Ben Simmons, the number one overall pick, is the obvious front-runner for the rookie of the year award. During summer league, Simmons showed flashes of his brilliant talent, mostly as a gifted passer with vision that you simply cannot teach. Simmons is oozing with talent yet he remains far from a finished product. His lack of an outside shot could cause him problems once the real games begin. Teams in the summer league already started to sag off of him, forcing him to get rid of the ball or take the jump shot, which he was hesitant to do.
Second overall pick Brandon Ingram could challenge Simmons for rookie of the year, but there are also a few other players drafted in the first round that could surprise some people. I believe there are a trio of guards drafted in the top 10 that have a chance to surpass Simmons and Ingram to take home the trophy.
Buddy Hield
Buddy Hield struggled with his shot during summer league, going 5/20 and 7/20 in back to back games at one point. He could not find his touch from three-point range, a touch he displayed regularly for Oklahoma last year. Hield, the sixth overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans, may have struggled with his shot, but what he did show was a willingness to continue firing. Hield should have plenty of opportunity to let it fly for the Pelicans this season, as the loss of Eric Gordon opens up room for playing time at the shooting guard position. He showed in college last season that he has the ability to become a big time scorer at the next level as well. When Hield regains his shooting touch, he could challenge for the ROY as a key contributor for the Pelicans.
Kris Dunn
Kris Dunn was selected fifth overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is the latest addition to a very talented young core. Dunn, Wiggins, and Towns could make one of the best trios in the league for years to come. Dunn was known as a very solid defensive player coming out of college, which was the main reason he was drafted by the T-Wolves and ex Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau. It did not take long for Dunn to show that he is also a very capable scorer, as he scored 27 points in his summer league debut. Dunn should be a very good two-way player right away and will challenge Simmons and others for ROY.
Jamal Murray
Jamal Murray averaged 20 points per game as a true freshman at the University of Kentucky. He was selected 7th overall in the NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. If his college coach’s view is any indication, Murray will become a great NBA player as well. Of course Calipari is biased, but he lobbied for Murray to go No. 1 overall and believes he could also average 20 points in the NBA. Murray is a pure scorer and should put up points right away for the Nuggets. It would be no surprise to see Murray as the top rookie scorer next year, earning him a solid chance of becoming the ROY.
