Written by Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton at ABC News.com
Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton are back with their series on NBA draft prospects, rookies and sophomores — this time ranking their top contenders for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2016-17.
Who are the contenders for Rookie of the Year?
Three Sixers at the top
Ford: One of my favorite things about the start of the NBA season is the chance to see how the rookies perform. After covering them in the draft all year, it’s fun to see how their skills translate to real-world NBA games.
It’s usually a rocky start for most. It’s tough to make a meaningful contribution to a NBA team in your rookie year. But we saw some significant contributions last season from players such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Nikola Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis, and I think we’ll see a few this season.
With Ben Simmons out for a significant period of time recovering from a broken foot, the new leader for the Rookie of the Year contest, for me, is one of his teammates. Joel Embiid has been terrific in preseason play. Though he’s still raw, his combination of size, athleticism and skill is unique in the NBA. He’s like a little kid who has been set free after not being able to play for two years.
But if he can stay healthy and if the Sixers feel comfortable giving him the minutes, I think he’s in for a monster season. He does things on the floor that only a small handful of bigs have been able to do.
Who’s your favorite for Rookie of the Year, Kevin?
Pelton: I had Embiid after the preseason, and nothing he did in his NBA debut (20 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes) changed that opinion. Even though Embiid’s minutes will be limited, there’s no other rookie likely to be more productive in box score terms over the full season. (Teammate Ben Simmons might eventually surpass Embiid, but over a shortened season.) So while injury is always a concern, I think Embiid leads a wide-open field.
Believe it or not, I actually have yet another Philadelphia 76ers rookie as the next most likely winner: Forward Dario Saric, the 2014 first-round pick who came over this season and is starting in place of the injured Simmons. Only Andrew Harrison, an injury fill-in for the Memphis Grizzlies, played more in his debut than Saric.
I doubt Saric’s numbers will be eye-popping, but he’s a versatile player with high-level professional experience, so he should retain a key role even after Simmons returns.
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