NBA Awards Watch: 5 Rookie of the Year Candidates

Some of the greatest players in NBA history made their mark as early as their first season and were rewarded by winning the prestigious Rookie of the Year award. Within just the past five seasons, four of the Rookie of the Year award winners have gone on to become All-Stars and legitimate franchise changing players. The likes of Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant and most recently Kyrie Irving can attest to how important it can be to hit the ground running in your NBA career.

The 2012 NBA Draft was one of the most highly regarded and talked about draft classes in recent history and while only one player has trully jumped out, there have been a number of rookies making a considerable contribution to their teams and a great deal of promise going forward. Here are our top five Rookie of the Year candidates.

Damian Lillard is a near lock for the 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Photo Credit: Chrishmt0424 (Flickr.com)

1. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

He should be the unquestioned and unanimous Rookie of the Year Award winner. Damian Lillard has had a phenomenal season, clearly separating himself from the other rookies in the 2012 draft. Lillard has not just been outstanding statistically, but led a young Trail Blazers team to an unlikely push towards the playoffs and had a number of game-winning shots, proving that he is not afraid of taking over in clutch moments of a game.

Despite the Blazers’ playoff hopes just falling short, the future looks bright in Portland with Lillard at the helm. He currently leads all rookies in both points per game with 19 and is also the rookie assist leader with 6.5. Lillard recently created history by breaking Stephen Curry’s record for 3-pointers made in a season by a rookie and he currently has 171 for the season.

Lillard has been exceptionally durable in his first season, he has played and started in 77 games, logging 38.6 minutes per game–which is third-highest in the NBA. His ability to stay on the court and consistently produce points has him 10th on the season’s points list with 1,451 and he was selected as rookie of the month on four occasions. He assumed so much responsibility for the Trail Blazers from day one and has not taken a step back. He will certainly be awarded with a well-deserved Rookie of the Year award at the end of the season.

Anthony Davis has showed why he was the No.1 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Photo Credit: Mark Allison, Flickr.com

2. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets

Despite an injury-plagued start to the season and inconsistent minutes in the Hornets rotation, No. 1 pick Anthony Davis has come home strong in the second half of the season and shown us all why he was the top selection in the 2012 NBA draft.

Davis leads all rookies in rebounds with 8.1 rebounds per game. He also displayed all of the defensive abilities he was touted for before the draft with 1.12 steals per game, which is good for second-best among rookies, as well as a rookie-leading 1.75 blocks. He has the most double-doubles among all first year players with 18 and has been surprisingly reliable offensively.

Showing signs of being more than just a finisher inside, Davis has displayed good range on his jump shot, which has allowed him to average 13.5 points per contest while shooting better than 50 percent from the field. Davis managed all this in just 28.7 minutes per game, but that average has been sharply increasing as the season wears on. Promising signs from the No. 1 pick and we expect a huge jump next season; despite missing some time due to injury he has been the second-best rookie this season.

Andre Drummond has made an instant impact on the defensive end.

Photo Credit: mariselise Flickr.com

3. Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons

Andre Drummond has been brought along slowly in his rookie season with the Pistons, but when he has been given the opportunity he has been one of the most impactful big men in the entire league. Despite playing just 20 minutes per game, Drummond is second among rookies in rebounds with 7.6, blocks with 1.64 and double doubles with eight.

He is one of the most productive per-minute players in the league and per 36 minutes he averages nearly 14 rebounds. He shot an outstanding .599 from the field while scoring 7.5 points per game. He was even among the rookie leaders in steals with 0.93 per game, which is good for fourth overall.

Beyond the statistics, Drummond’s impact is felt on the defensive end, where he has become one of the most imposing interior defenders in the Eastern Conference. He is a force inside, deterring guards from driving into the lane, affecting countless shots and is among the league’s best in securing a defensive rebound. The No. 9 selection in the 2012 draft, not only has Drummond had an impressive rookie season considering his limited playing time and a stretch where he missed 22 games due to injury, but looks to be one of the most promising prospects going forward.

Dion Waiters of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks in a Nov. 13, 2012, game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Photo by Matthew D. Britt/Flickr.com

4. Dion Waiters, Cleveland Cavaliers

The fourth pick in the 2012 NBA draft, Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters has put together an impressive rookie campaign despite injuries and inconsistency plaguing his season. Waiters was second among all rookies in scoring with 14.7 points per game and was forced to take the leading role for the Cavs in a number of games that All-Star Kyrie Irving missed with injury.

His three assists per game is the fourth-most among rookies and his one steal per game average was good for third. He started 48 of the 57 games he played in his rookie season and broke the 20-point plateau on 13 occasions. He struggled at times with his shooting, which is an area he will need to improve upon, but with the amount of offensive freedom he was given it was not unexpected for him to be inconsistent with his efficiency.

With a second major injury potentially cutting Waiters’ season short, he along with Irving will have an extended offseason to work on their game and take the Cavaliers into the next stage of their development next season. Cleveland seems to have found the perfect backcourt partner for Irving long term if Waiters continues to improve on his impressive rookie season.

Bradley Beal was impressive in an injury-riddled rookie season.

Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com

5. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards

Washington guard Bradley Beal was another rookie thrown immediately into the fray, starting his first NBA game and proceeding to start in 46 of his 56 appearances. Injury has also cut short Beal’s rookie campaign, but he had made an impressive debut season in the NBA, which resulted in two Rookie of the Month awards. Beal was third among rookies in scoring with 13.9 points per game, breaking the 20-point barrier on 13 occasions. His 2.4 assist average was eighth among rookies to go along with a serviceable 3.8 rebounds.

Beal also struggled with his efficiency shooting the ball at times, converting at just .410 over the course of the season, but was more consistent from 3-point range, where he shot .386 on 4.2 attempts per game. The entire season in Washington has been disjointed, with franchise point guard John Wall missing months at the start of the season due to a knee injury. The team struggled as Beal was forced to take immediate responsibility in the backcourt. Upon Wall’s return, the Wizards have been a far more competitive team and the signs are promising going forward.

The injury that will keep Beal sidelined for the rest of the season is an unfortunate one as it will rob him of the opportunity to play more significant minutes alongside Wall. However, these two young guards have shown promising signs that the team will make huge improvements in the near future and the Wizards have potentially locked up a back court partnership for the next decade.

Honorable Mention: Harrison Barnes, Golden State Warriors; Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats; Alexey Shved, Minnesota Timberwolves; Jonas Valunciunas, Toronto Raptors.