Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Two months into the 2018-19 NBA season, the Rookie of the Year race is heating up, as some rookies are dropping down the list.
There’s been some good, some bad and some ugly already as the 2018-19 NBA season is rolling through December. The Rookie of the Year race is heating up as teams look to improve their records and overall status in their respective conferences.
The good: New York Knicks forward Kevin Knox is starting to find his rhythm. He’s averaging 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game over his last three games. He posted a season-high 26 points in an upset victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on the first day of December. As he starts to find his way now that he’s healthy again, look for him to emerge as a top rookie. He’s missed seven games this season with an ankle injury.
The bad: Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton has slumped a bit in his bid as a top big man. He was taken out of the starting lineup, allegedly to send a message, in the Suns’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night. He finished with a plus/minus of -13 in their 108-86 loss.
The ugly: Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young is having a hellacious time shooting the basketball in his last three appearances. He’s shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor and 8.3 percent from 3-point range as the Hawks continue to plummet down the standings. Their current record is 5-20.
All in all, the NBA Rookie of the Year race is shaping up to be an interesting one, as Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. continues to climb towards the top. Here’s a look at the Week 8 Rookie of the Year power rankings.
New York Knicks</a> forward <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"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> is starting to find his rhythm. He’s averaging 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game over his last three games. He posted a season-high 26 points in an upset victory over the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/milwaukee-bucks/">Milwaukee Bucks</a> on the first day of December. As he starts to find his way now that he’s healthy again, look for him to emerge as a top rookie. He’s missed seven games this season with an ankle injury.</p>
<p>The bad: <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/phoenix-suns/">Phoenix Suns</a> big man <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"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> has slumped a bit in his bid as a top big man. He was taken out of the starting lineup, allegedly to send a message, in the Suns’ game against the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/portland-trail-blazers/">Portland Trail Blazers</a> on Thursday night. He finished with a plus/minus of -13 in their 108-86 loss.</p>
<p>The ugly: <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/atlanta-hawks/">Atlanta Hawks</a> point guard <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"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> is having a hellacious time shooting the basketball in his last three appearances. He’s shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor and 8.3 percent from 3-point range as the Hawks continue to plummet down the standings. Their current record is 5-20.</p>
<p>All in all, the NBA Rookie of the Year race is shaping up to be an interesting one, as <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/memphis-grizzlies/">Memphis Grizzlies</a> big man <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=jacksja01,jacksja02&search=Jaren+Jackson&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Jaren Jackson</a> Jr. continues to climb towards the top. Here’s a look at the Week 8 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/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 5 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Icon Sportswire</p>
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<h3>5. Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns</h3>
<p><strong>Last week: 3rd (↓2)</strong></p>
<p>The Phoenix Suns have hit quite the rough patch in 2018-19 and Deandre Ayton has caught the brunt end of it. Ayton was benched in the starting lineup Thursday night in favor of <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/holmeri01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Richaun Holmes</a>, possibly in an attempt to send a message.</p>
<p>Whatever message head coach Igor Kokoskov was trying to send Ayton didn’t work for the overall team outlook, as for the second straight game, Phoenix was blown out in the first quarter, putting up just nine points to the Portland Trail Blazers’ 34 points.</p>
<p>Ayton had an okay game with 11 points and eight rebounds, but something seems amiss in Phoenix. The team has posted two straight first quarters with nine points and it seems to have trickled down to Ayton.</p>
<p>Across their last four losses, he’s averaging 12.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest — well below his season averages of 15.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. While it’s still early in the process, the Suns could be the latest team that makes a coaching change or they could lose their next big star mentally.</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/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 4 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images</p>
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<h3>4. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cartewe01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Wendell Carter</a> Jr., Chicago Bulls</h3>
<p><strong>Last week: N/A</strong></p>
<p>The <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/chicago-bulls/">Chicago Bulls</a> are another team that’s had their fair share of struggles already in 2018-19, but it hasn’t stopped Wendell Carter Jr. from finding his way.</p>
<p>Head coach <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hoibefr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Fred Hoiberg</a> was dismissed from his post as head coach on Tuesday after 25 games. Considering the youth and talent on this roster, it seemed better to part ways in order to develop guys like Carter and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/markkla01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Lauri Markkanen</a> under a new regime.</p>
<p>Markkanen returned to action this past Saturday against the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/houston-rockets/">Houston Rockets</a>, posting 10 points and four rebounds. Alongside Markkanen, Carter put up just eight points and eight rebounds, showing he’s still getting used to playing with him.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wendell Carter Jr. impressed for the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://twitter.com/chicagobulls?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@chicagobulls last night with 28 PTS and 7 REB!<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/BullsNation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#BullsNation</a> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://t.co/8Aun6ngIap">pic.twitter.com/8Aun6ngIap
