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NBA Awards Watch: Klay Thompson on the rise

By Brad Rowland

Jan 23, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) is greeted after scoring a three point shot against the Sacramento Kings in the second half of their NBA basketball game at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports. Thompson set a record 52 points in their win over the kings.
Jan 23, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) is greeted after scoring a three point shot against the Sacramento Kings in the second half of their NBA basketball game at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports. Thompson set a record 52 points in their win over the kings. /
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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) dribbles the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) defends during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) dribbles the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) defends during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Rookie of the Year

  1. Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves – The Rookie of the Year race is basically over, barring unforeseen circumstances. At the tender age of 19, Andrew Wiggins is averaging 19.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in January (14 contests), and with that, he now averages 15.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game on the season. Yes, the Minnesota Timberwolves are an abomination, but Wiggins is now their best player while seeing nearly 34 minutes per game on the floor, and no one has been able to match his overall impact.
  2. Nikola Mirotic, Chicago Bulls – Mirotic is the per-minute maven, and because of the nature of his team success, some voters may gravitate toward the 23-year-old. Still, the Bulls have fallen off a bit (though they are 29-17 at the time of this post), and Mirotic simply hasn’t played enough to warrant a nod over Wiggins. The Yugoslavian forward is leading all rookies in PER (17.0) by a wide margin, but with only 17.7 minutes per night to accumulate stats (7.7 points, 4.6 rebounds per game), I don’t see it.
  3. Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic – I am, admittedly, in the tank for Elfrid Payton because I love his game. Still, the 20-year-old has improved drastically throughout his rookie season, including an impressive January performance. This month, Payton is averaging 10.8 points and 7.2 assists per game, but the biggest change has come in efficiency, where he is making a respectable 45.4% of his shot attempts. Payton’s defense and passing ability will make him a long-time NBA starter, but if he can shoot at a league-average rate (or better), the former Ragin’ Cajun could be a star.

Next: Most Valuable Player

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