We continue with the series of possible players awarded at the end of the season, now focusing on the Rookie of the Year. Perhaps this is the most difficult accolade to forecast. Despite being based on what they have done in college or in a professional team abroad, as well as the position in which they have been chosen in the Draft, predicting what they will be like when they face the professionalism of the NBA is difficult. Even so, we are fortunate that the class of 2021 arrives with several boys whose talent should make them stand out from day one. Below we analyze the players who could win the Rookie of the Year of the 2021-22 season in the NBA.
Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
The number 1 in the draft brings together all the ingredients to be the main favorite to win the award for the best rookie of the season that is about to start. Class, physique, statistics, context … Cade Cunningham has come to the NBA to be directly the great hope of the Pistons, that piece that returns the successes to the Michigan organization while becoming a superstar.
With such a scenario, and given that Detroit is beginning a deep reconstruction, this Oklahoma State University product will not lack minutes or prominence on the track to show all its talent. They will give him the keys to the team, and all this after averaging 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in his only year college with 40% in triples. Dwane Casey has defined him as a silent alpha, but it would be strange if he did not make noise from day one.
Jalen Green (Rockets)
Situation similar to that of Cunningham. Being the number 2 in the draft, Jalen Green lands in some Rockets who are building a new team and in which he will have total freedom to show his basketball; yes, he will share backcourt with Kevin Porter Jr., and with him it must be understood so that what was seen in the university and the Las Vegas Summer League (20.3 points with 52.6% in triples in just 24.1 minutes per night) is transferred to his first year among the best in the world.
We cannot doubt him. He is one of those talents that seem born to play this, that when they face the basket has something special that makes you feel that it will end up inside. In addition, he has in his favor having passed the last year in the Ignite team of the G League. You cannot lose your sight, it aims to be one of the sensations of the League.
Jalen Suggs (Magic)
a two-way player that is not without talent. Jalen Suggs comes to Orlando to show that what he did in his only college year (14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals with 50% from the field goal) was not far from it. a mirage. He does everything on the floor, and seeing him last year defending the best rival player was a constant. He is a boy used to taking responsibility, and that can help him get off to a good start.
Assuming that he will have a lot of space to develop his game in Orlando (a young and rebuilding team), only his first steps in the preseason in the preseason can sow any doubt, since he is having a hard time finding the rim. But it is not at all alarming. If he gives what is expected of him, he will have a chance to get into the fight.
Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
The pivot of this draft. Evan Mobley is a great player to build on, a guy who in college had 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.9 blocks on average, but who in turn went to 30% on 3-point invites. to think that it may be one more weapon in your game. Do we doubt their capabilities? No. But if we hesitate a little to see the situation in which it is.
The number 3 of the last draft comes to a Cavaliers who have Jarrett Allen, who they have signed for four years and $ 100 million. In three of the four preseason games they have shared ownership, but it remains to be seen that that will be the team’s plan as the regular season begins. Also, the Cavs, with Colli Sexton and Darius Garland, tend a lot to rely on the backcourt. Its brightness will depend on the role it is given, but it has plenty of qualities to take advantage of any moment.
Scottie Burns (Raptors)
Toronto surprised him by picking him No. 4 in the draft, and now we can be the ones surprised. He has a great physique and is a good defender, so seeing him perform well in Nick Nurse’s system from day one would not be unusual. Maybe it takes points for you not to be a constant player of hightlights, but it has other qualities that can dazzle.
Regarding the role he will have in the Canadians, for now he is being a regular in the starting five and nothing suggests that that will change in the near future. With Florida State he showed a solid performance of 10.3 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.5 steals in 24.8 minutes per game.
Jared Butler (Jazz)
We jump to number 40 of the last draft… Normally the simple fact of hearing such a position would make us cross it, but the case of Jared Butler is far from being ordinary. A heart problem made it doubt that he could make the leap to professionalism, something that led to his collapse in the draft. However, he has been cleared to play and in preseason he has managed to make a 22-point game with Utah coming off the bench.
We must not forget that he comes after winning the NCAA with Baylor, a tournament in which he was also chosen as the best player … He reaches a contender, it is true, and perhaps that will reduce his prominence, but if he plays as expected – also without any pressure – It cannot be ruled out that it ends up being the great robbery of this draft – if it is not already.
Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors)
We move up again and now we deal with No. 7 in the draft. Jonathan Kuminga has surprised by his maturity and has made a more than remarkable performance inLas Vegas Summer League with an average of17.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals. The Warriors expect a lot from him, although his starting role may not grant him many minutes.
Agile, fast and with physical qualities that make one understand that he can be a good defender in the NBA, doubts come about his outside launch, since in the G League (where he was in the Ignite team) he stayed at 24.6 %… It is a facet that needs to improve, but with a teacher like Stephen Curry it would not surprise him to do so. Your candidacy, as we said, will depend on the space you have.
James Bouknight (Hornets)
He seems like a boy called to almost automatically get along with LaMelo Ball. He is a scorer who can take advantage of a fast and showy game like Charlotte’s. He could be the sixth man on the team, but it is not ruled out that at some point – either due to injuries or rotations – he jumps to the starting five.
After going to 18.7 points and 5.7 assists in his second year of college, his start to the preseason has just confirmed that he can have a great role in the team led by James Borrego; so much so that in the first game he was the top scorer of his team with 20 points in 21 minutes from the bench… Bouknight seems ready to give us a show from the first jump start.
Davion Mitchell (Kings)
Other two-way player for the list. He may score less than some of his rivals, but when it comes to overall performance he can hunt them down. In Sacramento they have welcomed him with open arms and hope he will be important in the rotation; and we are not saying it, but players of the weight of De’Aaron Fox.
Unlike most of those named, we are facing a player who is now 23 years old and whose maturity is beyond doubt. And if that was not enough, he has scored a 20-point game in preseason with 6 of 9 in triples. It may not be the brightest, but its safety is enviable. In his last university year he was 44.7% from the three point line.
Josh Giddey (Thunder)
We close the list with the Australian rookie of the Thunder. Perhaps somewhat more unknown than some of those already named, Josh Giddey arrives in the perfect context to stand out. At 19 he lands in Oklahoma City after averaging 10.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.5 assists in the Oceania country league; numbers that together with the great prominence he can have in the Thunder invite him to have a great season.
Waiting to see what happens when the official games begin, he is currently a starter at OKC during the preseason and seems to have full confidence on the part of his manager, Mark Daigneault. He may be one of those covered in the race for Rookie of the Year.
Do you miss names that can really qualify for this award? that only NBA legends have won? Here is the complete list of those who have won the Rookie of the Year throughout history.
The order established in the list does not correspond in any case to a classification among the named players.
(Photograph by Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
