NBA Rookie of the Year Ladder: Mobley, Barnes, Cunningham Racing to Finish Line

The 2021-22 NBA marathon is down to its final month-long sprint.

Several of the Association's first-timers have already started accelerating through the stretch run and burying the needle.

While there aren't enough games remaining for rookies to rewrite the story of their first go-round, there could be sufficient time for the top challengers to increase the pressure on Rookie of the Year front-runner Evan Mobley. He remains the favorite for now, but a pair of fellow Eastern Conference freshmen are doing everything in their power to make this a three-player race to the hardware.

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Jalen Green

10. Chris Duarte, SG, Indiana Pacers

A nagging toe injury is threatening to leave a sour taste in voters' mouths when it comes to Duarte. The ailment has limited him to 60 minutes over four games since Feb. 13, and when he has suited up, either the injury or the resulting rust has hurt his typically rock-solid shooting rates (36.4 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from three). Still, this shouldn't erase the goodwill he earned before the injury, as he had emerged as one of the rookie class' top offensive options, averaging the seventh-most points (13.2) and fourth-most threes (1.7).

9. Jonathan Kuminga, PF, Golden State Warriors

Since Feb. 1, Kuminga has scored double digits in 13 out of 15 games. Those other two outings were the only ones in this stretch when the Warriors limited him to less than 20 minutes. His counting categories could be held in check by his supporting role on a championship contender, but the fact that he's helping a win-now team stack victories as a 19-year-old adds an extra layer of substance to his stat line.

8. Herbert Jones, SF/PF, New Orleans Pelicans

Opponents might shred nets against the Pelicans, just #NotOnHerb. Jones' tenacious, disruptive defense has allowed him to log the most minutes on his team and fourth-most in his class. He is credited with handling the NBA's seventh-highest matchup difficulty, per BBall Index, which speaks to how much the Pels already trust the second-round rookie. If he offered just a pinch more offense—he's a single-digit scorer (9.4) with minimal outside shooting (41 threes in 62 games)—he could crash the top five.

7. Jalen Green, SG, Houston Rockets

Houston's anything-goes approach to its youth has been a good-news, bad-news situation for Green. On one hand, it has green-lighted him to pour in the third-most points (15.4) and most triples (2.0) of this first-year class. On the other, his rough shooting rates (40.3/31.5/79.7) and lack of impact (team-worst minus-12.2 net differential) suggest he might have more freedom than his developing skill set can handle.

Voters shouldn't hold the lack of Houston's success against him, though. It's not his fault he was drafted by the team that was forced to part with James Harden last season. Voters instead will focus more on the obvious strides he is making, as he's up to 18.3 points on 47.0/37.0/69.6 shooting since the start of February.

6. Ayo Dosunmu, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls

Injuries forced Dosunmu into Chicago's opening quintet on Jan. 15, but his steady production and two-way impact have kept him there. Only All-Star (and MVP candidate) DeMar DeRozan has logged more minutes for Chicago over this stretch than Dosunmu, who has helped the Bulls keep their head above water without Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. Among rotation-regular rookie guards, Dosunmu ranks first in both field-goal (52.5) and three-point (39.9) percentage.

5. Josh Giddey, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder

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When Josh Giddey was reeling off triple-doubles like an homage to former Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook, it was fair to wonder what—if anything—could slow down the first-year guard.

Now we have that answer: the pesky injury bug.

The Western Conference's Rookie of the Month for February—and every month before it—hasn't suited up since Feb. 24 due to a hip injury, and Thunder coach Mark Daigneault recently told reporters, "We're going to look at it in two weeks," before assessing whether Giddey can return.

Prior to the ailment, Giddey rarely met a stat sheet he couldn't stuff. He leads all rookies in assists (6.4), ranks second in rebounds (7.8) and sits eighth in scoring (12.5). Even if he gets dinged for posting good numbers on a bad team, the volume and versatility of his box-score imprints are hard to overlook.

