Welcome back to the weekly rookie ladder update! Each week this season we will look at the race for the top five slots on the Rookie of the Year ballot, cutting the recording period every Sunday.
After weeks of having a different player sneak into the top five, the ladder resorts back to the five players who have spent the most time this year on the ladder. Even still, there is a lack of normalcy with one of the regulars to kick off the list.
In week seven of the Rookie Ladder standings, the core five rookies of the season return to the list with a little bit of a different order.
Week 7 NBA Rookie Ladder: 5. Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
10.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.0 steals
Shooting splits: .391/.257/.654
Josh Giddey only played in one game this week for the Oklahoma City Thunder before being sidelined with an illness. He was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month last week as well, continuing to wow fans with his passing vision.
Finally, in perhaps his best break of the season, he was not on the court for the historical beatdown the Thunder took from the Memphis Grizzlies. The team lost by 73 points, following consecutive losses to the Houston Rockets.
Giddey will not see his advanced stats tanked by that brutal margin. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who made this list just a week ago, walked away from the game with a mind-blowing -56 plus/minus in the box score. Giddey (and obviously Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) getting back on the court will make the product look better for the team.