This year’s Rookie Of The Year Award is no longer a clear cut, one man race.  The injury to Blake Griffin (expected to be out for six weeks; but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s out longer) has opened up the competition.  The front runners for this award are now Jonny Flynn, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, and Stephen Curry.  It’s still early in the season, but barring injury, I can only see one of the four aforementioned rookies taking home this year’s Rookie Of The Year Award.  All four guys are playing point guard and play for weak teams, thus they are all expected to get a lot of playing time.  Stephen Curry’s playing time could be hampered if his coach Don Nelson, who is known for not giving rookies the time of day, decides to screw around with Curry’s minutes.  Without further ado, here are the reasons why these four candidates could legitimately win Rookie Of The Year:

Jonny Flynn:

Can Jonny Flynn Win Rookie Of The Year?

Some consider point guard the hardest position to play on the court, but the best thing for a rookie point guard to have is an established big man to dump the rock to down in the post.  Al Jefferson provides this for Jonny.  Given that Minnesota has no depth at the point guard position, Jonny should have plenty of opportunities to prove his case as Rookie Of The Year.  After just two games Jonny Flynn is averaging 17.5 PPG (leading the team), 2.5 APG (tied for second on the team), and 3 RPG in 28 minutes per game.  He’s shooting 47.8% from the field, 50% from three, and 85.7% from the line.  His shooting has been very good so far, but he has to take better care of the rock (4 turnovers a game).

Tyreke Evans:

Can Tyreke Evans make a case for Rookie Of The Year?

The Sacramento Kings are another team that lacks depth at the point guard position.  Tyreke Evans will get major minutes and the offense will be run through him.  He’ll have the ball in his hands at most times.  At 6-6 and 220, he is the biggest point guard in the league.  He has the rare combination of speed, athleticism, and strength.  Although he’s only averaging 12.7 PPG, 3.3 APG, and 3 RPG in 30.7 minutes after three games; I expect his numbers to spike upwards as he gets accustomed to the NBA game.

Brandon Jennings:

Will Brandon Jennings keep up his fast start and win Rookie Of The Year?

Lack of point guard depth seems to be a trend among the teams of these rookies.  Milwaukee is no exception.  Jennings is their best point guard.  Luke Ridnour and Roko Ukic are laughable.  Jennings has speed and athleticism.  He also has good handles and can get to the basket at will (as he  has shown against the Pistons on Halloween night).  Surprisingly his shooting has been phenomenal.    He’s shooting 51.6% percent from the field and 55.6% from three point land.  Mr. Jennings is averaging 20.5 PPG, 6 APG, and he’s grabbing 5.5 boards a game in 33 minutes after two games.  As with most rookie point guards, he has to take better care of the ball because he’s turning it over four times a game.

Stephen Curry:

Can Steph shoot his way to the top and proclaim the Rookie Of The Year Award?

Steph is playing on another team with no point guard depth.  If you are tired of reading it, I’m tired of typing it.  Steph has good speed, underrated handles, and underrated defense.  He’s known for his smooth J and quick shot release.  Steph’s been getting 37.5 minutes a game after two games.  In that time, he’s putting up 13 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 2.5 steals a game.  He is also shooting the ball very well, 57.1% from the field and 50% from the land of three.  He’s also only turning the ball over 2.5 times a game.

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