2022 midseason NBA awards ballot: All-Rookie first team
G — Cade Cunningham, Pistons
G — Josh Giddey, Thunder
F — Franz Wagner, Magic
F — Scottie Barnes, Raptors
F — Evan Mobley, Cavaliers
There feels like a pretty solid break between the top-5 rookies and the rest of the class, so there’s not much to argue about. Mobley and Cunningham are frontrunners for Rookie of the Year, but in a season with less dominant top picks, Wagner, Barnes, and Giddey would all have strong cases. This is an impressively versatile group of players — all 6-foot-6 or taller with advanced instincts and two-way upside.
2022 midseason NBA awards ballot: All-Rookie second team
G — Jalen Suggs, Magic
G — Jalen Green, Rockets
G — Chris Duarte, Pacers
G — Ayo Dosunmu, Bulls
F — Herb Jones, Pelicans
The second team All-Rookie falls to a gaggle of guards and Herb Jones, who has an outside chance at All-Defense consideration alongside his fellow All-Rookie candidate Evan Mobley. Jones is a joy to watch for the chaos he creates with his defensive activity.
Jalen Suggs and Jalen Green both started the season slow, but Suggs has picked up steam of late and Green gets too many reps (and, by extension, too many buckets) not to make the list, even if his season has been disappointing overall. Chris Duarte has been essential to Indiana’s rotation from day one, while Ayo Dosunmu is a key reserve for the No. 1 seed in the East right now.