2024 Rookie of the Year Race: Looking at Holmgren's Competition

Former No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren is one of the favorites to win the NBA's Rookie of the year Award this season.

According to SportsBook Review, Victor Wembanyama, Holmgren and Scoot Henderson are the three leading candidates to take home the prestigious award for first-year players. Brandon Miller and Cam Whitmore round out the top five.

With Miller's struggles in the Summer League, along with the Hornets' young roster, it may be difficult for Charlotte to get enough wins for Miller to steal the award from Holmgren or Wembanyama. For Whitmore, the former Villanova standout will battle for shot attempts, as the Rockets have a handful of players who will be looking to have a high volume this season.

So, aside from the skilled French big man, who is most likely to stand in Holmgren's way for the Rookie of the Year award?

Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson could be a sleeper in the award race, as the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is likely to play a big role for Detroit with Cade Cunningham returning from an injury that sidelined him for most of the 2022-23 season.

Thompson, who is the third consecutive guard or wing that the Piston's have taken in the top 10, has a unique skill set that is different from that of his twin brother, Amen Thompson. Draft scouts claim that Ausar is the better shooter between the two, while Amen is slightly more athletic than his brother.

For Ausar, playing with Cunningham and Jaden Ivey should give the 6-foot-7 20-year-old plenty of open looks to get his shots off from the outside. If Thompson is able to convert on a good number of these attempts, he will surely be in the running for rookie of the year.

Per SportsBook Review, Ausar is currently eighth in Rookie of the Year odds.

Another player who could challenge Holmgren, Wembanyama and Thompson for the award is Pacers rookie Jarace Walker.

Last season at the University of Houston, Walker averaged 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 blocks and one steal per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. This earned the Cougars star All-AAC and AAC Freshman of the Year honors.

After being selected with the No. 8 pick in the 2023 draft, Walker made a few highlight plays in the Summer League, turning heads with multiple huge blocks.

This block by Jarace Walker 😳pic.twitter.com/hRvntT0Rtw
— No Ceilings (@NoCeilingsNBA) July 9, 2023

Additionally, the Pacers have a solid roster, and should be a relatively competitive team in the East this season. If Indiana does end up having a good season and Walker is a major contributor, it would not be surprising to see the 6-foot-8 forward in contention for the Rookie of the Year Award in 2024.

According to SportsBook Review, Walker currently sits in sixth place in the preseason Rookie of the Year odds.

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