The early odds for the NBA Rookie of the Year award have been released and there are three surprises who could win it.
The criteria for being a surprise is not being Cade Cunningham or Jalen Green.
These are by far the two favorites as according to Sporting News, as Cunningham has odds of +195 while Green is +340.
There are three NBA rookies who could surprise the league and win the award.
3. Evan Mobley
Evan Mobley was selected with the No. 3 overall pick of the NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
His odds currently sit at +550.
Mobley has already received some lofty comparisons set for him.
He has been described as having the offensive game of Chris Bosh and the defensive game of Anthony Davis.
If he even comes close to filling these shoes, he will be a sure-fire Hall of Famer.
However, he is showing signs that he may be the best rookie in this class.
While it will be difficult for him since he will not be racking up assists as he is not a guard, Mobley may have enough impact on his team’s record that he wins the award.
If Mobley can come out of the gates quickly and play like the player he is expected to be, the Cavaliers could easily be a playoff team.
Evan Mobley stuffed the stat sheet today:
14 Points
7 Reb
6 Ast
1 Blk
The Future is Bright pic.twitter.com/dgoP9spkjp
— 𝕁 ℂ𝕃𝔼𝕍𝔼𝕃𝔸ℕ𝔻 (@king0fCLE) August 12, 2021
Pairing that with a respectable stat line could be enough for him to win the award as long as Cunningham or Green do not come into the league as 20-plus-point scorers.
His defensive impact and work on the boards could be enough to give him the stat line required to win Rookie of the Year.
2. Jalen Suggs
Jalen Suggs was selected with the No. 5 pick of the NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.
Suggs was expected to be selected with No. 4 pick by the Toronto Raptors, however, they passed on him and he ended up in Orlando.
This could be a move that benefits Suggs’ career in the long run.
In Orlando, he will have much more free range and will not be playing second fiddle to anyone like he would have in Toronto.
His odds currently sit at +650 and there is a chance that he could win the award.
He is a great scorer and the Magic will be counting on him to carry their offense.
Along with this, he has already shown that he can do it all in the Summer League.
Jalen Suggs did it all in his Summer League debut:
✨ 24 PTS
✨ 9 REB
✨ 3 BLK
✨ 2 STL pic.twitter.com/lQKppClkOk— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 10, 2021
While the competition will be stiffer in the regular season, Suggs is already off to a great start with the Magic.
It would not be a surprise if he ends up taking home the Rookie of the Year trophy.
1. Jonathan Kuminga
Jonathan Kuminga was the No. 7 overall pick by the Golden State Warriors.
Kuminga’s Rookie of the Year hopes will depend on how available Klay Thompson is.
If Thompson is forced to play a reduced role, it could mean great things for Kuminga.
He would be a potential starter on one of the best teams in the league.
impressive first half debut for Jonathan Kuminga pic.twitter.com/TVn5S49Kvl
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) August 5, 2021
However, if Thompson is back to full minutes, Kuminga has little to no chance.
His odds currently sit at +3400, which is a longshot.
If Kuminga’s offensive game can quickly catch up to his defensive, he may have a real shot at the award.
There are still a lot of question marks for Kuminga but if things work out his way, he may go home as Rookie of the Year.
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