NBA rookies are rooting for Number 5 Draft Pick Kris Dunn to win the 2017 Rookie of the Year award. The Minnesota Timberwolves neophyte edged more popular contenders like Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram and Dario Saric.
NBA.com conducts a survey that brandishes Dunn as heavily-favored contender for the Rookie of the Year. The respondents for the survey are 38 fellow rookies who observe Dunn during training camps. If the next award yields the prediction, this could be Timberwolves' third straight producing top rookie class.
To recall, earlier names including number 1 draft Simmons were listed in the contenders list. The 2nd pick Ingram was also included because of higher statistical results. Saric, on the other hand, has plenty of exposure in Euro basketball. Another player is Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid who was supposed to be first pick last year but chose the 2016-17 season instead.
During the survey, NBA asks the rookies three vital questions. These include who will have the best career and who is the best playmaker. The third is the straightforward "Who will win Rookie of the Year?". SB Nation reported that Dunn leads the contenders by landing 29 percent. Trailing behind is Los Angeles' Brandon Ingram with 25.8 percent. Then 76ers' Simmons with 19.4 percent which is a difference of 9.6 percent from the top.
The survey yields a different version when the rookies answer about long-term career predictions. They believe that Ingram is most likely to show consistent performance. Dunn will become the second best player from this year's roster. Buddy Heild of New Orleans Pelicans is the third choice to sustain a good career while Simmons in fourth.
Meanwhile, analysts say that most NBA rookies are usually basing their judgment in on-court statistics. The margin of error is high, considering that players ranked low have teams who did not made it to the NCAA. This means that regardless of effectivity in the hard court, rookies tend to choose those they saw in multiple basketball occasions.