Rookie Tracker: NBA's 2021 Crop Continues to Impress

The NBA's most recent class has been impressive, to say the least, living up to the pre-draft hype by showcasing the best of its scoring, passing and defending in recent weeks.

Back from an injury that sidelined him for several weeks, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley has reassumed his position atop the 2021 rookie class.

Mobley has been dominant on both ends of the floor, projecting offense far beyond what people thought was capable pre-draft to go along with his stifling defense.

Mobley is averaging 14.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocks on the season. He’s seen all but his increase in his six games back from injury.

Scottie Barnes has continued to impress as he and Mobley further separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Barnes is scoring 15.2 points, grabbing 8.0 rebounds and dishing out 3.3 assists per contest.

Cade Cunningham looks to join Mobley and Barnes, continuing his upward trend in Detroit. After a slow start, Cunningham has quickly begun to look like the No. 1 overall pick.

Cunningham has bumped his productivity to 15.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game on the season. He’s shooting 38 percent from the field and 30 percent from three, however.

In a second but not unexciting tier, Josh Giddey, Franz Wagner and Chris Duarte continue to be impactful in their debut seasons.

Fresh off a bout with the flu, Giddey has seamlessly plugged right back in with the Thunder. In 22 games, he’s averaging 10.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists.

One rookie whose stock has skyrocketed of late is the Bulls second round selection Ayo Dosunmu, a jumbo guard with a knack for putting the ball through the hoop. Donsunmu recently has seen increased minutes, and hasn’t wasted the opportunity.

In his last three games, he’s averaging 9.0 points and 3.7 assists while shooting 78 percent from the field and 33 percent from three.

Kings rookie Davion Mitchell, Duarte, Barnes, Cunningham, Mobley, Giddey and Rockets guard Jalen Green all play in the NBA’s Friday night slate.

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