4. Franz Wagner, SF, Orlando Magic

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You could argue that Franz Wagner is already Orlando's best player. That he only sits fourth on this list says plenty about his teammates, but it still feels notable when it seemed likelier than not he would never elicit that kind of talk.

His appeal was perceived safety. While teams often approach the draft by taking home-run hacks at upside, Wagner was regarded more like a double into the gap—helpful but not transformative.

It's still possible his ceiling stops short of stardom, but his floor has climbed several levels since the season started. The Magic entrusted him with a starting gig on Opening Night, and he has cemented it ever since. His 2,096 minutes are the 11th-most in the NBA and over 100 more than any other rookie has logged.

His defense and distributing have already measured up to predraft expectations, while his individual offense has obliterated them. His 15.5 points per game aren't only second-best among rookies; they're also 3.0 more than he averaged in his best season at Michigan. His 36.6 three-point percentage similarly bests his collegiate production.

3. Scottie Barnes, PF, Toronto Raptors

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A No. 3 ranking feels like an underselling of Scottie Barnes' season, so we'll offer up this nugget as a consolation prize: He's closer to No. 1 than he is to No. 4.

He has met the modern NBA's demand to do everything by...well, doing everything. He has spent at least 9 percent of his minutes at each of the three frontcourt spots, dropped more dimes than any Raptor not named Fred VanVleet or Pascal Siakam and, per BBall Index, offered the league's second-best positional versatility on defense.

"You can throw him in any position, he can guard any position, and he can play any position," former Raptors Rookie of the Year Vince Carter raved on Sportsnet. "... You have a star in the making already."

Barnes was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February, and he has scored at least 18 points in five of his last seven games. Given what he brings as a five-tool defender and jumbo playmaker, an extended scoring surge like this could be just the boost he needs to reach the ladder's top rung by season's end.

2. Cade Cunningham, SG, Detroit Pistons

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Cade Cunningham is making his push.

It's possible this is too little, too late. His numbers took a while to get going, and the Pistons took forever to translate them into wins. But the evolution is happening before our eyes.

Over his last eight outings, the top pick is pumping out 21.4 points per night while flooding the stat sheet with 7.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists, too. More importantly, six of those last games were Detroit wins and five were against clubs currently possessing either a postseason spot or a play-in tournament invite.

"He's Rookie of the Year," Pistons coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "There's not even close as far as talent evaluation. I've been in it a long time. ... He's playing like a 10-year vet."

Casey, of course, might be a tad biased here, and it's distorting his view just a little bit. This race is close, and Cunningham isn't the clear-cut Rookie of the Year. He has one month left to close the gap, but he is picking up speed heading into the final turn.

1. Evan Mobley, PF/C, Cleveland Cavaliers

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The competition might be closing in on him, but Evan Mobley remains in position to join LeBron James and Kyrie Irving as the only Cavaliers to win this award.

A starter since Opening Night, Mobley has proved remarkably consistent for a 20-year-old freshman. Since November, his monthly averages have landed between 14.5 and 15.7 points, 8.0 and 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 and 2.0 blocks.

He may not produce quite as many jaw-dropping stat lines as Cunningham, Giddey or Green, but Mobley's reliability allows Cleveland to heavily lean on him while making its playoff push. He tops the draft class in win shares (4.6) and value over replacement player (1.3), and sits among the top three in total minutes (third), points (third) and rebounds (first).

"You don't see a guy that understands the job that needs to be done at that age and that experience and then go out and do it," Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per The Athletic's Kelsey Russo. "... It's special."

Mobley's future could be littered with accolades—with some notable ones coming as soon as next season if Draymond Green proves prophetic—and he's in line to get his trophy collection started as soon as the curtains drop on this campaign. He has earned pole position to this point, and the loss of Jarrett Allen (fractured finger) could strengthen that status by putting more responsibility on Mobley's plate and potentially improving his stats.

Statistics are accurate through Tuesday's games and courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.

Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @ZachBuckleyNBA.