Rookie of the Year
Winner- Blake Griffin- Los Angeles Clippers
Blake Griffin has dazzled fans with his wide variety of offensive moves and his incredible leaping ability. Griffin found himself on various highlight reels thanks to his dunks and jaw-dropping plays. Although Griffin was drafted in 2008, he is still considered a rookie since he never played last season due to a knee injury.
In his time on the bench Griffin learned valuable lessons from the league veterans and his training allowed him to gain an advantage on the incoming draft class. Griffin does not look like an average NBA rookie since his play is mature and he already added an All-Star game selection to his resume. In his first NBA season, Blake Griffin has averaged 22.4 points per game and 12.0 rebounds per game.
Runner-up- Landry Fields- New York Knicks
Despite the fact that Landry Fields was a second-round draft pick by the Knicks, he has developed into one of the best rookies in the 2010 Draft Class. Fields was not expected to make much of an impact on the Knicks, but he has earned himself a starting role in Mike D’Antoni’s lineup. Unlike Blake Griffin or John Wall, Fields does not always make spectacular plays or eye-popping moves. Instead he does the intangible things for his team, and while his play is not flashy, it is effective and efficient. This season, the Stanford alum is averaging 10.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 2.0 apg.
3rd Place- John Wall- Washington Wizards
John Wall was the first overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, and many analysts believed he could become one of the best point guards in the league in a matter of a few seasons. There was a lot of hype following Wall early on in the season, and he proved to be a dynamic facilitator and scorer. However, Wall’s Rookie of the Year chances dwindled down due to his injuries and inconsistent play. Wall’s 16.1 ppg, 8.6 apg and 1.7 spg is still very impressive for a first-year guard in the NBA