NBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY) Power Rankings featuring Evan Mobley, Franz Wagner and more | January 19th, 2021

The 2021-22 NBA season is already at its halfway point, and the top rookies are starting to separate themselves from the rest of their draft class. Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers has established himself as one of the best young players in the league.

Meanwhile, Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors seems to have hit the dreaded rookie wall, but his defensive prowess and versatility have been on display. Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors and Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets are starting to make some noise as well.

On that note, here's a look at this week's NBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY) power rankings and see if there are any changes in the top five from the last week:

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#5 Scottie Barnes

Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #5

Last Week: Games played - 2; Games won - 0; Games lost - 2

Overall: Games played - 34; Games won - 17; Games lost - 17

Last Week: PPG - 12.0, APG - 4.0, RPG - 7.5

Overall: PPG - 14.5, APG - 3.5, RPG - 7.9

Last Week: FG% - 32.3%, 3P% - 22.2%, FT% - 66.7%

Overall: FG% - 47.0%, 3P% - 31.3%, FT% - 71.3%.

Scottie Barnes remains at number five in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. Barnes played just two of four games last week for the Toronto Raptors. He averaged 12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists, but shot the ball poorly.

The rookie wall has not been kind to Barnes, and he has not been the same since entering the NBA's health and safety protocols. It might take some time for him to get back into form, but he could fall out of the top five, as the likes of Jonathan Kuminga, Herb Jones and Jalen Green are making some noise.

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#4 Josh Giddey

Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder

Previous week's NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #4

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 1; Games lost - 3

Overall: Games played - 38; Games won - 13; Games lost - 25

Last Week: PPG - 14.5, APG - 5.8, RPG - 6.3

Overall: PPG - 11.4, APG - 6.3, RPG - 7.3

Last Week: FG% - 50.0%, 3P% - 34.8%, SPG - 1.0

Overall: FG% - 40.8%, 3P% - 28.9%, SPG - 1.0.

Josh Giddey of the OKC Thunder remains in fourth spot in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. Giddey has been a consistent presence for the Thunder, averaging 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists in four games last week.

One of the most impressive aspects of Giddey's performance last week was his efficiency. He shot the ball at 50.0% from the field, and his three-point shooting was 34.8%.

However, he needs to improve his ability to draw fouls, as he did not have any attempts at the line last week.

#3 Cade Cunningham

Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons

Previous week's NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #3

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 1; Games lost - 3

Overall: Games played - 34; Games won - 9; Games lost - 25

Last Week: PPG - 13.8, APG - 4.0, RPG - 4.0

Overall: PPG - 15.4, APG - 5.3, RPG - 5.5

Last Week: FG% - 45.1%, 3P% - 37.5%, SPG - 1.0

Overall: FG% - 39.5%, 3P% - 32.4%, SPG - 1.3.

Cade Cunningham continues to improve weekly, averaging 13.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the NBA last week.

His shooting from the field and beyond the arc has improved, as jas his defense as well. That's why he is number three in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings.

Cunningham had his best game of the week last week against the Phoenix Suns. He put up 21 points and four assists, while shooting 60.0% from the field.

The only problem for Cunningham is that the Pistons are one of the worst teams in the league. If the Pistons are down big, expect the first overall pick not to play heavy minutes.

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#2 Franz Wagner

Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic

Previous week's NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #2

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 1; Games lost - 3

Overall: Games played - 45; Games won - 8; Games lost - 37

Last Week: PPG - 13.3, APG - 5.5, RPG - 4.7

Overall: PPG - 15.5, APG - 2.8, RPG - 4.7

Last Week: FG% - 45.1%, 3P% - 9.1%, SPG - 0.8

Overall: FG% - 45.2%, 3P% - 34.4%, SPG - 1.0.

Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic remains the iron man of the 2021 NBA draft class. Wagner has not missed a game this season, averaging 13.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists in four games last week. The Germany international showed off his playmaking skills last week, increasing his assists tally.

However, Wagner also flunked from beyond the arc last week. He shot just 9.1% from the three-point area, but remains a 34.4% shooter for the season.

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#1 Evan Mobley

Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers

Previous week’s NBA ROTY Power Ranking - #1

Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 4; Games lost - 0

Overall: Games played - 37; Games won - 24; Games lost - 13

Last Week: PPG - 15.5, APG - 3.0, RPG - 6.8

Overall: PPG - 14.9, APG - 2.6, RPG - 7.9

Last Week: FG% - 55.1%, 3P% - 0.0%, BPG - 1.3

Overall: FG% - 50.7%, 3P% - 28.3%, BPG - 1.7.

Evan Mobley holds on to the number one spot in this week's NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings. Mobley continues to be one of the best young players in the NBA. He's also one of the main reasons why the Cleveland Cavaliers are just 1.5 games behind the number one spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

Mobley averaged 14.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in four games last week.

Even though team record may not have a big impact on rookie performances, it's been a while since a rookie like Mobley has had an impact for a winning team.