The 2016-17 NBA season preview continues with a look ahead to the future stars of the NBA. The 2017 Rookie of the Year. Prohibitive favorite Ben Simmons’ season may be in jeopardy after suffering a pretty serious foot injury at the end of Philadelphia 76ers training camp. The top overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft might not play enough, if he plays at all this season, to really make a dent in the minds of voters. Now the field is pretty open to any number of guys.
2016-17 NBA Preview: Rookie of the Year
Winner: Buddy Hield, New Orleans Pelicans
2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
3. Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers
4. Kris Dunn, Minnesota Timberwolves
5. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
(Others receiving votes: Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender, Dario Saric and Denzel Valentine.)
Buddy Hield and Ben Simmons were immediately the two favorites to win this honor. With Simmons gone, it’s not hard to see why Hield currently has the top betting odds to win. He comes into a situation with the New Orleans Pelicans lacking some serious firepower from anyone outside of Anthony Davis. With the departures of Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon and injuries already impeding the start of the season for both Davis and Tyreke Evans, Buddy might be leaned on a lot. It also helps that he could possibly be starting on a potential playoff team, if all goes well for New Orleans. He’ll get his shots, he’ll create his own shots and fill in as a playmaker as Jrue Holiday misses time due to some serious family issues.
Simmons was expected to join fellow rookie Joel Embiid this season on the 76ers, making their NBA debuts. Embiid’s case is famously a little different than Simmons. He was drafted back in 2014 but due to injuries, never officially took the court for the 76ers. Now he’s expected to take the NBA by storm but a big question is his availability. It sounds like the 76ers don’t want to rush him back, limiting his minutes and not playing him in back-to-backs.
Brandon Ingram should logically be the favorite to win this award. He was the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and he’s going to a Lakers team not expected to contend right away. The problem is, right off the bat he’ll be riding the bench. That could cut into some of his output but he still targets the rookie of the year award as his main goal this season. Who knows, maybe eventually he’ll crack the lineup as the season comes to an end and make some late noise for the award.
Our own team member, Martin Soaries, made a short but simple case for Timberwolves rookie Kris Dunn to be the lead man to look for in the Rookie of the Year award.
With the start of Simmons’ career on pause it’s going to be up for grabs. Dunn is in a good position and environment to contribute in Minnesota right away.
Dunn is a good candidate if he gets playing time. It’s being reported that the Wolves are resisting a trade for starting point guard Ricky Rubio so they can develop Dunn over the first 20 games of the season. But Dunn has looked horrible in the preseason and who knows how much that translate into his NBA career. A good sign for Dunn comes from his fellow rookies and the NBA general managers, both pegging him as their choice to win the award.
