Teams like the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons are embracing the youth movement this season. While it hasn’t always necessarily translated to some victories against quality opponents, many of the players those teams selected in the 2021 NBA Draft (like Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes) have placed high on the NBA Rookie Ladder.
The lottery has been particularly fruitful. Except for a handful of players, most prospects picked in that range are either putting up impressive individual stats or leading team turnarounds in the standings. 2021 is already looking like one of the strongest drafts in recent memory.
Teams like the Raptors and Cavaliers were mired at the bottom of the standings last year, but thanks to some of the contributions that they got from their youngsters, they are much more well-equipped to go on the offensive.
With another week in the books, did any players end up making some moves up the NBA Rookie Ladder? Did any important names take a very slight dive in the wrong direction recently?
NBA Rookie Ladder: Did Raptors forward Scottie Barnes keep the top spot?
Suggs’ shooting percentages may not be great, but he’s started to show off enough of the skills that made him a coveted prospect to hop over Bones Hyland in this ranking. Suggs is averaging 12.3 points since an October 29 loss against Toronto, including a career-high 21 points against the Nets on Friday.
Developing two first-round picks at the same position at the same time between Suggs and Cole Anthony is a tough proposition, but Jamahl Mosley appears to be making it work. If Suggs gets more efficient, he could form one-half of one of the best backcourts in the conference.
NBA Rookie Ladder: Jalen Suggs is starting to improve.
Even on a putrid Rockets team full of tons of young players, Sengun is doing everything he can to make himself known to the larger NBA world. Sengun is averaging 8.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, showing that his offensive production in Turkey is capable of translating to the NBA.
Sengun still has quite a ways to go before he can start exerting his will on either end of the floor, but Houston has to be encouraged with what they’ve seen. They have Daniel Theis, but Sengun has been making a very compelling case for more minutes.
Mitchell might not have the gaudiest offensive numbers in the world, and the Kings might be sliding in the standings for reasons entirely beyond his control, but the former national champion continues to impress with his perimeter defense and ability to set up teammates with solid passes.
Mitchell, like Suggs, is trying to be developed by a bad head coach alongside another first-round pick in Tyrese Haliburton and a star in De’Aaron Fox at the same position. Still, Sacramento is giving Mitchell plenty of chances to make an impact, and he’s been taking them for the most part.
NBA Rookie Ladder: Jalen Green is still playing well on offense.
It’s not all pretty around Green, as he is making just 36% of his shots and 28% of his 3-pointers despite taking more than seven per game. Even with those struggles, he is showing off plenty of the skills that made him a no-brainer pick at No. 2 for a Houston team clearly eyeing the future.
The Rockets are essentially rolling the ball out there and letting Green do whatever he pleases on offense. This may not be a style conducive to winning a ton of games, but it will help sharpen Green into a future star. It would be a shock if he’s not higher on this list by the end of the year.
Duarte was expected to come into the NBA and contribute right away given his age and pedigree at Oregon, and he’s done just that. Though the return of Caris LeVert has cut into his scoring production, he’s still making 40% of his 3-point attempts and playing some quality defense.
Duarte has been a tremendous boost for this team on the perimeter. Even as the Pacers slide down the standings in what has been a very disappointing season, they can take solace in the fact that they nailed their highest draft pick in years by selecting Duarte.
NBA Rookie Ladder: Franz Wagner is outperforming Jalen Suggs.
Orlando might be letting Suggs freelance on offense more, but Wagner has been the more impressive player when the two Top 10 picks are compared against one another. Wagner’s 13.8 points per game shut up doubters about how his offensive game at Michigan will translate to the pros.
Wagner got plenty of minutes early due to players like Jonathan Isaac being injured, but he’s played so well that it will be very hard to remove him from the lineup anytime soon. Wagner, Suggs, and Anthony give the Magic an extremely intriguing foundation upon which they can build.
Giddey has helped the Thunder win some extremely impressive games in a year that many believed was going to be a complete lost cause. Even if Oklahoma City starts to regress to the mean, it appears as though they have a potential star point guard next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Not only is Giddey leading all rookies in assists, but he’s doing so while averaging 7.3 rebounds per game. The Australian is showing that he is further along as a defensive player than most expected. Giddey needs to work on getting his shooting percentages up, but he’s looking like a potential game-changer for OKC.
NBA Rookie Ladder: Cade Cunningham is starting to get in a rhythm.
While Cunningham had some rough scoring nights in his return from an ankle injury, he has very quickly reminded the NBA world that he is a truly elite talent. Over the last six games, in which his Pistons have a 3-3 record, Cunningham is averaging 16.5 points on 44% shooting to go along with 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
Cunningham looks to be in complete control of the Detroit offense, which is a very scary thought for the rest of the league. While he hasn’t done enough yet to make it into the top two, he will likely end up there soon if he keeps playing like this.
This may be the last week in which Mobley is ranked this high, as an elbow injury will likely sideline him for a good chunk of time. If the versatile center can get back on the floor soon, he could resume his Rookie of the Year campaign by going to work on both ends of the floor.
Mobley is averaging 14.6 points. 8.0 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. Alongside Jarrett Allen on a Cleveland team that has gone all-in on size and potential, Mobley is a big reason why the Cavaliers have started so well. A healthy Mobley is a firm ROY contender no matter how his season is analyzed.
NBA Rookie Ladder: Toronto Raptors stud Scottie Barnes is the top rookie.
Even though his scoring is starting to take a slight turn downwards now that Pascal Siakam is back, Barnes has yet to be unseated at the top of these rankings. Barnes’ ability to move around the floor, finish inside, and dominate the glass has had a tangible positive impact on this team.
Barnes still has plenty of issues that he needs to iron out, but what is inarguable is the fact that he is a quality two-way player already. Toronto has a plan for getting back to the postseason consistently, and Barnes getting better every year is a huge part of that plan.