NBA Rookie Ladder: Did Scottie Barnes hold on to the top spot?

Almost one-third of the way into the season, the Rookie of the Year contenders are starting to separate from the rest of the pack. Teams like the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers may have some award-winning youngsters on their hands in Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley.

Across the league, both rebuilding squads and teams looking for a spot in the play-in tournament have benefitted from the performances of the 2021 NBA Draft Class. Even after just a few months, some of the players in this class are looking like stars that can carry their teams for years.

In addition to most of the lottery picks looking like they were expected, many of the players picked later in the draft are emerging as solid role players. Even a handful of second-round prospects have shown they should earn some extra playing time here and there.

Was there any movement on this most recent NBA Rookie Ladder? Are Barnes and Mobley at the top once again? Did anyone new break into the Top 10?

NBA Rookie Ladder: Did Toronto Raptors’ star Scottie Barnes stay on top?

Sacramento is playing much better basketball under Alvin Gentry after the Luke Walton firing, and Mitchell serving as one of the best players in the second unit is a huge reason as to why. After struggling on offense under Walton, Mitchell has taken a step forward since Gentry was put in place.

Since November 24, Mitchell is averaging 11.3 points per game on 43% shooting and 34% from 3-point range. The Kings are still a bad defensive team, but Mitchell’s feisty on-ball defense is a huge reason why he’s stood out on this roster. Sacramento may make a play-in push, and Mitchell has been a massive boost in their quest to break a postseason drought.

NBA Rookie Ladder: The Rockets are winning without Jalen Green.

Green hasn’t played in a while due to an injury, and the Rockets went on a seven-game winning streak as soon as he went out. While some might try to use this as evidence to show that Green is not playing well, correlation does not imply causation in this specific example.

Green is still showing a knack for getting to the rim while starting to become slightly more efficient. While Green’s injury could knock him out of the Rookie of the Year race, he still looks like a player who will be instrumental to Houston’s quest to turn themselves around.