss to Chet Holmgren and the OKC Thunder on Friday. He also had an impact with his energy, hustle and defense. But, the Heat lost 110-108 to the reeling Washington Wizards on Sunday. Jaquez had six points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

The former UCLA standout deserves the fourth spot in week 20 of the NBA Rookie of the Year race.