Other candidates worth mentioning
With most NBA teams roughly a dozen games into the regular season, the Rookie of the Year race is going to just start taking shape. Plus there’s one huge name that has yet to make his NBA debut.
In relevance to last season, it looked like the Dallas Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic was the runaway Rookie of the Year honoree until Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks came on late.
Could the same storyline transpire again this season?
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
The overwhelming favorite in terms of the preseason odds for the Rookie of the Year honors went in favor of the Pelicans sensational forward talent Zion Williamson. The former Duke Blue Devils superstar power forward should make waves as soon as his makes his regular season debut during his rookie campaign, which should come in December once he rehabs this knee injury.
Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors
The contender that came out of nowhere on a team that seems almost guaranteed to miss the playoffs is the former Villanova Wildcats forward Eric Paschall. Averaging 15.5 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 52 percent shooting from the field is partly a product of Paschall’s situation and partly something that might slow down soon.
Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies
If the Grizzlies are going to rise up soon in the Western Conference, it will be behind the efforts of this young core they’re developing. It seems like the Grizzlies are almost in a similar position to that of the Chicago Bulls right now. Former Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Brandon Clarke is thriving in the NBA thus far, averaging 11.9 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.