NBA Rookie Rankings: Cade Cunningham puts shooting slump behind him; Scottie Barnes continues to impress
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The No. 1 overall pick had his most efficient week of the season thus far
Some first-year players are starting to creep up to that proverbial "rookie wall" where things start to get a little more difficult, and performances may not be as consistent as they were at the start of the NBA season. You also have guys like Cade Cunningham who seem to be just hitting their groove to climb further up in the Rookie of the Year race. It's important to remember that inconsistency is to be expected from every rookie in the league, because it's part of development and growth. So while some of these raw numbers don't look as gaudy as they once did, that doesn't mean any of these players are busts. There's still plenty of basketball left to be played this season, and regression in both directions is natural for these young players, so just keep that in mind.
Moving on to this week's rankings, remember that these will reflect a rookie's performance on a week-to-week basis only, and not the collective season. These are not Rookie of the Year standings. With that straightened out, here is a look at the top-performing rookies around the league.
Cunningham had perhaps his best week of the season, primarily because of his efficiency from just about everywhere on the floor. He shot 55.8 percent from the field and a ridiculous 60.9 percent from 3-point territory on over seven attempts a game. After several weeks of poor shooting numbers, Cunningham appears to be finally hitting a groove, which is great news for the Pistons. Against the Thunder, he had a career-high 28 points, while racking up 11 rebounds and five assists, and became the first rookie in Pistons history since Greg Monroe in 2010 to record a 20-10-5 game.
