NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings, Week 7: Collin Sexton rises up

1. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Last week: 1st (↔)

Luka Doncic continues to make his case as this year’s NBA Rookie of the Year as the Dallas Mavericks are above .500 and 10-9 in the Western Conference standings.

Doncic is putting up 17.5 points, 5.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in the Mavs’ past two games this week. He put on a show Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets, with 20 points on 3-of-7 shooting to go along with six rebounds and two assists.

Despite playing just 24 minutes of action, Doncic did damage with the playing time he was given. In their victory over the Boston Celtics, he put up 15 points, eight assists and three steals. In their last two victories, he’s shooting 50 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from 3-point land (6-of-11).

He hasn’t had to score a ton of points, but he’s managed to remain efficient from the field as the newest Mavericks weapon. He’s shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from 3-point range on the season.

There was a reason the Mavs traded for him on draft night and so far, they’ve come out the winners in the early going. Not to mention, veteran forward Dirk Nowitzki has yet to appear in a game this season as he nurses an ankle injury.