giphy.gif
I wanted that GIF to be the entire story. It best sums up my feelings about the Rookie Of the Year “race” at the midway point of the season.
Unfortunately, my editor is a cruel taskmaster and demanded an actual decision and written words, so here we are. This would have been an easy call to make before Philadelphia’s Jared McCain tore his meniscus and was out for the season — he was running away with this award. It wasn’t close. But he played just 23 games and is now done for the season, which leaves us trying to choose among players not currently living up to the award. Here’s where I stand as of today.
NBA ROY: Jaylen Wells
2. Zach Edey3. Alex Sarr
Let’s be clear, this race is wide open — players not in the top three, players not mentioned in this article, have a chance. Nobody is standing out, and the second half of this season will determine the award.
Wells was the No. 39 pick in the draft out of Washington State and was not expected to play much for Memphis this season, but injuries forced him into the rotation and he has taken full advantage of it. The 6’7″ 3&D wing has started 35 games for Memphis because he plays solid defense and averages 11.7 points a game while shooting 37.8% on 3-pointers.
Wells’ teammate Zach Edey could end up winning this award, the 7’4″ center has been more impactful than Wells or any other rookie so far this season — 9.9 points and 7.5 rebounds a game while being a plus defender in the paint the Grizzlies need. The only reason he is in second place is availability, he has missed 14 games this season due to injury (while the 65-game awards threshold does not apply to ROY, availability still matters to voters).
Washington’s Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick, has been on a roll the past couple of weeks (in his last 15 games he is averaging 13.2 points a game, shooting 42.6% from 3, taking on more of the Wizards’ offense) and if he keeps playing like this he could win the award.
My money is on Stephon Castle to be the best player in this class three years from now, but this season he’s been inconsistent, if that changes he is in the mix. Yves Missi has shown a lot of potential for the Pelicans, although that situation is such a disaster area it’s hard to get a good read on anyone. The Lakers Dalton Knecht started hot, then fell off, but has looked to be finding his feet again in recent weeks. Zaccharie Risacher is getting his chance in Atlanta and improving. Tristan Da Silva has been solid in Orlando, starting 30 games for the team.
At the end of the day, it’s still a shrug as to who will win this award at the end of the season. This race is wide open.