<p>— NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1068844662289362944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>December 1, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>The former rookie out of Duke put up a career-high 28 points to go along with seven rebounds and three blocks on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor against the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/detroit-pistons/">Detroit Pistons</a> last Friday, though it came in a loss.</p>
<p>The next game, Carter posted his fifth double-double of the season (12 points, 13 rebounds) against the<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/indiana-pacers/"> Indiana Pacers</a> on Tuesday night. Carter ranks second among rookies in double-doubles this year. With Hoiberg out, it will be interesting to see how Chicago develops its emerging big man now.</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/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images</p>
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<h3>3. Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies</h3>
<p><strong>Last week: 5th (↑2)</strong></p>
<p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/memphis-grizzlies/">Memphis Grizzlies</a> big man Jaren Jackson Jr. continues to move up the Rookie of the Year ranks as he’s emerged as a solid frontcourt presence alongside veteran <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gasolma01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Marc Gasol</a>.</p>
<p>Jackson is beginning to really assert himself on offense and it’s shown in his shooting percentage. He’s shooting 54.8 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point land in the Grizzlies’ last three games.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/memgrizz/status/1068919342291656706</p>
<p>He put up 36 points, the most by a rookie in 2018-19, on 13-of-22 shooting from the floor and 3-of-7 shooting from behind the arc in his best game of the young season.</p>
<p>After a rough game against the<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/toronto-raptors/"> Toronto Raptors</a> that saw him play just 19 minutes and score four points on Nov. 27, Jackson has really put it together this past week, producing 22.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.</p>
<p>At 14-9 in the West and 2.5 games back of first place, the Grizzlies and Jackson have been a perfect match despite his early foul troubles. He’s averaging 4.1 fouls per game and fouled out of their most recent victory against the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/los-angeles-clippers/">Los Angeles Clippers</a> this past Wednesday.</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/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images</p>
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<h3>2. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"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 week: 2nd (↔)</strong></p>
<p>Collin Sexton is still asserting himself as a pure scorer in the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/cleveland-cavaliers/">Cleveland Cavaliers</a>‘ rotation. They snapped their four-game losing streak with a 99-97 victory over the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/brooklyn-nets/">Brooklyn Nets</a> on Wednesday in which Sexton posted 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting.</p>
<p>Sexton is still finding his way as the Cavaliers’ main scoring threat but he’s at least got <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/clarkjo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Jordan Clarkson</a> and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thomptr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Tristan Thompson</a> to feed off of. Clarkson put up 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists off the bench in the victory. Thompson also had a double-double of his own with 19 points and 14 rebounds.</p>
<p>Sexton is still learning to shoot with volume, but his percentage on the season remains impressive nonetheless. He’s shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from 3-point range as a rookie.</p>
<p>In his first game against the<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/golden-state-warriors/"> Golden State Warriors</a>, he posted 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting, although the Cavs lost in the end. It took a 37-22 third quarter outburst by the Warriors to create some distance and get the 129-104 victory in the end, but Sexton still played solid, showing no matter his opponent, he’s always good to put up strong numbers.</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/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images</p>
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<h3>1. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"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>, Dallas Mavericks</h3>
<p><strong>Last week: 1st (↔)</strong></p>
<p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/dallas-mavericks/">Dallas Mavericks</a> guard Luka Doncic continues to hold on to the top spot in the Rookie of the Year power rankings with his clutch shooting and play.</p>
<p>He came up big in their 111-102 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, putting up a team-high 21 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor. He came up big in the games final moments with a dagger 3-pointer to lift the Mavericks to victory.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1070167305567567872</p>
<p>His impact has been hard to ignore. In games where Doncic scores 10 points or less, the Mavericks are 0-3. In games where he’s scored 20 points or more, Dallas is 8-3.</p>
<p>As it stands, Dallas is currently 12-11 in the West. The Mavs are 7-3 in their last 10 games and hold the eighth spot in the standings. As a guard that can fill up the stat sheet, Doncic is averaging 18.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game in 2018-19.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="NBA history - Best player born in each state" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/28/nba-history-best-player-born-each-state/" 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/2018/12/07/nba-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-week-8-jaren-jackson-jr-on-the-rise/"https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/28/nba-history-best-player-born-each-state/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> NBA history - Best player born in each state </a> </div>
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<p>At just 19 years of age, the Mavericks might have found their next future international star, now they’ll just need to find another star.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">