NBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY): December 21st, 2021 | Latest Power Rankings by Sportskeeda

Another week in the NBA has passed and it's almost Christmas. The league still keeps on giving us great games, player performances and crazy plays on a daily basis. From Stephen Curry becoming the official three-point king to Austin Reaves' game-winner for the LA Lakers against the Dallas Mavericks.

Or Devonte' Graham's 61-foot game-winner over the OKC Thunder. It has been a crazy fun week in the NBA, but some teams are also experiencing coronavirus outbreaks that led to some postponed games.

Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers was placed on the NBA's health and safety protocols last week. Did it have an effect on his place in this week's Rookie of the Year power rankings? Let's take a look.

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#5 Josh Giddey

Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #5

Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 2; Games lost - 1

Overall: Games played - 27; Games won - 10; Games lost - 17

Last Week: PPG - 14.7, APG - 9.3, RPG - 10.7

Overall: PPG - 10.9, APG - 6.2, RPG - 7.1

Last Week: FG% - 39.6%, 3P% - 28.6%

Overall: FG% - 39.4%, 3P% - 25.3%

Josh Giddey of the OKC Thunder had a huge week last week, averaging an almost triple-double. He put up 14.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists in three games last week. Giddey has become a huge part of the Thunder's current two-game winning streak.

In the win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, Giddey had 19 points, five rebounds and 11 assists. The 11 assists were a career-high for Giddey, who also tallied a career-high 18 rebounds in the previous game against the LA Clippers. If the Australian can keep this up, he could move up in next week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings.

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#4 Franz Wagner

Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic.

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #4

Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 1; Games lost - 2

Overall: Games played - 31; Games won - 6; Games lost - 25

Last Week: PPG - 17.0, APG - 4.0, RPG - 7.7

Overall: PPG - 14.5, APG - 2.9, RPG - 4.7

Last Week: FG% - 39.2%, 3P% - 0.0%, SPG - 1.0

Overall: FG% - 44.5%, 3P% - 36.3%, SPG - 1.1

The Orlando Magic were one of the teams affected by the coronavirus outbreak. It has given Franz Wagner a chance to showcase more of his talent, leading the Orlando Magic to a 1-2 record last week. He averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

Wagner remains fourth in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. He might have played phenomenally, but he still struggled to shoot the ball efficiently. He even missed all of his three-point attempts last week.

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#3 Cade Cunngham

Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons.

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #3

Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 1; Games lost - 2

Overall: Games played - 24; Games won - 8; Games lost - 16

Last Week: PPG - 14.7, APG - 8.3, RPG - 5.3

Overall: PPG - 15.6, APG - 5.0, RPG - 6.1

Last Week: FG% - 46.2%, 3P% - 26.7%, SPG - 1.7

Overall: FG% - 39.1%, 3P% - 31.7%, SPG - 1.5

Cade Cunningham remains in third spot in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. Cunningham has shown flashes of his potential, averaging 15.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game last.

The 20-year-old star can do anything from shoot, make plays or defend. That's one of the reasons why the Detroit Pistons selected him first overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Cunningham is starting to make noise in the ROTY race and his ankle injury seems to be fully healed.

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#2 Evan Mobley

Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #2

Last Week: Games played - 0; Games won - 0; Games lost - 0

Overall: Games played - 25; Games won - 17; Games lost - 8

Last Week: PPG - 0.0, APG - 0.0, RPG - 0.0

Overall: PPG - 13.8, APG - 2.5, RPG - 8.3

Last Week: FG% - 0.0%, 3P% - 0.0%, SPG - 0.0

Overall: FG% - 47.4%, SPG - 0.9, BPG - 1.8

It was an uneventful week for Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers last week. Mobley did not play a game last week, missing the game against the Miami Heat with a hip injury. He then entered the NBA's health and safety protocols, causing him to miss the remaining two games of the week.

Mobley has to stay in quarantine for at least 10 days and test negative twice in a span of 24 hours to get cleared. He missed several games last month due to an elbow injury. If Mobley wants to remain one of the favorites to win the NBA's Rookie of the Year, he has to stay healthy moving forward.

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#1 Scottie Barnes

Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors.

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #1

Last Week: Games played - 2; Games won - 1; Games lost - 1

Overall: Games played - 27; Games won - 12; Games lost - 15

Last Week: PPG - 22.0, APG - 5.5, RPG - 10.0

Overall: PPG - 15.6, APG - 3.4, RPG - 8.3

Last Week: FG% - 60.0%, 3P% - 42.9%, FT% - 73.3%

Overall: FG% - 49.4%, 3P% - 35.6%, FT% - 72.6%

Scottie Barnes remains in top spot for this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. Barnes played in just two games last week, but Evan Mobley missing the entire last week helped. The fourth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft averaged 22.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists last week.

In the loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Barnes put up 23 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, while shooting 7-for-13 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. He became the youngest player in Toronto Raptors history to have a 20/10/5 game.