NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 17: Kevin Knox #20 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the third quarter of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden on December 17, 2018 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings, Week 10: Kevin Knox cracks the Top 5
Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images
After a two-week hiatus, the NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings return, as some new players — like Kevin Knox — emerge in the top five for Week 10.
The NBA Rookie of the Year award has been all about Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic in the past few weeks. Doncic put up a career-high 32 points on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, though it came in a defeat. He’s continued to assert himself on the floor, no matter his opponent, and it has Dallas a bit ahead of preseason expectations.
Forward Kevin Knox has emerged in the New York Knicks‘ rotation as a player on the rise since getting healthy from a preseason injury. After easing him into the rotation through the early months, December has been a strong one for Knox.
The Phoenix Suns are another team that’s seen some big performances from rookie center Deandre Ayton. Ayton is back to racking up more double-doubles and it’s turned into results in the win column. The Suns are still 8-24, but the positive production of Ayton during the team’s four-game win streak is certainly something they can build on.
The Atlanta Hawks have seen better days, but one rookie that’s come on strong in recent games is guard Kevin Huerter. Huerter is putting up 12.6 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting from 3-point range over the past five contests. He’s worked himself into the rotation as Trae Young‘s shooting struggles continue.
The Rookie of the Year race is getting interesting as the new year approaches. Here’s a look at the Week 10 power rankings.
Dallas Mavericks</a> guard <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/doncilu01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Luka Doncic</a> in the past few weeks. Doncic put up a career-high 32 points on Thursday night against the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/los-angeles-clippers/">Los Angeles Clippers</a>, though it came in a defeat. He’s continued to assert himself on the floor, no matter his opponent, and it has Dallas a bit ahead of preseason expectations.</p>
<p>Forward <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/knoxke01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kevin Knox</a> has emerged in the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/new-york-knicks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Knicks</a>‘ rotation as a player on the rise since getting healthy from a preseason injury. After easing him into the rotation through the early months, December has been a strong one for Knox.</p>
<p>The <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/phoenix-suns/">Phoenix Suns</a> are another team that’s seen some big performances from rookie center <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/aytonde01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Deandre Ayton</a>. Ayton is back to racking up more double-doubles and it’s turned into results in the win column. The Suns are still 8-24, but the positive production of Ayton during the team’s four-game win streak is certainly something they can build on.</p>
<p>The <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/atlanta-hawks/">Atlanta Hawks</a> have seen better days, but one rookie that’s come on strong in recent games is guard <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/huertke01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kevin Huerter</a>. Huerter is putting up 12.6 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting from 3-point range over the past five contests. He’s worked himself into the rotation as <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/y/youngtr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Trae Young</a>‘s shooting struggles continue.</p>
<p>The Rookie of the Year race is getting interesting as the new year approaches. Here’s a look at the Week 10 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/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 5 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images</p>
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<h3>5. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks</h3>
<p><strong>Last rank: N/A</strong></p>
<p>Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young returns to the top five after missing the cut in Week 8. Young’s shooting has improved slightly in the past two weeks. Unfortunately, over Atlanta’s last five contests, he’s still only shooting 31.8 percent from 3-point range and 39.7 percent from the floor.</p>
<p>Young has managed to compensate for his poor shooting by dishing out 6.2 assists per game across the last five games and that’s the good news. The bad news: Through 23 losses, Young is shooting 19.8 percent from 3-point range. In the team’s seven victories, he’s shooting 39.6 percent from behind the arc.</p>
<p>Young is still averaging 15.5 points, 7.1 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game in 2018-19, but his production hasn’t raised the Hawks’ overall profile much.</p>
<p>The 3-point shooting woes may not continue, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on. His long range shooting was something that led him to become the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of the University of Oklahoma. Now, it’s become something he needs to continue to improve on as the season progresses.</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/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 4 </a>
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<img class="size-large wp-image-334215" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-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%2F1073347198-850x560.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images</p>
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<h3>4. Kevin Knox, New York Knicks</h3>
<p><strong>Last rank: N/A</strong></p>
<p>New York Knicks forward Kevin Knox cracks the Rookie of the Year top five ranks as he’s having a strong December. Knox was used sparingly through October and November, averaging 18.6 minutes and 17.8 minutes per game, respectively. In December, he’s recording 33.4 minutes a night, showing the rewards of his playing time in his production.</p>
