After yet another loaded and top-heavy draft, who are the favorites to win the 2018-19 NBA Rookie of the Year award? Here are the top 10 candidates.
Oddly enough, Rookie of the Year is one of the NBA’s most hotly debated but ultimately meaningless awards. Every team’s fanbase enters the new season with rose-colored glasses on for their rookie(s), but ultimately, one season — especially the first, formative year — does very little to define a player’s NBA career.
Rookie of the Year basically a one-year progress report, the gold star on a crudely colored picture in kindergarten compared to a full-fledged high school report card. ROY largely depends on which rookies get opportunities to put up big numbers right away, more so than being a true representation of who will ultimately become the best player from a particular draft class.
Still, that’s not to say the honor is meaningless. Of the 69 ROY winners in NBA history, 28 are already in the Hall of Fame. That doesn’t include memorable stars like Alvan Adams, Walter Davis, Buck Williams, Terry Cummings, Chuck Person, Mark Jackson, Derrick Coleman, Larry Johnson, Amar’e Stoudemire, Steve Francis, Elton Brand, Tyreke Evans and Derrick Rose, or more recent winners whose time will come like Chris Webber, Tim Duncan, Vince Carter, Pau Gasol, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard.
In a loaded and top-heavy 2018 NBA Draft class, there are quite a few candidates who could emerge as Rookie of the Year frontrunners. A look at the opening ROY odds reveals a list littered with big names who could impress from day one:
Opening odds to win NBA Rookie of the Year (Bovada):
— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) June 22, 2018
Ayton +260
Doncic +300
Bagley +450
Young +700
Jackson Jr. +900
Bamba +1100
Knox/Porter Jr. +1500
Sexton/Mik. Bridges +2200
Mil. Bridges/Carter Jr. +2800
Gilgeous-Alexander/DiVincenzo +4000
Smith +4500
Walker/Williams +5000
Team success has recently factored into voting more so than in the past, but for the most part, this award comes down to big minutes, strong raw numbers and having a somewhat positive impact on a team in year one.
Bearing all this in mind, here are the top 10 candidates for the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year award.
Honorable Mentions: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Mikal Bridges, Michael Porter Jr.