NBA Rookie of the Year Odds: New Year 2010 Edition
Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans have separated themselves from the rest of the 2009-2010 rookie crop to the point where all of the other rookies are long-shots for the title at best.
Blake Griffin ā Los Angeles Clippers
Number one draft pick Blake Griffin was the pre-season favorite to win rookie of the year, but a fractured knee cap has kept him out of regular season play.
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He averaged 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds in the preseason and he's going to have to do considerably better when he comes back.
The good news is that he'll have plenty of time to make voters forget about the early season.
If he is the best rookie in the second half of the season, he'll probably get the award, but if he's at the same level as the current front-runners then he'll lose out.
James Harden, G Oklahoma City Thunder
Playing for Arizona State in college, James Harden was known for shooting and stealing the ball. He averaged 1.9 steals and shot .506 in college.
He has had some difficulty adjusting to the NBA shooting just .383 from the field and averaging 1.03 steals.
Those numbers are going to improve as he gets used to playing in the NBA, but are they going to improve enough to capture the Rookie of the Year award?
Probably not.
If he's going to win the ROY award, he needs to earn more playing time.
Stephen Curry, PG Golden State Warriors
Curry is getting a ton of playing time with Golden State averaging 31.8 minutes a game, but he's only picking up 11.7 points per game.
All of that playing time is starting to pay off as Curry averaged 13.5 points per game in December
It is unrealistic to think he'll be able to beat out the rookies who are already picking up 20 points and making other contributions too. He needs to well surpass those performances in the latter half of the season if he is going to get the ROY nod.
Ty Lawson, PG Denver Nuggets
Lawson is averaging just 9.2 points per game so far this season largely because he stopped taking shots for a good portion of the season.
Injuries have resulted in more playing time and he's responded with some big games including two consecutive 23-point and 9 assist performances.
It remains to be seen if he can keep it up. Once he gets some more consistency he is going to be a really good player and the extra playing time should help him get the more confident.
If he's able to continue getting big numbers when he gets big minutes, he's going to earn himself some ROY votes and improve his odds dramatically. But he needs to do more when he comes off of the bench because he's not going to easily take Chaucey Billups' spot in the line up when he gets healthy.
Jonny Flynn, PG Minnesota Timberwolves
The number 6 draft pick in 2009, Jonny Flynn has been stellar for the Minnesota Timberwolves picking up 13 points in the 4th quarter to lead a late comeback in his debut and making some clutch scores.
He is averaging 14.4 points per game, but only 4 assists which is a little low.
Flynn needs to improve his numbers a bit, but mostly he needs the Timberwolves to start winning a bit more. If both happen at the same time, he's got decent shot at the ROY award.
Brandon Jennings, PG Milwaukee Bucks
Jennings had an impressive NBA debut picking up 17 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists against the Philadelphia 76ers and he has produced consistently throughout the season.
He really turned a lot of heads with his 55 point game against the Golden State Warriors becoming the youngest player to score 50.
Three-point shooting has been particularly impressive as he's averaging .407 on the year which is just a shave behind his field goal percentage of .408.
But those numbers hide his recent struggles. He is shooting just .376 from the field and .297 from 3-point range in December.
If he's able to adjust to the NBA's workload and get back to his early numbers, he'll have an excellent shot at winning the rookie of the year award.
Tyreke Evans, PG Sacramento Kings
Evans brings the most complete game to the table averaging 20.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Most importantly, his numbers improve as the season goes along.
He hasn't been knocking down shots on the level of Jennings when he shoots at his best, but he is the more consistent player.
One of the biggest reasons Evans is the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award is his impact on the team.
The Kings were the worst team in the Western Conference last year and now, with Evans, they have an outside chance at a playoff spot.
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.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team š")
