Breaking down the 5 best contenders for NBA Rookie of the Year
By Max Holm
2. Lonzo Ball – Los Angeles Lakers
As we sit here in August, there are two clear favorites for this award. Between Lonzo Ball and the player we’ll examine next, it’s really a toss-up. A major reason why that’s so is because both players are similar in their strongest attribute: passing.
Ball showed in Las Vegas the rare ability to impact a game without needing to hold the ball for 10 or more seconds on every possession. He passed ahead when others would dribble; he passed up shots for his teammates to take better looks. With the additions of Brook Lopez and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, he has more help than it would have seemed a few months ago.
What NBA teams and voters will pick up on Lonzo is how he makes everyone and everything the Lakers do better. That value is intangible, so even if his statistics aren’t the highest outside of assists, it could be enough to make this award his.
If he can overcome sitting in the cellar of the NBA standings, with how poor the Lakers should be, that may be viewed as enough of an accomplishment to make him deserving of Rookie of the Year.