The first Rookies of the Month for the 2021-22 NBA season have been revealed.
On Thursday, the NBA announced that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley have been named Rookies of the Month for games played in October and November.
The other nominees were Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun (Houston Rockets), Davion Mitchell (Sacramento Kings), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Thunder), Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors), Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons), Chris Duarte (Indiana Pacers) and Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic).
Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
The No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Giddey is averaging 10.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists through 20 games. Among rookies, he ranks eighth in scoring, third in rebounds and first in assists.
Giddey has three double-doubles and has scored in double figures 10 times so far in his NBA career.
On Oct. 24, Giddey scored a season-high 19 points in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Two games later, he dished out a season-high 10 assists in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
⛈️ @joshgiddey's 1st-career double-double leads the @okcthunder's 26-POINT COMEBACK win!
— NBA (@NBA) October 28, 2021
18 points
10 assists pic.twitter.com/BG2JRuKvBP
Giddey recently made history by joining LaMelo Ball and LeBron James as the only teenagers in NBA history to reach 100 assists and 100 rebounds in their first 20 games.
honoured https://t.co/MOxxC1JS5I
— josh giddey (@joshgiddey) November 25, 2021
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
The No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Mobley is averaging 14.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks through 18 games. Among rookies, he ranks second in scoring, first in rebounds and first in blocks.
Mobley has scored in double figures in all but two of the games he's appeared in. In a win over the New York Knicks on Nov. 7, Mobley scored a season-high 26 points.
Mobley leads all rookies with five double-doubles. He's also blocked two or more shots in nine games.
The Cavaliers have been a different team with Mobley on the court this season, holding opponents to 99.6 points per 100 possessions compared to 106.4 with him on the bench. That's the difference between Cleveland ranking first and 12th in defensive efficiency on the season.
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