The title, of course, is a rhetorical question. I've already been advocating Evan Mobley for ROY since like October or November. And even though I'm not as optimistic about his future as I was back then, I still stand by the stance. Why? Because throughout the entire season, since day one as far as I can tell, he's been a starter on a team that has not only proven to be the biggest surprise squad of the East but may also end up being an actual playoff threat. The Cavs made some impressive moves the past couple of years besides drafting Mobley. But still, I think it's safe to say that most of us thought entering into this season that they would still be more or less garbage, as is their standard. And Evan is one of the main reasons why they are not.
The real reason I was inspired to write this post is because about a week ago I was peeping out a game between the Cavs and Pistons. And the commentator, being the salaried d*ckriders that they are, actually had to gall to advocate that Mobley and Cade Cunningham share the ROY Award based on the grounds that they have similar stats. Meanwhile Cunningham is a scrub, and under his lead the Pistons are garbage, as usual. But one good thing I will say about Cade, after having watched him play a couple of times, is that as he ages and becomes naturally stronger, he may also prove to be unstoppable offensively. So even though he may suck now, I don't actually believe that Detroit made a mistake by drafting him at number one.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Kuminga has been repping since the turn of 2022. And the reason why advocating him for ROY isn't as viable an argument now as it was just a week ago is because the Warriors have been sucking as of late.
But that isn't Kuminga's fault. Instead the Dubs have so many quality rotational players that Steve Kerr is still figuring things out while the stars are injured or resting. And honestly, I don't envy him. For instance Jordan Poole, aka the 3rd Splash Brother, apparently has self-confidence issues that are negatively affecting his decision making and him grabbing the mantle as the team's future leader. Kevon Looney looks like an excellent starter when either Draymond, Steph or Klay are actually starting with him. But when he's starting alongside the younger guys, not so much. And Nemanja Bjelica, in my opinion, is an excellent point-center, sorta like a poor man's Jokic. But you wouldn't want to cast him into more of a traditional, down-low C role. And sometimes, I now see why people had issues with Andrew Wiggins being named an all-star. And all of this confusion has also affected Kuminga, even though he's been steady throughout. For instance he averages more points per 36 minutes than any other rookie who regularly plays, including Cunningham and Mobley. So that's another way of saying that if given the playing time, he does produce.
CONCLUSION
The other two rookies I hear people talk a lot about are Josh Giddey and Scottie Barnes, neither of whom I've really seen play. I tried to peep out an OKC game recently to finally get a glimpse at Giddey, but it seems that they may be resting him, which all things considered would be a wise decision. And I did watch Barnes play once against the Pelicans, but to my remembrance he didn't really do jacksh*t that particular game. But that said, if ROY isn't given to Mobley or Kuminga, based on what I've actually seen I'd still give it Davion Mitchell over Cade Cunningham.
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