By now, most NBA teams have played close to 30 games this season. When it comes to the first-year players, we’ve seen a lot of rookies make some major strides in hopes that they’ll be named the league’s Rookie of the Year when all is said and done.
While it’s still too early to guarantee who’ll win the award, odds from BetOnline give us an idea of who could be in the running. As of December 14, Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Evan Mobley is favored to be named the 2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year at +150 odds.
Selected third overall in this year’s draft, Mobley has been nothing short of impressive for the Cavaliers. The 20-year-old is averaging 13.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 blocks through the first 25 games of his professional career. He’s a big reason why Cleveland is 17-12 to start the year, currently sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Diving a little deeper into things, you can see Mobley’s impact when it comes to the Cavs’ advanced stats. He ranks second in the team when it comes to defensive (1.6) and total (2.3) win shares this season. He’s accomplished that by starting in each of his 25 games played, averaging over 33 minutes on the floor each night.
When Mobley was injured earlier in the year, Cleveland went 0-4 without him in the lineup. Since then, the Cavaliers are 8-2. As long as he continues being that important to his team’s success, Mobley will remain in the Rookie of the Year conversation throughout the season.
2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Tuesday, December 14
- Evan Mobley (+150)
- Cade Cunningham (+225)
- Scottie Barnes (+225)
- Jalen Green (+1600)
- Josh Giddey (+1800)
- Franz Wagner (+2500)
- Chris Duarte (+4000)
The complete odds list is available at BetOnline.ag.
Cade Cunningham NBA ROTY Odds
After missing the start of the season, Cade Cunningham finds himself owning the second-best odds (+225) to be named 2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year. The former Oklahoma State product has put up a solid stat line for the Detroit Pistons, averaging 15.8 PTS/6.2 REB/4.6 AST as a starting guard.
While those numbers are impressive for a rookie, Cunningham has begun to play even better as of late. The Pistons rookie is averaging 22.7 PTS/5.5 REB/4.0 AST over his last six games. Only time will tell if that type of production is sustainable in his very first NBA season.
At the end of the day, a mediocre Detroit team is likely holding Cunningham back from his true ceiling. It also doesn’t help that he’s dead last on the team with -0.5 win shares. Detroit isn’t a good team by any means (four wins in 26 games), but it’s still disappointing not to see him higher in the category. Nevertheless, he’s still a very realistic candidate to be named this season’s Rookie of the Year.
Scottie Barnes NBA Rookie of the Year Odds
A couple of weeks ago, Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes was BetOnline’s favorite to win Rookie of the Year. Now, he’s fallen into a tie with Cunningham for second-best odds at +225.
Barnes has proven to be a good player on both sides of the ball for the Raptors. While he averages 15.1 PPG, he’s tied for the team lead in rebounds (8.2) and is also averaging 1.2 steals and a block per game. His 0.9 defensive win shares are tied for first on the team.
There’s just nothing Barnes can’t do for the Raptors and he’s proven that by only playing fewer than 30 minutes twice in his rookie season. He played a season-high 41:16 against the New York Knicks last week, which shows just how much Nick Nurse and company trust him. He may not be putting up the offensive stats to start the year anymore, however, there’s no doubting that Barnes is still a real threat to be named Rookie of the Year despite how he’s no longer the odds-on favorite.
