Who will be NBA 2022 rookie of the year?

This past season saw LaMelo Ball beat out Anthony Edwards for the NBA Rookie of the Year award. One year prior, Ja Morant earned the top individual honor.

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This season number 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham is destined to bring home the hardware in what should be a dazzling rookie season with the Detroit Pistons. Superb talent and sky high potential aside, Cunningham has one asset that will help him garner media attention in market, charisma.

2022 Rookie of the year Favourites

10. Jalen Johnson, forward (Atlanta Hawks)

Johnson’s first and only season with Duke was cut short after 13 games when he opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the games this forward suited up in, he was a dominant force for the Blue Devils.

In fact, the former top-13 recruit from Milwaukee averaged 18.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per 36 while shooting 52% from distance. After shockingly falling to Atlanta with the 20th pick, we’re expecting big things for Johnson on a contending team.

9. Evan Mobley, center (Cleveland Cavaliers)

As we’ve seen with top picks Deandre Ayton and James Wiseman recently, big men struggle more than other players in making an immediate impact. While Mobley is a top-end prospect this year, he is more than likely going to follow suit.

Despite this, we’re talking about a dude who averaged 17.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per 36 minutes as a freshman. He will get major playing time next to Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt for the Cavaliers next season.

8. Josh Giddey, guard (Oklahoma City Thunder)

At 6-foot-8 and manning the point guard position for the NBL’s Adelaide 36ers, Giddey is a mismatch waiting to happen. He is similar to Ben Simmons in that he can play point forward, but his shooting is much more developed right now.

Having played professional ball overseas, he’s also ready to make an immediate impact. That’s only magnified due to the fact that Giddey will see ample minutes for the rebuilding Thunder as a rookie.

7. James Bouknight, guard (Charlotte Hornets)

A two-year starter with Connecticut, this guard is in a great position to succeed out of the gate with Charlotte. Bouknight averaged 18.7 points and 5.7 rebounds on 45% shooting from the field for the Huskies as a sophomore.

While he struggled from distance as the campaign progressed, a mid-range game will help this youngster make an immediate impact. He’s a perfect fit with reigning NBA Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball.

6. Moses Moody, guard (Golden State Warriors)

As with others on this list, Moody more than proved as a freshman for Arkansas that he can make an impact in the NBA out of the gate. The 6-foot-6 guard started all 32 games for the Razorbacks, averaging 16.8 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 36% from distance.

Depending on when Klay Thompson returns next season, Moody should get some nice playing time for the Warriors. That makes him a legit NBA Rookie of the Year candidate.

2022 Top 5 Rookie of the Year Favourites

5. Davion Mitchell, guard (Sacramento Kings)

After leading Baylor to a shocking national championship over Gonzaga, Mitchell is quickly rising the rankings. For good reason. The dude earned All-Tournament honors, is a two-time Big 12 All-Defensive Team performer and can run an offense with the best of them.

4. Scottie Barnes, forward (Toronto Raptors)

Toronto surprised everyone by taking this defensive-minded forward over Jalen Suggs with the fourth pick. Despite the perceived reach, Barnes is in position to succeed out of the gate. That’s magnified if Toronto does in fact end up trading Pascal Siakam during the summer.

The only issue here was a lack of scoring for Florida State last season. While Barnes does everything good, he’s not a prolific scorer, and likely won’t ever be.

3. Jalen Green, guard  (Houston Rockets)

Green joined the aforementioned Kuminga in opted out of college basketball to play in the G-League. Near perfection in the Orlando bubble for the Ignite. Green now takes over as the face of Houston’s rebuild and should act accordingly as a rookie.

2. Jalen Suggs, guard (Orlando Magic)

Dominant. A two-way stud. That’s the best way to describe what we saw from Suggs for Gonzaga as a freshman last season. He was also consistently stopping the opposing team’s top offensive player. Set to join a rebuilding Magic team and ready to play next to fellow young guard Cole Anthony, Suggs is one of our top NBA Rookie of the Year candidates in 2021-22.

1. Cade Cunningham, guard (Detroit Pistons)

Our top NBA Rookie of the Year candidate, there’s also a good chance that this former Oklahoma State star could also be an NBA All-Star as a rookie for the Pistons.

The dude was brilliant as a freshman, averaging 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 40% shooting from distance. He’s one of a handful of potential franchise cornerstone players in this year’s draft and will be given ample opportunities to put up big numbers as a rookie.

2022 Rookie of the Year

Cade Cunningham

Sure, Cunningham’s highlight reel is full of plays that no 19 year old should be able to make. However, his personality stole the show on draft night. He appeared comfortable in front of the camera and was quick to entertain, pulling props out of his inner suit pocket to cater specifically to his soon to be home crowd in Motor City.

 

He enters the league with an advanced jumper game in terms of converting pull-ups, step backs and spot ups. And Detroit figures to get him in space around the post, where he is always had success against smaller players.

Cunningham is already embracing his role as the face of the franchise, and his marketability off the court will only supplement his star caliber production on it.