NBA Rookie Ladder: The race at the All-Star break

NBA Rookie Ladder: 2. Josh Giddey

Pts/Rebs/Asts/Stls/Blks:12.4/7.8/6.4/0.9/0.4

FG%/3P%/FT%: 49.0%/26.7%/70.5%

Holy cow, Josh Giddey…

I love this play. 99 percent of players would immediately shoot that corner three, and 90 percent of the remaining group would botch the execution of the oop. But Giddey knows that if he waits long enough, someone will pop free, and he drops the dime into the tightest of windows for Poku to get the slam.

Giddey’s patience and court vision are unparalleled amongst rookies. He’s not particularly quick, but he’s huge, strong, and knows how to get into his preferred floater range to generate his own shot.

The young Aussie has been on a tear of late, going into the All-Star break with three consecutive triple-doubles. The injury to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander means there are a lot more on-ball reps available, and Giddey has been handed the keys to the offense.

Giddey still struggles when finishing at the rim and from range, but these are common issues with almost all rookies. He has solid instincts as a help defender, but a lack of athleticism hurts his on-ball defense.

He projects to eventually be an average-ish defender, and if he can get to that level shooting the ball, he can be a primary offensive option on a contending team.

We’ve already seen Giddey improve by leaps and bounds in his first 53 games; it’s exciting to think about what he might look like after a full offseason of work.

NBA Rookie Ladder: 1. Evan Mobley

Pts/Rebs/Asts/Stls/Blks:14.9/8.1/2.6/0.8/1.6

FG%/3P%/FT%: 50.3%/26.5%/67.2%

Although Cade Cunningham started to creep a little closer before his hip injury, Evan Mobley’s spot has not been in serious jeopardy yet this season.

Mobley has been the definition of consistency this year. He’s averaged between 14.5 and 15.7 points each month since November and has never shot worse than 48 percent from the field. His rebounds, similarly, have hovered between 7.9 and 8.4 per game. He’s a metronome of statistical production.

The youngster’s All-Defensive Team level of play has kept Cleveland rolling despite injuries to practically every non-Garland ballhandler on the Cavs. His ability to pick up guards on the perimeter with ease and defend the rim with ferocity make him an ideal big in today’s NBA.

Offensively, he’s still raw, but he’s fared a little better than many expected, especially from midrange. He’s shown brief flashes of a nice face-up game to go with decent passing ability, and I expect both to develop more over time.

In the meantime, he’s already one of the top 15 or 20 best defenders in the league. This rookie class has a surprising number of gifted ballhawks already making an impact, but Mobley is head and shoulders above the rest. It’s scary to think he’s only going to get better in the future.