NBA Rookie of the Year Watch: Who Could Rise to the Top?

Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic

nERD: -11.3
nF Efficiency: -4.0

Payton is only one of two rookies to log at least 30 minutes per night. It may have a lot to do with the injury to Victor Oladipo, but the former Ragin' Cajun has gotten a lot of run as the Magic's starting point guard. He's been given the opportunity to step in and contribute - and he's made sure to take advantage of it. Payton stuffs the stat sheet with 8.4 points, 6.4 helpers, and 4.0 boards per game.

Payton has shown his potential to contribute on either side of the ball as he's scored 15 points twice and has had at least a block or a steal in five of his first seven games. Based on raw statistics, like our numbers predicted, Payton may be the best rookie of the class. But, Payton finds himself on another one of the NBA's young rebuilding teams where he has struggled with efficiency. His nERD and efficiency rating are last among the five rookies mentioned in this article. But, as we saw with MCW in Philly, sometimes stats win awards - not efficiency or wins.

Games this week: Raptors, Knicks, Bucks, Wizards