2. Wade Baldwin, PG — No. 17 Pick, Memphis Grizzlies
Another potential surprise in these rankings for most people, I think Wade Baldwin is going to be put in a position where he’s not going to have a choice but to put up numbers in his rookie season with the Memphis Grizzlies. Subsequently, I think that the Vanderbilt product is going to be in a position where he has a very high chance of being the dark horse to win NBA Rookie of the Year.
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The first big factor in the candidacy of Baldwin to potentially win ROTY for the 2016-17 season is the fact that I’m of the belief that Mike Conley is gone as an unrestricted free agent. I think that Conley is at the point where most NBA fans are at this point in coming to the realization that this version of the Grizzlies needs to come to a close and that it’s time that a player of his talents moves on. Subsequently, that opens the door in a major way for Baldwin in the backcourt.
Make no mistake, I don’t think Baldwin is the most talented player in this draft class and there’s a good chance he wouldn’t make my top-10 in that regard. That being said, he’s going to be in a better position than most players entering the league and I think that makes all the difference in making him a wholly viable candidate to win NBA Rookie of the Year.
Next: No. 1 Buddy Hield