NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings, Week 15: Collin Sexton back in the top 5

Atlanta Hawks</a>‘ rotation. He’s put up 18.3 points, 4.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in his last four appearances. The rookie wing is shooting 50 percent from the field and 51.6 percent from 3-point range to the tune of 4.0 made 3-pointers per contest across the same span.</p> <p>He put up a season-high 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field and 5-of-8 shooting from behind the arc on Jan. 11 against the Philadelphia 76ers in an improbable 123-121 victory. Huerter is shaping up to be a solid piece alongside <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/y/youngtr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Trae Young</a> in the Hawks’ backcourt.</p> <p>When he’s not scoring, he’s proven to be a reliable distributor as well. He dished out seven assists against the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/boston-celtics/">Boston Celtics</a> last Saturday. Atlanta is currently trying to nurse him back to health though, as he’s missed the last two contests with an injury.</p> <p>Huerter isn’t the only Hawks player to be featured in this week’s edition, however. Here are the top five players in the latest Rookie of the Year power rankings.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 5 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_338521" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-338521 size-large" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1087693418-1-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h3>5. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=jacksja01,jacksja02&amp;search=Jaren+Jackson&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Jaren Jackson</a> Jr., Memphis Grizzlies</h3> <p><strong>Last rank: 5th (↔)</strong></p> <p>The <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/memphis-grizzlies/">Memphis Grizzlies</a> have been reeling as of late, losing their last seven games. It looks as though they’re headed in a different direction with both <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/conlemi01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Mike Conley</a> and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gasolma01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Marc Gasol</a> on the trading block, but rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. is making the best of it.</p> <p>He’s putting up 14.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest through the last seven games. His efficiency is down a bit as he’s shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point range, but he’s adjusting to life in the NBA. Foul trouble has limited his playing time a bit, but he’s managing things well given the environment.</p> <p>With the team’s top two players potentially on their way out, Jackson will have to focus on his own development as an individual and as a leader, letting the business side play out. He’s shown he can put up big numbers, now he’ll just need to find that consistency every night.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 4 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_338010" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-large wp-image-338010" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1077324656-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h3>4. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sextoco01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Collin Sexton</a>, Cleveland Cavaliers</h3> <p><strong>Last rank: N/A</strong></p> <p>Despite the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/cleveland-cavaliers/">Cleveland Cavaliers</a> being 1-6 in their last seven games, Collin Sexton hasn’t let that slow down his progress during his rookie season. He finds himself back in the mix for as a top-five rookie after producing 14.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game through his last seven appearances.</p> <p>He dished out a season-high seven assists against the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/denver-nuggets/">Denver Nuggets</a> last Saturday. Though it came in a loss, he’s showing that he’s more than just a scorer when given different looks by different teams.</p> <p>Sexton has improved his shooting from the field and behind the arc during the stretch, shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range. He’s showing his growth through the season as he adjusts to the nightly NBA schedule. It hasn’t turned into victories for him just yet, but help is on the way in the upcoming draft.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_338526" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-large wp-image-338526" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1096686920-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h3>3. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/aytonde01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Deandre Ayton</a>, Phoenix Suns</h3> <p><strong>Last rank: 2nd (↓1)</strong></p> <p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/phoenix-suns/">Phoenix Suns</a> rookie big man Deandre Ayton is currently out with an ankle injury and has missed the past three games, so his status in the NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings drops slightly.</p> <p>He was averaging 15.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game through four appearances prior to his injury. Through four games, he snagged two double-doubles, increasing his total on the season to 27, which leads all rookies.</p> <p>Ayton has been a double-double machine on the offensive end and his defense is coming along as well. It’s all a matter of getting a healthy rotation on the floor with this team. With Ayton missing, there’s a big hole in their frontcourt and it shows with the Suns’ current situation. They’ve lost six games in a row.</p> <p>With Ayton’s return on the rocks, the Suns will have to rely heavily on <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=bookede01,bookede02&amp;search=Devin+Booker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Devin Booker</a>‘s shooting ability. Hopefully, a few games watching from the sidelines improves Ayton’s awareness.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_338528" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-large wp-image-338528" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1087772904-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Jasear Thompson/NBAE via Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h3>2. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks</h3> <p><strong>Last rank: 3rd (↑1)</strong></p> <p>Rookie point guard Trae Young has been the other bright spot with Kevin Huerter, though on a more consistent basis, for the Atlanta Hawks this season. He’s averaging 14.0 points, 7.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game over his last six appearances for the Hawks. His 3-point shooting is down, but his passing prowess has been up.</p> <p>Young is shooting 26.8 percent from 3-point range and 40.2 percent from the field across Atlanta’s last six games, but on the bright side, they’re 3-3 across the same stretch.</p> <p>Young has racked up two double-doubles during the same span and one came during an impressive 142-126 victory over the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/oklahoma-city-thunder/">Oklahoma City Thunder</a>. He poured in 24 points and 11 assists on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor and 4-of-9 shooting from behind the arc in the win.</p> <p>Atlanta has found quite the core in Young, Huerter and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/collijo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">John Collins</a>. The Hawks could be on their way to success in the very near future.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_338530" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-large wp-image-338530" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1098394146-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h3>1. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/doncilu01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Luka Doncic</a>, Dallas Mavericks</h3> <p><strong>Last rank: 1st (↔)</strong></p> <p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/dallas-mavericks/">Dallas Mavericks</a> guard Luka Doncic remains the top pick for the NBA Rookie of the Year award as he continues to fill up the stat sheet. He’s putting up 20.5 points, 7.8 assists, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest through the last six games for the Mavs.</p> <p>On Monday night, he became the lone rookie with a triple-double this season, behind an 18-point, 11-rebound and 10-assist effort against the<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/milwaukee-bucks/"> Milwaukee Bucks</a>. He’s shown that he’s a rookie well ahead of his time and hopefully, things can work out where he and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smithde03.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Dennis Smith</a> Jr. can coexist in the backcourt.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated for 2017-18)" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2018/09/21/nba-50-greatest-players-time/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/01/25/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-15-collin-sexton-back-in-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/2018/09/21/nba-50-greatest-players-time/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated for 2017-18) </a> </div> </div> <p>Although Doncic is scoring at will, his efficiency is down a bit. He’s shooting 38.9 percent and 26.1 percent from 3-point range over the last six games, and the Mavericks have posted a 2-4 record. He’ll need to improve on his efficiency to improve those results.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">