The NBA has returned from its All-Star break slumber, which means we’ve entered the home stretch of the regular season. Teams are getting serious about jockeying for playoff spots, others are getting serious about their draft positions and the races for all the major awards are becoming more crystalized. And while the Rookie of the Year race typically isn’t as exciting as Most Valuable Player or Defensive Player of the Year, this year’s race has turned out to be one of the more memorable ones. For a big portion of the season, it wasn’t as obvious as to who would win the award, but with roughly 30 games left on the schedule, the rankings are becoming more clear.
This year’s class has shown us that the 2023 NBA Draft had a wealth of young talent. Many of the players listed here and featured in my weekly rookie rankings have the potential to be All-Stars, win MVP, and become important role players with lengthy careers. All of these players have bright futures ahead of them, but only one can go home with the Rookie of the Year hardware. With that in mind, here’s the Rookie of the Year rankings as the NBA kicks back into gear for the last month and a half of the regular season.
- Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors
When you get elevated to the starting lineup in place of future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson to share the backcourt with another future Hall of Famer in Stephen Curry, you know you’re doing something right. Podziemski isn’t putting up the numbers some of his fellow draft classmates are, but he’s impacting winning for a Warriors team that has sorely needed someone else to step up so it doesn’t just all fall on Curry’s shoulders.