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2016-17 NBA Awards Season: Top 10 Rookie Of The Year Candidates

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 6, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon (13) passes off past Philadelphia 76ers forward Richaun Holmes (22) and forward Dario Saric (9) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Milwaukee Bucks won 112-98. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon (13) passes off past Philadelphia 76ers forward Richaun Holmes (22) and forward Dario Saric (9) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Milwaukee Bucks won 112-98. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rookie Of The Year
Dec 1, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon (13) advances the ball during the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Malcolm Brogdon

Raise your hand if you had Malcolm Brogdon winning the 2016-17 Rookie of the Year Award. No one? Okay good, everyone was telling the truth. And yet, here we are. Saric might be the more popular choice, but ignoring what Brogdon has done for a winning team would be shortsighted.

True enough, Saric has the statistical advantage when you take a look at the raw numbers:

  • Saric:  81 GP, 12.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.7 SPG
  • Brogdon:  74 GP, 10.2 PPG, 4.2 APG, 2.8 RPG, 1.1 SPG

Or does he? Because as much as these basic stat lines (especially recently) lean in Saric’s favor, Brogdon has been far more efficient from the field (45.6 percent to 41.1 percent), three-point line (40.3 percent to 31.1 percent) and the foul line (86.5 percent to 78.2 percent).

Brogdon also has a higher Player Efficiency Rating and has legitimately stepped up for a Milwaukee Bucks team that earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics can testify to this firsthand, as his clutch shot-making in Boston was just one of many examples of The President’s late-game heroics for the Bucks.

As ESPN’s Marc Stein points out, selecting Malcolm Brogdon would mean the lowest scoring average in NBA history for a Rookie of the Year winner. But what better way to compensate for that fact than Brogdon becoming the only second round pick to ever win the award pick aside from Woody Sauldsberry back in 1958?

We should also note that Brogdon ranks first among all qualified rookies in assists, first in steals, second in three-point percentage, fourth in scoring and fifth in PER.

Plus, who doesn’t like a President who asks his people to donate to charity rather than his own campaign?

Saric has the better basic stat line, which might be enough for the lazier voters to pick him for Rookie of the Year. But Brogdon has been more efficient, he’s not far behind on the stat sheet and he’s been a key rotational piece on a playoff team. Don’t forget he’s averaged 12.6 points, 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game in his 27 starts, filling in a crucial gap when injury struck.

Next: NBA Awards Season - Top 5 Coach Of The Year Candidates

All of that gives him the edge over Saric in our book, and as much as Embiid is clearly the best rookie on the table, it’s hard to choose The Process over The President when he only played 31 games.