Blake Griffin Leads Candidates For NBA's Rookie Of The Year Award
Besides the MVP, there may be no other individual award that gets as much attention from NBA fans as the annual Rookie of the Year Award.
Last year, Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans joined some notable recent names such as Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Amare Stoudemire, and LeBron James as the 61st player to bring home the coveted Eddie Gottlieb Trophy.
In all, 21 Hall of Famers have won the prestigious honor and after looking through all the notable names of prominent winners, it’s easy to say that winning ROY usually serves as a tremendous boost for the rest of an NBA player's career.
This season, we have some very talented young players who will be vying for the honor. And we’ll actually have the rare chance to see two No. 1 picks, Blake Griffin of the Clippers and John Wall of the Wizards, duel it out.
Let’s take a look at some of the rookies who will be battling for recognition this season.
Blake Griffin, PF, Los Angeles Clippers
1 of 6
Clippers fans were surely heartbroken when 2009 No. 1 Pick Blake Griffin was ruled out for the entire year after the star forward suffered a stress fracture in his knee a day before the season started.
As they say though, patience is a virtue.
Griffin, who has already been praised by many NBA evaluators as one of the most talented big men in the game, looks healthy and ready to lead the Clippers out of the malaise they’ve been stuck in for the past few years.
The 6‘10 250 lb. Griffin, who averaged 22 points and 14 rebounds during his last season at Oklahoma, could be one of the most dominant players in the league if he’s able to avoid the dreaded “Clipper Curse.”
DeMarcus Cousins, C, Sacramento Kings
2 of 6
After just one season playing for John Calipari at Kentucky, it seemed DeMarcus Cousins was the go to choice to be deemed "riskiest" prospect in this year’s NBA draft.
On one hand, his superior talent and athleticism for his size was clearly evident and his potential seemed almost limitless. But then scouts watched the 6‘10 270 lb. center’s bouts of laziness and sulking which had them deeply concerned.
Cousins is the type of player who wants to prove his critics wrong and there’s no doubt that if he plays up to his ability, he can have a monster season teaming with elite point guard Tyreke Evans.
The Kings need a spark after two lackluster seasons and they may have just found their second star of the future with Cousins.
John Wall, PG, Washington Wizards
3 of 6
Kentucky Point Guard John Wall was definitively the most hyped prospect in the 2010 NBA Draft.
It seemed only natural since Wall was the most highly touted point guard coming out of the high school ranks back in 2009.
Wall may have failed on his mission to deliver a championship to the Kentucky faithful in his one year stop at the school but he did succeed in making his dream of becoming the top pick in the NBA Draft a reality.
Now all he has left to do is live up to his billing.
It might not be so easy early on as Wall will have to endure the trials and tribulations of playing for the lowly Washington Wizards.
We’ll see what type of attitude the rookie brings to a locker room that seemed rather divided throughout last season.
Wes Johnson, SF, Minnesota Timberwolves
4 of 6
Wesley Johnson seems like a bit of a darkhorse for the award since he’s playing out of the spotlight up in Minnesota. But his super skills make him the type of player who can stand out even outside the public eye.
There’s some quality young talent in Minnesota such as Michael Beasley, Johnny Flynn and Kevin Love and there should be enough support for Johnson to really make a name for himself.
The 6'7 205 lb. scorer is a great athlete and the type of highlight real player that should find his way onto Sportscenter on more than one occasion.
Evan Turner, SG, Philadelphia 76ers
5 of 6
Philadelphia’s new face of the franchise Evan Turner is a player who is used to winning his fair share of awards for his great play.
The 6‘7 210 lb. rookie took home a host of trophies this past season as a junior at Ohio State including numerous Player of the Year honors.
It remains to be seen how well Turner’s skills will translate to the NBA. But if he can play near the level he displayed as a Buckeye then he should be a valuable commodity for this Sixers organization to build around for the future.
Five Names to Watch
6 of 6
1.Paul George: Indiana Pacers
2. Ed Davis: Toronto Raptors
3. Derrick Favors: New Jersey Nets
4. Greg Monroe: Detroit Pistons
5. Larry Sanders: Milwaukee Bucks
.png?w=600 "76ers Stat When Down 0-2 👀")