<p>He’s averaging 17.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest this month while shooting 41.4 percent from the floor and 39.1 percent from 3-point land. The Knicks are still 2-8 in games with Knox in the rotation, but they’ve also missed undrafted rookie guard <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/trieral01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Allonzo Trier</a> in the lineup. He’s missed the last six games and counting with a left hamstring injury.</p>
<p>The Knicks aren’t 100 percent from an All-Star standpoint, either, as big man <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kristaps Porzingis</a> is still out with a knee injury. New York still has a record of 9-24 in the East, but with Knox on the wing, their upside is headed in the right direction.</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/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images</p>
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<h3>3. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sextoco01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Collin Sexton</a>, Cleveland Cavaliers</h3>
<p><strong>Last rank: 2nd (↓1)</strong></p>
<p>Rookie guard Collin Sexton is still surviving the rebuilding process with the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/cleveland-cavaliers/">Cleveland Cavaliers</a>. They recently traded away veteran point guard <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hillge01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">George Hill</a> away in a three-team deal with the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/milwaukee-bucks/">Milwaukee Bucks</a> and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/washington-wizards/">Washington Wizards</a> in exchange for a future first round pick, so time will tell if things work out for them.</p>
<p>Sexton is producing 15.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and has managed to produce just one double-double during his rookie campaign.</p>
<p>Despite the current state of the organization, Cleveland is still 3-5 in their last eight games with Sexton in the lineup. He’s averaging 15.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game over that stretch, but they’re clearly banking on finding him some help in the upcoming draft.</p>
<p>The Cavaliers are 4-7 so far through the month of December. They’ve traded <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/korveky01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kyle Korver</a>, but <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smithjr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">J.R. Smith</a> remains on the trading block. Becoming a leader on both ends and leading this team to wins are traits Sexton will need to start to learn as the rest of the season goes along.</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/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images</p>
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<h3>2. Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns</h3>
<p><strong>Last rank: 5th (↓2)</strong></p>
<p>The Phoenix Suns have won four straight games, including victories over the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/boston-celtics/">Boston Celtics</a> and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/dallas-mavericks/">Dallas Mavericks</a>. Ayton put up 23 points and 18 rebounds (eight offensive) against the Celtics in a big 111-103 road victory on Wednesday night. His presence in the paint alongside <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=bookede01,bookede02&search=Devin+Booker&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Devin Booker</a> and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/warretj01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">T.J. Warren</a> on the wings has paid off lately.</p>
<p>Ayton has produced 17.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game on 53.8 percent shooting from the field during their ongoing winning streak. He’s recorded three double-doubles as well, showing some renewed life in his step in recent wins.</p>
<p>He’s recorded 11 rebounds or more in six of the last seven contests for the Suns, establishing himself as a premier rebounder in the NBA. His efficiency from the field has also been up. Through the last seven games, he’s shooting 58.6 percent from the floor on 12.4 field goal attempts per game.</p>
<p>If he finds his groove, Phoenix could find itself at slightly better odds with the rest of the NBA, although it’s still early. Their recent acquisition of <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/oubreke01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kelly Oubre</a> Jr. should strengthen the bench, though they still need a point guard.</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/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images</p>
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<h3>1. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks</h3>
<p><strong>Last rank: 1st (↔)</strong></p>
<p>Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic is filling up the stat sheet for his team. He’s putting up 19.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game through the past two weeks, though he’s shooting just 27 percent from 3-point range.</p>
<p>The Mavericks are 3-3 across their last six games and have fallen on rough times in the last few games. They’ve lost four games in a row and three have come on the road. Dallas is 13-3 at home and 2-12 on the road this season, a trend that needs some adjusting if it hopes to improve things with Doncic in the rotation.</p>
<p>In the Mavs’ loss to the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/los-angeles-clippers/">Los Angeles Clippers</a> on Thursday, Doncic put up a season-high 32 points, but the team couldn’t get any stops on defense. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/willilo02.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Lou Williams</a> and Montrez Harrell went off for a combined 44 points off the bench.</p>
<p>One thing that hasn’t helped has been the absence of <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/21/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-10-kevin-knox-cracks-the-top-5/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smithde03.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Dennis Smith</a> Jr.. The former ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft has missed the past three games while nursing a wrist injury and has missed nine of their 30 total games in 2018-19.</p>
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<p>The Mavericks are a young team learning to play with a lot of moving pieces, but Doncic has shown he’ll be a key piece moving forward. He’ll need to show he can share the floor with Smith when he returns, as his absence has shown in recent results.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
