Luka Doncic is still the best rookie in the NBA, but Trae Young’s recent surge is starting to make the race for ROY look a lot more interesting.
For much of the 2018-19 season there’s been no question that Luka Doncic has ruled the rookie class. He’s still got a massive lead in the race to win Rookie of the Year, but Trae Young deserves plaudits for his recent play. He probably can’t catch Doncic, but he’s got Hawks fans understandably excited about their team’s future.
Elsewhere in the class, the play isn’t quite as encouraging. Jaren Jackson Jr. has been put on the shelf by the Grizzlies with a thigh injury. As such, he’s dropped out of our top five for the first time in quite a while.
That gives us room for a new name to start off our top five. There’s never been a question about this Knicks’ big man’s talent, but he’s starting to put things together for David Fizdale and company.
5. Mitchell Robinson
We are a little concerned that Robinson is just putting up stats for a really bad team, but you can’t ignore what he’s doing in the Big Apple. Specifically, he put up two massive double-doubles to help New York win back to back games this week.
We know that Robinson is capable of blocking shots, but his recent performances on the defensive glass have been a positive step in the right direction. If he can keep that up and continue to finish shots around the rim, he’s got a chance to develop into a quality starter.
Obviously that isn’t something that can be said about a ton of players on the Knicks roster. it looks like their moderate gamble on Robinson is going to pay off. We wouldn’t pencil him into the starting five for the next decade, but center shouldn’t be a huge need for New York this summer.