The battle for the NBA Rookie of the Year award continues. The battle for the top spot continues with this year’s talented draft class.
Depth, versatility and a bright future. Those are a few words a fan could use to describe this year’s NBA rookie class. The rookies from the 2017 NBA Draft haven’t disappointed, as evidenced by the recent Rookie of the Month awards.
Philadelphia 76ers point-forward Ben Simmons was awarded the Rookie of the Month award in the Eastern Conference for January after a strong display. Simmons put up 17.1 points, 6.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in the month, including his fifth triple-double of the season.
In the Western Conference, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell took home his second straight Rookie of the Month award after another strong month of basketball. Mitchell poured in 22.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game in January.
The rookies continue to duel for top position in the NBA Rookie of the Year ladder and below them, as always, there’s plenty of competition. Some old faces return while new faces make their debut in this week’s Honorable Mention section.
Honorable Mentions: Milos Teodosic, Royce O’Neale, Sindarius Thornwell, John Collins and Tyrone Wallace