Fansided

NBA Rookie of the Year Power Rankings: Week 18

By Andrew Melnick

Feb 26, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Orlando Magic shooting guard Victor Oladipo (5) looks to pass during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Orlando Magic shooting guard Victor Oladipo (5) looks to pass during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 26, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Orlando Magic shooting guard Victor Oladipo (5) looks to pass during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Orlando Magic shooting guard Victor Oladipo (5) looks to pass during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /

Each week, FanSided will be ranking the NBA rookies based on their performance so far this season.

This week, Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo takes the top spot from Philadelphia 76ers’ point guard Michael Carter-Williams. Oladipo has really stepped up his game recently and shown more improvement throughout the season than Carter-Williams. Plus, it didn’t hurt that Oladipo outplayed Carter-Williams when the Magic defeated the 76ers 101-90 on Wednesday night. Carter-Williams outplayed Oladipo in the rematch Sunday, but he was again inefficient in another 76ers’ loss.

1.  Victor Oladipo, G, Orlando Magic

Oladipo is going through a fantastic stretch right now. The Magic were defeated by the Washington Wizards 115-106 on Tuesday night. Oladipo scored 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field, went two-of-four from beyond the arc and four-of-four from the charity stripe. He added five assists, two rebounds and a steal. On Wednesday, Oladipo outdueled Carter-Williams in the Magic’s 101-90 victory over the 76ers. Oladipo had 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out three assists, recorded two steals and blocked a shot. On Saturday night, the Magic offered little resistance, falling to the Miami Heat 112-98. Oladipo had a rough night, scoring 10 points on two-of-six shooting. He impressively got to the line 10 times, but only knocked down six. The Magic and 76ers met again Sunday evening. Oladipo had just nine points, four assists and two rebounds, but the Magic earned a 92-81 victory. Oladipo is now averaging 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

2. Michael Carter-Williams, PG, Philadelphia 76ers

After scoring 20 points on seven-of-11 shooting to go with three assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block in a 130-110 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks Monday, Carter-Williams had a poor week shooting. In a 101-90 loss to the Magic Wednesday, he had just eight points on three-of-13 shooting with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. He shot just five-of-14 from the field and scored 15 points in a 122-103 loss to the Washington Wizards Saturday. He also had seven assists and six rebounds. Carter-Williams and Oladipo danced again on Sunday evening. Carter-Williams had 17 points on seven-of-20 shooting, 11 rebounds and six assists.He’s averaging 17.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game this season.

3. Trey Burke, PG, Utah Jazz 

Burke didn’t have a great week, but he did have a strong finish. In a 110-98 victory over the Boston Celtics Monday, Burke had 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. Two days later, in another win, this time a 109-86 defeat of the Phoenix Suns, he had 10 points and two assists. On Friday, the Jazz lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-79. Burke had four points, five rebounds and three assists. The Jazz traveled to Indiana to take on the Pacers Sunday and Burke had an excellent game finishing with 16 points on five-of-nine shooting, five assists and four rebounds in a 94-91 loss. Burke is averaging 12.5 points, 5.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game.

4. Tim Hardaway, Jr. G, New York Knicks

Hardaway, Jr. had another up-and-down week, but the ups are becoming more and more frequent. On Monday, the Knicks lost 110-108 to the Dallas Mavericks on a Dirk Nowitzki game-winning jumper. Hardaway, Jr. had 10 points and two rebounds. On Thursday, the Knicks were blown out by the Miami Heat 108-82. Hardaway, Jr. had one of the worst nights of his career, finishing with six points on three-of-15 shooting. On Friday night, in a 126-103 loss to the Golden State Warriors, Hardaway, Jr.  scored 22 points on six-of-11 shooting, one of the most efficient games of his young career. The Knicks took on the Chicago Bulls Sunday afternoon. In the Bulls’ 109-90 win, Hardaway, Jr. had 14 points and two rebounds. Hardaway, Jr. is averaging 9.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, G, Milwaukee Bucks

Antetokounmpo is by far the most raw of all the prospects on this list, but very well could be the most talented. He continues to show flashes of that talent. On Monday, the Bucks blew out the Philadelphia 76ers 130-110. Antetokounmpo scored 13 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists and blocked four shots in 29 minutes. On Thursday, he played just 21 minutes and had only five points, three assists and three rebounds in a 101-96 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Antetokounmpo played 29 minutes on Saturday in a 107-98 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. He scored 12 points, grabbed three rebounds, dished out three assists, had three steals and blocked a shot. This season, Antetokounmpo is averaging 7.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

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