Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
With the NBA final week of the 2020-21 season, and we are here to tell you why Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves should be the favorite to win Rookie of the Year.
The 2020-21 NBA regular season is set to reach its conclusion by the end of the week, and all focus will be on which teams will clinch a playoff berth and who will fall into the play-in round. Besides that, the debates on who will win the year-end awards will only be heating up from here on out. For Rookie of the Year, it will all come down to two players.
While LaMelo Ball played a pivotal role in helping the Charlotte Hornets reach the play-in round, we cannot overlook the season-long performance that first overall pick Anthony Edwards had with the Minnesota Timberwolves. But why should Edwards win the award over Ball? Here are three reasons why that should be the case.
3. He’s the hottest rookie in the NBA
When looking at the past two months, there has literally been no rookie hotter than Edwards. The Timberwolves have 14-19 since March 1, compared to a league-worst 7-28 before that, and Ant-Man has exceeded the performances of his fellow draft classmates.
In his 33 games played since the beginning of March, Edwards has averaged 23.4 points a night. In the scoring category, the next-closest rookie behind Edwards is Ball, who averaged 17.8 points per game. Additionally, Edwards averaged 5.6 rebounds (tied for third among rookies), 3.2 assists (ninth-most) and 1.5 steals per game (third-most).
If you’ve watched Edwards play since March, he looks like the favorite to win Rookie of the Year. And his play since then gives him the advantage over Ball, who missed serious time over that stretch.