NBA Rookie of the Year Ladder: Mobley, Barnes, Cunningham Racing to Finish Line

Jalen GreenMichael Reaves/Getty Images

10. Chris Duarte, SG, Indiana Pacers

A nagging toe injury is threatening to leave a sour taste in voters’ mouths when it comes to Duarte. The ailment has limited him to 60 minutes over four games since Feb. 13, and when he has suited up, either the injury or the resulting rust has hurt his typically rock-solid shooting rates (36.4 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from three). Still, this shouldn’t erase the goodwill he earned before the injury, as he had emerged as one of the rookie class’ top offensive options, averaging the seventh-most points (13.2) and fourth-most threes (1.7).

9. Jonathan Kuminga, PF, Golden State Warriors

Since Feb. 1, Kuminga has scored double digits in 13 out of 15 games. Those other two outings were the only ones in this stretch when the Warriors limited him to less than 20 minutes. His counting categories could be held in check by his supporting role on a championship contender, but the fact that he’s helping a win-now team stack victories as a 19-year-old adds an extra layer of substance to his stat line.

8. Herbert Jones, SF/PF, New Orleans Pelicans

Opponents might shred nets against the Pelicans, just #NotOnHerb. Jones’ tenacious, disruptive defense has allowed him to log the most minutes on his team and fourth-most in his class. He is credited with handling the NBA’s seventh-highest matchup difficulty, per BBall Index, which speaks to how much the Pels already trust the second-round rookie. If he offered just a pinch more offense—he’s a single-digit scorer (9.4) with minimal outside shooting (41 threes in 62 games)—he could crash the top five.

7. Jalen Green, SG, Houston Rockets

Houston’s anything-goes approach to its youth has been a good-news, bad-news situation for Green. On one hand, it has green-lighted him to pour in the third-most points (15.4) and most triples (2.0) of this first-year class. On the other, his rough shooting rates (40.3/31.5/79.7) and lack of impact (team-worst minus-12.2 net differential) suggest he might have more freedom than his developing skill set can handle.

Voters shouldn’t hold the lack of Houston’s success against him, though. It’s not his fault he was drafted by the team that was forced to part with James Harden last season. Voters instead will focus more on the obvious strides he is making, as he’s up to 18.3 points on 47.0/37.0/69.6 shooting since the start of February.

6. Ayo Dosunmu, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls

Injuries forced Dosunmu into Chicago’s opening quintet on Jan. 15, but his steady production and two-way impact have kept him there. Only All-Star (and MVP candidate) DeMar DeRozan has logged more minutes for Chicago over this stretch than Dosunmu, who has helped the Bulls keep their head above water without Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. Among rotation-regular rookie guards, Dosunmu ranks first in both field-goal (52.5) and three-point (39.9) percentage.