National Basketball Association

NBA Rookie Report: It's A One Man Rookie Of The Year Race

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:58 p.m. ET

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The NBA’s Rookie of the Year race is off to a hot start, and the head of the pack could possibly see his lead grow even further

NBA Rookies are a quick glimpse of what your team could potential have in the future. The last couple years, we’ve had immediate stand outs in Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, Devin Booker and “The Latvian Gangbanger” Kristaps Porzingis.

All five of those young stars are continuing their growth as future superstars, and this year’s class has a guy that is no different.

Trust The Process. Joel Embiid is head and shoulders above the rest of his rookie class so far.

P.S: He can’t even play regular minutes yet

Having a minutes restriction, Embiid isn’t allowed to play over 25 minutes game. This has always been frustrating to The Process, but no other time was more obvious than his recent double overtime loss against Memphis.

The good news is Embiid is as healthy as ever, and his limited minutes restriction is lifted in the middle of December, if he continues to remain healthy.

Despite not playing as many minutes as some of the other rookies, Embiid’s numbers reflect the exact opposite. Averaging 17.8 points per game along with almost 8 boards, every single move JoJo makes on offense becomes an internet vine. The Sixers fans are obsessed with their young star, and it’s contagious.

The NBA world sees his insane likability, and his oozing potential and marketability. There is a growing trend of having a center that can also stretch the floor and hit the open three, and Embiid is sniping at a 46 percent clip (best among qualified rookies).

Oh yeah, and hes a 7-foot rim-protector averaging 2.6 blocks a game. Come mid-December, when he’s allowed to play normal human being minutes, the NBA should be scared.

Nov 20, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) reacts after hitting a three point basket during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 105-91. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Second Tier

It’s a decent sized drop to the next closest most impactful rookie thus far, but there are definitely a handful of guys to keep your eye on as the season progresses.

After a slow start, Jamal Murray has finally gotten comfortable in his role in Denver, and his playing up to his potential everyone thought he had. He is second in rookie scoring, averaging 10.6 points per game.

Coming out of Kentucky his obvious strength was shooting the three, and that has finally started to reflect in the league. He’s shot 67 threes, making 29 of them (43%) which is 8 more than the next closest rookie. As he continues to make plays off the dribble due to bad closeouts on the perimeter, he will get more opportunities to get to the free throw line where he’s shooting 80 percent (9th among rookies).

Nov 17, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric (9) against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Timberwolves defeated the 76ers 110-86. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers

One of the more pleasant surprises in this rookie class is the 76ers forward Dario Saric. Third in scoring among rookies (9.1 ppg), we’re all learning the versatility Saric has to offer. The Sixers are a sleeper team when it comes to NBA league pass teams that are exciting to watch.

Quite honestly because they’re just bad, we get to see odd lineups and players put in roles we normally wouldn’t see, and Saric thrives in these situations. He’s second in minutes played among rookies with 25 minutes a game, which is a good gauge of his production.

At 6-foot-10, Super Dario is a stretch four in the Sixers offense shooting at almost 40 percent from three. He’s second among rookies in rebounding behind his partner in crime Embiid, averaging 6.2 a game. His craftiness and playmaking ability is what is often overlooked with Saric. He has the ability to play at his own pace and have an almost goofy looking drive and dish ability to set up open shooters on the perimeter.

Brandon Ingram and Buddy Hield

Two of the most popular names on NBA Draft night haven’t quite lived up to their potential early this season, but that doesn’t mean that can’t change. Brandon Ingram is 4th in scoring among rookies with 7.6 ppg, but hasn’t really gotten his time to shine yet. He just made his first career start last week against what some people would compare to be his future self, KD.

He had 16 points in that game, but the Lakers lost by 43 points. It will be fun to watch Ingram’s production rise as he gets more minutes and starting opportunities

Buddy Hield of the New Orleans Pelicans has had a rough start to his NBA career, too. Averaging 7.5 points per game, you would think that number would be higher based on the unstoppable scoring machine you watched at Oklahoma. He isn’t even in the top 10 minutes played among rookies, which could be part of the problem.

He’s not getting his opportunities, which is also puzzling due to the fact that he plays for the New Orleans Pelicans. Anthony Davis needs all the help he can get. Buddy will be a solid option later on in the season to help with some of the scoring load.

Honorable Mentions

Domantas Sabonis has also been a pleasant surprise thus far for the OKC Thunder. He’s started every game for the Thunder so far this season, but everyone in OKC is going to take a back seat to the master of stat stuffing Russell Westbrook. Look for Sabonis to continue to contribute through active rebounding, specifically offensive rebounding and effort plays. He is a great system player to plug in and do his job.