It’s a three-man race for the top rookie honor. Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes are all deserving of Rookie of the Year for different reasons and it will be interesting to see which ways voters lean.
Mobley was forced to sit out several games with an ankle injury to close out the season, but was incredible all season long. Cunningham started the season slow, coming off an injury of his own. Barnes averages the most minutes out of any rookie in the class (35.5), but has struggled at times with his shot selection and shooting it from deep.
This rookie class, as a whole, did not disappoint and was one of the most productive in recent memory.
Here’s the final look at Yahoo Sports’ rookie rankings for the 2021-22 season.
Draft slot: No. 1
Previous ranking: No. 3
2021-22 stats: 17.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.6 apg
Cunningham might have started the season slow, but he completely backed his No. 1 overall slot in his first year. The second half of the season, Cunningham was incredible and was named the MVP of the Rising Star game over All-Star weekend. Cunningham averaged 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and seven assists in March, joining Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson as the only rookies in NBA history to average 22/5/7 in a month.
Each night, he found different ways to break down the defense and find the open man. The 6-foot-6 point guard had the highest usage rate among rookies (27.7) and led all rookies in points per game. He was streaky from deep early in the season, but showed more consistency after the All-Star break, stringing seven games in a row with 20-plus points and had at least two made threes in each outing.
In the first head-to-head matchup with Mobley, Cunningham knew what was at stake and didn’t back down, having on the best games of his season with a triple-double (19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists).
The Rookie of the Year award is based on the entire season and with the way Cunningham ended on a high note, it will be interesting to see if his slow start hurts him at all in voting.
Draft slot: No. 3
Previous ranking: No. 1
2021-22 stats: 15 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.7 bpg
Mobley has been the biggest surprise, and one can argue he’s made the most impact on his team this year. The Cavaliers are 40-29 with him and 4-9 without him, after he was sidelined with an ankle injury to close out the season. Mobley is back just in time for the postseason and the Cavs will face the Brooklyn Nets in the play-in tournament on Tuesday.
It’s not shocking at all that Mobley led all rookies in blocked shots (115), but the impressive part is he’s recorded almost twice as many as the second-leading rookie, Alperen Sengün, who finished with just 68. Mobley was excellent on the weak-side block, coming over as a help-side defender when smaller guards would drive baseline.
Offensively, he could take players off the dribble and was solid from midrange, shooting 50% from the field. From Day 1, there was excellent on-court chemistry between the 7-footer and breakout star Darius Garland as he served up many lobs for dunks and easy baskets in the open court.
Mobley was the final betting favorite to take home the top award, but both Cunningham and Barnes have narrowed the gap significantly with strong finishes to the season.
Draft slot: No. 4
Previous ranking: No. 2
2021-22 stats: 15.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.5 apg
Barnes finished in the top five in seven statistical categories this season: points (third, 15.3), rebounds (third, 7.5), assists (fourth, 256), steals (second, 80), blocks (fourth, 55), field goals (first, 459) and minutes played (first, 35.5). That’s a pretty strong case for Rookie of the Year.
Barnes is also the first rookie since Luka Dončić and the 22nd rookie in NBA history to average more than 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists in a season, and every rookie to achieve that over the last 10 seasons has won Rookie of the Year.
The only place he’s struggled on the court is with his 3-point shot, shooting just under 30%. However, Barnes has impacted winning for the Raptors this year, doing a little bit of everything each night to help his team win. He’s comfortable being the primary ball handler at times and is deadly in transition. Kevin Durant has taken note of his solid rookie season and had high praise for the 6-foot-7 wing.
“What’s more rare about Scottie Barnes is his IQ for the game, his length, his enthusiasm for the game and all of that stuff shines bright when you watch him play,” Durant said. “He has something a little extra, just as far as seeing the game slower and that’s rare for a guy that young. He knows how to play the right way and he’s only going to get better.”
Draft slot: No. 2
Previous ranking: No. 7
2021-22 stats: 17.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg
No one finished the season stronger than Green. He posted a career-high 41 points in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday and is the youngest player in NBA History with 40-plus points and zero turnovers in a game. It was the first 40-point game by a Rockets rookie since Hakeem Olajuwon. Green also strung together five consecutive games with 30 or more points during the last two weeks of the season and shot 42% from the field during his rookie year. The Rockets won only 20 games this season and will be getting Green and the rest of the young Rockets squad some help this offseason with a 52% chance at a top-four pick and a 14% chance for the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft, according to Tankathon. Even though the dunk contest didn’t go so well, Green was one of the most exciting players to watch in transition and the future is bright for the young, budding star.
Draft slot: No. 8
Previous ranking: No. 4
2021-22 stats: 15.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.9 apg
The Orlando wing ended the season with a sprained ankle but was the do-it-all player for the struggling Magic this season. Wagner led all rookies all season long in field-goals made (finishing with 456) until Barnes passed him in the closing games (459). The 6-foot-10 small forward was so good in the pick-and-roll as the primary ball handler, making the read off the screen or getting downhill for a bucket. Wagner had 17 games this season where he netted 20 or more points and shot a decent 35% from 3-point range. He had an iron-clad season playing and starting in 80 out of 82 games, the most of any rookie in the class.
Draft slot: No. 9
Previous ranking: N/A
2021-22 stats: 11.5 ppg, 4.2 apg
Mitchell recorded 58 assists in his last five games and ranked third overall in the category just behind Cunningham and Josh Giddey. He had a career-high 17 assists against the Pelicans, and it was the most by any rookie this season, and tied for sixth most of all players. The 17 assists also broke the Kings’ rookie record for most assists in a game, passing Kenny Smith in 1988.
Most were shocked when the Kings traded Tyrese Haliburton to the Pacers, but Mitchell proved late in the season that he can be an integral piece in the backcourt to this struggling Kings team.
Draft slot: No. 6
Previous ranking: No. 6
2021-22 stats: 12.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 6.4 apg
The Thunder were in full tank mode to close out the season and Giddey’s last game was Feb. 24, due to a hip injury. When he was on the court, he was one of the best passers in the league. Giddey won the Western Conference Rookie of the Month four months in a row, and once Sam Presti puts all of these young pieces together, the Thunder are going to be a fun team to watch. Giddey was second in assists, recording 345 in 54 games and got it done at the rim, recording four triple-doubles in his rookie season.
Draft slot: No. 35
Previous ranking: No. 8
2021-22 stats: 9.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.1 apg
Jones has been the best defensive rookie in this draft class and can guard multiple positions on the court, switching on everything and keeping players in front when they get downhill. On the ball, Jones is a nightmare and led all rookies in steals with 130 this season, shooting the gap or pick-pocketing the ball handler. Offensively, he’s been a nice complementary piece to CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram. He is a player who is never going to be a high-volume shooter, but he’s going to give solid minutes and impact the game.
Draft slot: No. 38
Previous ranking: No. 5
2021-22 stats: 8.8 ppg, 3.3 apg
Dosunmu closed out the season with a career-high 26 points, including a clutch 3-pointer to seal the game, in a win over the Timberwolves. The Chicago native was productive on the court during the second half of the season, shooting 50% from both the field and 3-point range, and saw his minutes almost double from the start of the season.
Draft slot: No. 26
Previous ranking: Honorable mention
2021-22 stats: 10.1 ppg, 2.7 apg
Jamal Murray’s return date after being sidelined for over a year with a torn ACL is still unclear, but Hyland brought his high energy off the bench to the Nuggets and it’s been working this season without their star point guard. Hyland averaged 12.8 points and 5.6 assists in the last five games while averaging only 1.3 turnovers in 24 minutes.