Nov. 6 — And then there were three. Prior to the season, several people asked if this would be a two-man race for Rookie of the Year. While I wasn’t ready to go that far, I had a hard time seeing anyone else at the level of Damian Lillard and Anthony Davis. But then Cleveland’s Dion Waiters came along and put himself in the discussion with a hot start to the season, capped off by his 
28-point outburst that burned the Clippers on Monday night. Waiters has looked confident and, paired with reigning Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving in the backcourt, makes the Cavs a very dangerous team. He may not be able to keep up his hot shooting (48 percent), but if he can continue this pace and the Cavs (2-2) keep winning, he’ll definitely stay in Rookie of the Year discussions. Just missed the cut: Alexey Shved, Pablo Prigioni, Andre Drummond, Jared Sullinger Dropped out: Chris Copeland, Bradley Beal, Drummond, Andrew Nicholson, Sullinger
Current Rankings
| Rank | Status | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | Damian Lillard |
| 2 | NR | Dion Waiters |
| 3 |  |
Anthony Davis |
| 4 | NR | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist |
| 5 | |
Jae Crowder |
| 6 | |
Jonas Valanciunas |
| 7 | NR | Tyler Zeller |
| 8 | NR | Kyle Singler |
| 9 |  |
Harrison Barnes |
| 10 | NR | Austin Rivers |
I’ll admit it. I was wrong on Waiters. From what I saw in Las Vegas, he wasn’t in shape (by his own admission as well) and didn’t look ready to contribute. I would’ve sworn we were looking at a potential bust. But man, has he proven me wrong. Starting the Cavs’ first four games, the Syracuse product is averaging 16.3 points (2nd among rookies) on 48 percent shooting. And if you missed it, just re-watch Monday’s win over the Clippers. Waiters was 7-for-11 from 3-point land and he and Kyrie Irving brought an energy L.A. couldn’t match. If Waiters can keep his shooting percentage up, he should stay high on the Ladder. — Nov. 6
