The player to beat is going to be Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball. He went No. 2 overall, and has the right talent and opportunity to make a quick impact. There is nobody standing in the way of Ball coming in right away and putting up solid numbers. He stuffed the stat sheet at UCLA as a freshman, and should be able to contribute nicely in points, rebounds and assists for the Lakers.
Fultz isn’t too far behind him, as the 76ers traded up for the scoring guard, and he could certainly play well enough to beat out Ball for the award. One thing working against Fultz? The presence of another Rookie of the Year candidate on his own team. Ben Simmons was the top pick in last year’s draft but didn’t play due to injury, which gives him the rookie designation again. Simmons should also be in the running, although it is possible that he and Fultz somewhat cancel each other out if they share the spotlight in Philadelphia.
Jayson Tatum was the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, but his odds are longer since he is joining the Boston Celtics, a team which is already a contender and may not give him a bunch of playing time right away since they are concentrating on wins and losses. Josh Jackson is in a better situation to contribute immediately with the Phoenix Suns, although defense is his best asset, which is something that can be undervalued when Rookie of the Year voting is made.
De’Aaron Fox is an interesting candidate, since he is going to a Kings team in rebuild mode and should have plenty of opportunity to get minutes and shots within the offense. Fox’s longer odds make him a good underdog choice.
Jonathan Isaac is a bit raw, but if he puts it together quicker than usual for the Orlando Magic, he could be the surprising winner. Other candidates that could also be in the running for the Rookie of the Year award include the Chicago Bulls’ Lauri Markkanen, the Charlotte Hornets’ Malik Monk, the Dallas Mavericks’ Dennis Smith, the Portland Trail Blazers’ John Collins and the Sacramento Kings’ Justin Jackson. There will also likely be a ‘field’ option, which is something to keep in mind of a darkhorse candidate catches a bettor’s eye.
While plenty of this award comes down to talent, there is also the facet of availability. Ball seems to be in the best position to succeed immediately, as he should put up numbers that look good for the Lakers. However, Fultz was picked ahead of him for a reason, and Simmons is lurking after going No. 1 in last season’s draft.
If Simmons or Fultz demonstrably outplays the other and the team improves quite a bit, the Rookie of the Year could very well come from the Sixers’ roster. The harder part will be determining which of the talented duo is the right choice.
Fox and Monk are players to keep in mind because of their scoring ability, although the voting process has become more sophisticated as time has moved along with more emphasis being put on overall play. There are plenty of worthy candidates, and rookies have shown the ability to have big impacts on their teams immediately in the NBA.
Ball has all the hype right now and he has the game to go with it, but only time will tell if he ends up winning the Rookie of the Year award for the 2017-18 regular season.
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