Regardless of where you look, Stephon Castle is the betting favorite for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, but the Hawks‘ top pick, Zaccharie Risacher, deserves his case to at least be heard.
Depending on the betting outlet that you’re getting your odds from, Castle is anywhere from -650 to -2000, with Risacher anywhere from +1200 to +1800. So, it’s clear that Vegas sees Castle as the Rookie of the Year, but look at their stats:
Points Per Game: Risacher (11.9), Castle (13.8)
Rebounds Per Game: Risacher (3.7), Castle (3.2)
Assists Per Game: Risacher (1.2), Castle (3.5)
Steals Per Game: Risacher (0.8), Castle (0.9)
Blocks Per Game: Risacher (0.5), Castle (0.2)
Field Goal Percentage: Risacher (.443), Castle (.427)
3-Point Percentage: Risacher (.350), Castle (.286)
Free Throw Percentage %: Risacher (.719), Castle (.718)
VORP: Risacher (-0.7), Castle (-0.9)
Box Plus/Minus: Risacher (-3.8), Castle (-4.0)
Win Shares: Risacher (1.2), Castle (0.5)
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The Hawks rookie is more efficient than the Spurs rookie, and he contributes more to winning basketball games as well. The only thing that Castle definitively does better than Risacher is facilitating, as evident in the assist averages.
I’m not saying Zaccharie Risacher deserves to be Rookie of the Year (Yes, I am), but he certainly deserves to be recognized as more than just a distant runner-up. The Hawks should be happy with the 19-year-old. At this point in his development, he’s contributing to winning basketball.
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