Stating the case for every Rookie of the Year candidate

This year’s rookie class already appears to be a special one. First-year players seldom make a positive impact at all, let alone on quality teams. Already, 13 rookies have amassed at least 2.5 win shares this season, the most of any year since 2010. Many neophytes have become staples of playoff rotations, while others have put up huge numbers on cellar-dwellers.

From top to bottom, this rookie class is a massively impressive one that will likely be looked back on as one that changed the landscape of the NBA. While the class has been outstanding all around, these four youngsters have distinguished themselves in a tight Rookie of the Year race.

Jayson Tatum

Despite his midseason struggles, Tatum has remained remarkably efficient and productive as he’s become an increasingly necessary cog in Boston’s offense. He isn’t asked to spearhead a team’s attack in the way that Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell are, but even that frame of reference misconstrues Tatum’s function on the team. From the outset of his career, he was a capable complementary player who could knock down open shots and provide ancillary playmaking on a pseudo-contender. He has managed to fit into whatever scheme the Celtics happen to be employing at a given time, regardless of surrounding personnel.

Tatum began the season a tentative fifth starter, and his standing only solidified as the year unfolded. As he gained assurance of his place in the league and injuries whittled down Boston’s depth, Tatum stepped into larger and larger roles until he became vital to the structure of his the Celtics’ offense.

To be certain, he hasn’t been as prolific or captivating as Mitchell or Simmons, who shoulder inordinate amounts of responsibility for player with such little experience. But Tatum has become essential for a team locked into home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. That’s a rare claim for a rookie to stake.

Kyle Kuzma

Kuzma’s effectiveness waxed and waned to varying degrees over the course of the season. But such is the nature of a 22-year-old first-option scorer in the NBA.

No one would mistake him for an elite playmaking forward or a defensive stalwart, but he does one thing unmistakably well: get buckets. Kuzma is already the most polished scorer on his team and arguably in this rookie class. He averages shoots nearly 37 percent from deep on almost six attempts per game, and scores 1.16 points per possession in isolation, putting him in the 92^nd percentile of all NBA players. His 1.14 points per possession on post-ups places him in the 97^th percentile leaguewide. He’ll bust out hook shots, up-and-unders, floaters and spin moves, and confidently attacks every chance he gets. This is the stuff of a professional bucket-getter:

Kuzma’s defense needs major work to even become passable on a good team, and he offers little value as a playmaker. He’s probably best off playing the four, where his defensive concerns can be mitigated and his quickness magnified, but spends a good chunk of his time on the wing. It’s unclear how prominently he factors into the Lakers’ future plans. But at the very least, Kuzma seems on track to fill a very specific and important role in the NBA: the pure, unambiguous bucket-getter.

Donovan Mitchell

Mitchell’s high points have been as mesmerizing and praiseworthy as any rookie’s. For the better part of his rookie year, he played the role of lead guard for Utah, and at times, felt like the only reliable creator on the floor for an offense that often sputtered without him. His finishing around the rim ticked up once he adjusted to NBA length and activity in the paint, and with it, his overall efficiency surged. Mitchell is one of two rookies with a usage rate above 26 percent and one of two rookies on a playoff team that uses at least a fifth of his team’s possessions (Simmons is the other). Perhaps no other rookie combines scoring, playmaking and efficiency as effectively as Mitchell.

More and more, he looks the part of a bona fide NBA point guard. His ability to spot teammates and the flare with which he can deliver the ball indicate an advanced understanding of how to attack defenses. He’ll sling one-handed crosscourt dimes to shooters, zip kickout passes from the paint or find teammates in tight spaces inside. Watch how he pulls the defense with him on this pick-and-roll, setting up a laser to the opposite side of the floor:

The Jazz are roughly three points per 100 possessions better on both ends of the floor with Mitchell on the court, and a virtual net neutral when he plays without Gobert. That’s a win for Utah, who rely so heavily on their big man and the defense he anchors. Mitchell has adapted well on that end too. He’s capably handled primary on-ball defensive duties, which often involves matching up with bigger players. The Jazz’ future depended on Mitchell blossoming into at least a capable two-way starter. Less than a year in, he had already become that and more. Now, he looks like a star around whom Utah can construct its future.

Ben Simmons

Simmons has the most complete case of anyone in this rookie class. Aside from his nonexistent jumpshot, Simmons possesses few discernable weaknesses. He’s one of the most versatile rookies in recent memory, and a legitimate All-NBA candidate this year. A player with his size, speed and power is rare; even scarcer are those with his instincts and intelligence. To have that combination at such a young age is nearly unprecedented in the modern NBA.

Next: Stating the case for every Defensive Player of the Year candidate

Simmons sees the floor like a veteran point guard and runs it like a young, unhinged forward. He took over primary ball-handling duties from day one, and has already established himself as one of the best passing forwards in the league. Rookie mistakes are few and far between. Defensively, he combines exceptional physical traits with an advanced understanding of scheme, tendencies and situations. He defends a wide range of players, helping give Philadelphia a defensive versatility that has led them to a top-five rank on that end of the floor.

The 76ers undoubtedly rely on Joel Embiid to carry them on both ends of the floor, but that shouldn’t obscure what value Simmons provides. Philly has ripped off four straight wins without Embiid, underscoring Simmons’ ability to catalyze an offense and has solidifying his case for Rookie of the Year.