NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings: Week 4
Each week, FanSided will be ranking the NBA rookies based on the performance so far this season.
Philadelphia 76ers’ point guard Michael Carter-Williams tops the list again. He’s been in the top spot each week.
1. Michael Carter-Williams, PG, Philadelphia 76ers
Carter-Williams returned to the court from foot injury in a 108-98 loss to the Toronto Raptors and struggled. Carter-Williams scored 10 points on two-of-10 shooting from the field. On Friday, in a 115-107 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, he showed improvement, scoring 12 points and dishing out 11 assists. Then, on Saturday, he looked like the same Carter-Williams that took the league by storm. He had 29 points, seven steals, six rebounds and three assists in a 106-98 loss to the Indiana Pacers. He’s now averaging 17.3 points, 7.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game.
2. Victor Oladipo, G, Orlando Magic
When Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn decided to go small in a 120-92 loss to the Miami Heat, Oladipo got his first start. Although the Heat cruised to an easy win, Oladipo scored 20 points, recorded five steals, grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists. He was impressive against the Heat again on Saturday in a tough 101-99 loss. He had 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He’s now averaging 12.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He is, however, still having turnover issues, giving it away 4.1 times per game.
3. Kelly Olynyk, C, Boston Celtics
Olynyk could have taken a tumble down the list because of an ankle injury that will cause him to miss about two weeks, but the rest of the rookie class was less than stellar this week, so Olynyk actually moves up a spot. Olynyk was injured after playing just 12 minutes in Friday’s 97-82 loss to the Indiana Pacers and did not play in Saturday’s 94-87 over the Atlanta Hawks. Olynyk was impressive this week before the injury, averaging 8.5 points and eight rebounds per game in his two other games this week. On the year, Olynyk is averaging 7.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
4. Nate Wolters, PG, Milwaukee Bucks
It wasn’t a great week for Wolters and that culminated in a stinker during a 96-72 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats Saturday. Wolters had zero points, two assists, one rebound and played just nine minutes. Of course with veteran point guard Luke Ridnour returning last Wednesday, minutes are going to be harder for Wolters to come by, so he’s going to have to make the most of his time on the floor. Still, his body of work, 7.5 points, 4.7 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game, cannot be overlooked, so he remains on the list.
5. Ben McLemore, SG, Sacramento Kings
McLemore supplants Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams on this list thanks mostly to a 19-point performance in a 107-104 victory over the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night. McLemore didn’t do much the rest of the week, averaging just 6.0 points per game in three other games prior to Sunday’s 15-point performance in a 100-87 loss to the Lakers.
In: Ben McLemore
Out: Steven Adams