NBA: Top 10 Candidates For Rookie Of The Year Award In 2016-17

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver holds a basketball while posing for a photo with draft prospects from left Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) , Ben Simmons (LSU), Brandon Ingram (Duke) and Kris Dunn (Providence) before the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

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July 5, 2016; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers draft pick Ivica Zubac speaks to media at Toyota Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Ivica Zubac

One of our dark horse selections, Ivica Zubac is the only second round pick on this list. After making a name for himself at NBA Summer League though, “Zublocka” could very well stuff the stat sheet enough on a bad Los Angeles Lakers team to warrant consideration for Rookie of the Year.

True enough, Timofey Mozgov and his gargantuan four-year, $64 million contract stand in Zubac’s way. But Mozzy missed quite a few games last season due to injury, and after being phased out of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ rotation, it’s unlikely he’s able to do any better than Roy Hibbert in salvaging the league’s worst defense from last season.

Luke Walton on Ivica Zubac: "I’m so impressed w/him. I don’t think he gets nervous. He just keeps putting his head down & grinding."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) September 27, 2016

If Mozgov gets hurt, if the losses pile up and youth development becomes the priority, or if Zubac just flat-out outplays Mozzy, this 19-year-old rookie could prove himself as Los Angeles’ long-term solution at center.

In Summer League, the 7’1″ Zubac averaged an eye-opening 10.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game on 64.7 percent shooting. Summer League is Summer League, but Zubac is already looking like a second round steal, so why not consider him as a dark horse ROY candidate?