.@Elfrid of the @OrlandoMagic & @22wiggins of the @MNTimberwolves named @Kia NBA Rookies of the Month for January! pic.twitter.com/8kyCnZtJ0X
— NBA (@NBA) February 5, 2015
Andrew Wiggins continues his case for the Rookie of the Year but he has another young talent hot on his tail as the Orlando Magic’s Elfrid Payton is coming off a great January in which both players won the Rookie of the Month award.
The following from the NBA.com
The Orlando Magic’s Elfrid Payton and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Andrew Wiggins on Wednesday were named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in January.
Payton paced all rookies in assists (6.9 apg) and steals (1.87 spg), and finished third in scoring (10.7 ppg). He led or tied for the team lead in assists 13 times and scored in double figures eight times in 15 games. Payton had career highs of 22 points and 12 assists on Jan. 16 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Wiggins, who won the West award for the third consecutive month, led all rookies in scoring (19.8 ppg) and minutes (38.4 mpg) in January. He placed second among rookies in field goal percentage (.471) and was fourth in rebounds (4.6 rpg) and steals (1.41 spg). Wiggins poured in a career-high 33 points — 23 in the first half — on Jan. 31 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, his 16th 20-plus effort of the season.
Congrats to the 2 young stars, Wiggins and Payton, who will face off later this month in the ‘Rising Stars Game’ during All-Star Weekend.
