Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers)
JC Ansis: This time last season, the Cavs were the third-worst team in the East. This year, they're battling for a playoff spot. Sure, that jump can be attributed to Darius Garland reaching All-Star level status or Jarrett Allen's improved play. But Evan Mobley also deserves a slice of the pie for the Cavaliers' surprising resurgence.
The lanky Mobley is a 7-foot wing who has been consistent for Cleveland throughout the year, offensively and defensively. Yes, he suffered an injury late in the regular season but that shouldn't dampen his chances at this award. With Mobley, the Cavs are 39-28; without him, they only went 4-9.
On offense, I see shades of Chris Bosh in him. Mobley can do damage in pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops. And he can pass, too. But the one thing I love about Mobley is he can defend all positions. He's great at moving his feet, which allows him to guard smaller players on the perimeter. His lateral speed gives him the versatility that players in his mold usually don’t possess. And you won't have to worry about interior defense with Mobley - he'll alter shots or swat them away. All these qualities are a testament to his precociousness.
Winning ROY could be the start of something special but Mobley could potentially rake in a couple of Defensive Player of the Year awards when it's all said and done.
Charmie Lising: Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley have the strongest cases to win Rookie of the Year, given their individual stats and their respective teams’ winning season. No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham and Franz Wagner are also top candidates, but their teams’ record do not help their cause.
I’d give Mobley the slight edge over Barnes, mostly because of how he adapted to the Cavs’ tough circumstances. His consistency on both ends of the floor helped the Cavs stay afloat despite the injuries that ravaged the team. You could see his potential and basketball IQ from the get-go, and his veteran-like presence did wonders for his team. Case in point: the Cavaliers struggled when Mobley missed 13 games because of an ankle injury.
Mobley has formed a daunting defensive duo with Jarrett Allen, which propelled the Cavaliers to the league’s top five in defensive rating. Even with Allen out, Mobley has held his own against opposing bigs. This season’s ROY race may end up closer than expected, but Mobley’s overall defensive impact might just tip the scales in his favor.
Yoyo Sarmenta: Imagine it’s the year 2024. LeBron James is back with the Cavaliers for a third time. His son, Bronny, is a rookie. LeBron went back home to play with his son and this is what the James family has been dreaming of.
But Bronny isn’t the only reason that LeBron made his return to the Land. The King announced during his preseason press conference that he “wanted to play with the best big man in the NBA.”
Evan Mobley is now a 24-year-old, 230-pound, 6-foot-11 monstrosity. From averaging 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks his freshman year, he’s upped that to a steady diet of 22.3 points, 10.9 boards, and 2.1 rejections.
Of course, we’re all talking hypotheticals here. LeBron hasn’t said anything about returning to Cleveland and Bronny isn’t even done with high school. And we’re not here to discuss contract implications and cap space for the Cavs. This is all about the potential of Mobley. He has the size, length, and instinct of a defensive juggernaut while having the fundamentals of an efficient scoring big man.
Of all the rookies in the 2021 class, Mobley might just have the highest upside. He’s no Joel Embiid or Karl-Anthony Towns yet, but he will definitely get there one day. And when that day comes, he’s going to be the most coveted big man in the entire league.
Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors)
Polo Bustamante: Pre-draft comparisons are funny. It’s tough to project how young players will pan out. Some create unnecessary expectations, like Obi Toppin being compared to Blake Griffin. Others can be way off, but in a good way. Ja Morant has already played beyond his Mike Conley comparison in just three seasons.
Then there are ones that are just spot on, like Scottie Barnes to Draymond Green.
Green plays a critical role in the Golden State Warriors’ small ball attack. His versatility on both sides of the ball allowed the team to play their best five players, regardless of positions. In just his first year in the league, Barnes has shown why the comparison makes sense.
He leads all rookies in efficiency and minutes played and ranks within the top five in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Beyond the numbers, Barnes’ versatility has been so important for the Raptors. On offense, he can set up plays for the team, allowing main scorers like Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet to play off the ball. Defensively, Barnes can hold his own in the paint and the perimeter, opening up roster combinations for the team that can truly stifle opposing offenses.
Just like Green, Barnes fills in whatever the team needs of him. In fact, he even played point forward in the Raptors’ jumbo lineup when VanVleet was out with an injury last month. Having a player like Barnes has allowed Toronto to reclaim their rightful spot as a playoff team in the East.
Renee Ticzon: The Toronto Raptors are No. 5 in the East – let’s start with that. For a franchise that is technically on the rebuilding side, that’s a VERY good spot to be in. Sure they have All-Star guard Fred VanVleet and tough-as-nails forward Pascal Siakam, but a big part of their success is the new guy on the block, Scottie Barnes.
The rookie is averaging 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, making him a consistent and reliable contributor. Barnes is a promising young gun that has the potential to become the face of the Raptors franchise.
He’s all about the basics at this point, playing slow and deliberate basketball, but if it works then why not? Barnes is definitely someone who will keep improving as time goes on. But at this point, it’s only fair to hand him the Rookie of the Year award considering how much he’s helped his playoff team.
Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons)
Miguel Flores: Cade Cunningham – a.k.a “Blade”, “Vegan Manu”, “Motorcade”, and “Cadillac Cade” – got off to a rocky start. His Draft day hype died quietly, which was a shame because Cunningham showed his superstar bona fides as the season went along.
Highlights Twitter didn't have a ton of material from him. But Right Plays Twitter and Calculator Twitter went nuts for him.
Cade Cunningham played like a seasoned vet leading the @DetroitPistons to victory at home!@CadeCunningham_: 27 PTS, 6 AST, 4 STL pic.twitter.com/zQtJSMBhz2
— NBA (@NBA) April 1, 2022
He was one of the most efficient rookie guards for the usage rate he commanded. After a rocky November, Cunningham averaged 18.8 points on 43.7 percent shooting with 5.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and just 1.3 turnovers per game.
The 2021 Draft is going to be legendary as we could get a couple of superstars out of this class along with several solid All-Stars and rotation players. Evan Mobley is the hot name now, but don't be surprised if Cunningham eventually enters MVP conversations.
He probably didn't get as much hype as Mobley and Scottie Barnes because Detroit finished dead last in the East this season. But don't feel too bad for Detroit, especially if they end up with Jabari Smith Jr. or Paolo Banchero next season.
Jalen Green (Houston Rockets)
Jon Rodriguez: In our minds, the Rookie of the Year Award is decided early, with little wiggle room for revisions. Get a string of losses early, host bad shooting nights, make questionable decisions—and boom, you’re out of the conversation. It’s a long season, but the window is microscopic if you’re gunning for this much-coveted trophy.
That’s unfortunate, because Jalen Green got way better than how he started. Before the All-Star break, Green was averaging 15, 3, and 2 with a 52-percent true shooting percentage. After the break, he took it up a notch: 21, 4, and 3 with a 58-percent true shooting percentage.
Just imagine if Green had started this season the way he ended it–with a career-high 41 points and not the disappointing 4-of-14 clunker in his NBA debut. Just imagine if in his first two weeks of the season, Green was averaging 29 points per game. That’s what he did to end his first year in the NBA. Drawing comparisons to a generational talent like Allen Iverson seems as accurate as ever.
If Green won’t get the award he said he wanted on Draft day, it’s largely because he hadn’t been the consistent, steady, reliable, mature rookie that the other names in his draft class aimed for. Instead, Green went for the sky. As the season wore on, he continued to rise higher and higher–in the rookie rankings, yes, but more so in his quest to be among the greats.
