NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year

NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 16. Malcolm Brogdon

In 1958, the Rookie of the Year winner, Woody Sauldsberry, was taken 60th overall in the previous year’s draft (more on him later). Only two other times has the Rookie of the Year not been taken in the first 12 picks.

In 1988 Mark Jackson won after being taken 18th, and in 2017, Malcolm Brogdon won after going 36th in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Brogdon was a do-it-all guard at the University of Virginia, a consensus All-American and one of the country’s best defenders to boot. He had also finished a master’s degree in public policy by the time he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. No big deal.

The 6’5″ guard stepped in right away for the Milwaukee Bucks and earned a role on a team bound for the postseason, eventually taking over as the starter. He shot over 40 percent on his 3-pointers, played elite defense and filled his role admirably.

When it came time to vote, many media members were vocally torn. Joel Embiid fit the traditional archetype of a Rookie of the Year award winner: future star, who scored in bunches. Yet he played just 31 games that season, compared to 75 from Brogdon, and on a bad team. Ultimately, Brogdon came out ahead in a three-way race with Embiid and Dario Saric.

At the time of writing, Brogdon is wrapping up his fifth season in the league and has competed in the playoffs each of the first four seasons in his career. While he hasn’t been named to an All-Star team, he has been in the mix each of the past two seasons, and his steady two-way play arguably makes him more valuable than some All-Stars. His career is unlikely to climb much higher than where it is now, but he has proven himself a strong starting guard in the league, even if Embiid is clearly the better pick from that rookie class.