Houston Rockets rookie Jalen Green has been selected by a panel of ESPN analysts and reporters to win the 2021-22 Rookie of The Year, chosen over the likes of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Suggs.
Green was selected to the All-Summer League second team with averages of 20.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and two assists per game in the Las Vegas Summer League.
He was playing well three games into the tournament, and then a hamstring injury sidelined him for the remainder of the summer.
Green managed to impress in his short run this summer.
The 2021 second overall pick is projected to pick up heavy minutes in Stephen Silas’ lineup as the starting shooting guard alongside Kevin Porter Jr. in the backcourt.
That fact alone makes him the favorite to win the ROY.
In the poll that ESPN held, Green got 72.2 percent of first-place votes.
The list is below in order:
- Jalen Green, Houston Rockets (72.2% first-place votes)
- Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (27.8% first-place votes)
- Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic
- Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
The poll dropped after ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins said on “The Jump” that he believed Green would win Rookie of The Year.
He used Green’s experience in the G-League as a reason why he would win the award.
The Rookie of The Year of the award has been won in a pretty convincing fashion in recent years, but the 2021 class looks like it will make the award competitive between Green and Cunningham all year long.
Jalen Green, 19, has an advantage over some of his classmates as he played with the G-League’s Ignite last season.
With that opportunity, he got the chance to play against former NBA players and other players who routinely jump between the G-League and their respective NBA teams all season long.