From almost the start of the NBA, the Rookie of the Year award congratulates the best prospect in their first year of being in the league for leading their draft class in statistical categories. This award could very possibly be one of the most prestigious awards one can win, with names like LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Lamelo Ball and Luka Doncic winning this award.

In most recent years this award was given to the likes of Paolo Banchero, who is now the face of the Orlando Magic, averaging 22 points on a 55% true shooting percentage. This year the two main players in the running are 2023 #1 overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama and 2022 #2 overall draft pick Chet Holmgren. The main problem with the ROTY race this year is that Chet has been in the NBA for a year, not playing 2022-2023 due to an injury in his foot. This means he has been in work with his team for over a year before competing, which should make him ineligible for the Rookie of the Year award.

Holmgren is currently first in the race for ROTY because his team has a better record than Wembanyama, even though Victor is leading every single category in the rookie class. Chet has been in the league for almost two years now, but he is still competing against brand new players for the ROTY award, which he should not be eligible for because he’s been in the league since 2022.