The 2018 NBA All-Star Break has come to an end and now we look back at this season’s Rookie of the Year race, which is heating up.
Coming out of the weekend’s 2018 All-Star festivities, some rookies have bragging to do. The World team defeated the United States team in this year’s Rising Stars Challenge, 155-124. Sacramento Kings rookie Bogdan Bogdanovic took home MVP honors in the game. The Serbian native had 26 points off the bench to show off his offensive prowess.
In the Slam Dunk Contest, Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell stole the show (relatively speaking) by paying homage to former Toronto Raptors dunk champion, Vince Carter. Mitchell won, but many could argue rookie Dennis Smith Jr. got robbed as well (we’ll get to that in a bit).
The All-Star Game didn’t have any rookies in participation, but the Rising Stars Challenge and Slam Dunk Contest certainly gave fans a glimpse of things to come from the younger talent in the NBA.
As the regular season ramps back up, the rookies look to continue their hot streaks. After all, both the Jazz and the Philadelphia 76ers are both on winning streaks of their own. With roughly 20 games left to go in the season, here’s a look at this week’s Rookie of the Year ladder power rankings.