2019 NBA Rookie of the year candidates

THE "THEY HAVE A CHANCE" GROUP

Michael Porter Jr.

If this was a year ago, there may have been no debate that Porter could win rookie of the year. However, here we are only one year later and there are many medical concerns with Porter. The concerns were shown through the draft, as he watched 12 teams pass up on him. His fall may give him motivation to prove how good he is, and it will certainly help push the Nuggets into the playoffs. Porter is a great fit for the nuggets who could add some scoring with the young core of the nuggets and be able to get some big time minutes as either a wing or to pair in the front court with Jokic. Porter should get many opportunities to score with Jokic's playmaking ability. However, there are other scorers on Denver such as Murray, Harris, and Jokic will take some shots as well. Porter's injury concerns are also not gone, he could still be a red flag and struggle with injuries throughout this season. He could become the primary scorer on this team for the future if his health becomes a non-issue. For this coming season there are rumours he may not play, if he does, expect Denver to not use him as much as the other rookies around the league.

Michael Porter shaking Adam Silver's hands as he gets drafted 14th

Trae Young

Speaking of potential risks aside from Porter. Trae Young is the best shooter in the draft and drew so many comparisons to Steph Curry. It needs to be established that the comparisons have been unfair, Young has a similar style of play but probably won't achieve the same level of success as Curry. Steph fell to a great position where he's surrounded by strong defenders who help pick up the lack of defence played by Curry. Draymond Green also does a key job in setting screens to give Curry opportunities to get his shots. Trae Young is very talented, but talent isn't everything, the Atlanta Hawks are a young team and it is still yet to be seen if Young is a good fit. If his shots are falling and he becomes more disciplined when to shoot, he could find success and be the primary option for the Hawks this season. If everything falls into place here, and Young meets the hype that was built on me, he could emerge as a candidate for rookie of the year.

Kevin Knox

The Knicks decided to not take a risk on Porter, and decided to invest in the young raw wing former Kentucky Wildcat. The Knicks don't have that much talent outside of Porzingis, who's expected to miss a large portion of the season because of an injury. This puts Knox in a good position to get some touches on the offensive end to accelerate his development. This could backfire because he still is a raw prospect, or may be he could benefit from having the team trust him until Porzingis returns to the lineup. Out of all the names I've listed, I believe Knox has the lowest chance of getting the award, but if given opportunity I think he could step on and be a key contributor to the Knicks team.