LaMelo Ball may have edged out Anthony Edwards for the Rookie of the Year award, but there’s no denying those two were the top rookies of their class for the 2020-21 season. Though the class of 2021 looked loaded with promising young talent across the board, it’s clear that Ball and Edwards were ahead of their peers.
Despite going scoreless in his debut NBA game, the Charlotte Hornets stud dazzled throughout his rookie campaign. He clearly looked like the runaway favorite for top rookie honors through the first few months of the season. However, a midseason wrist fracture that kept him out for 21 games threatened his case for a while there, especially since Edwards went on an absolute tear through the second half of the season after initially struggling out of the gates.