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.
The health and safety protocols have remained an issue for this list with Cade Cunningham missing the entirety of last week. He is off the list for now, but with his return coming soon it will not take long for him to climb back up.
Josh Giddey played in one game, and while he broke the record for youngest player to net a triple-double, he is still off the list for at least another week. Scottie Barnes did enough to only slide slightly. Ideally, next week’s list will return closer to normal, but for now, the road continues.
In week 11 of the Rookie Ladder standings, with continued absences across the league and former shoo-in returns to the rankings at long last.
Week 11 NBA Rookie Ladder: 5. Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
15.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Shooting splits: .401/.331/.825
After a lengthy hiatus from the list, Jalen Green is back and looking better than ever. After an injury-related absence, Green returned on December 23. Since returning he is posting a line of 22.3 points, 2.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game.
He is shooting a blistering 51.5 percent on 8.3 three-point shot attempts per game. If anything close to this continues for an extended period of time, Green will not be dropping off of this list any time soon.
There were rocky times early (and still continuing for the likes of Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood), but Green is starting to figure things out in front of our eyes.