NBA 2018-19 season: Rookie of the Year power rankings - October 2018

#2 DeAndre Ayton

Los Angeles Lakers v Phoenix Suns

The No. 1 overall pick has lived up to the hype early in the season, averaging a double-double (16.9 ppg, 10 rpg). What's sold me on even more to Ayton is how much better he's on defense right now than he was advertised to be during the draft. Sure, he's still a net negative as a rim protector, but he has much better instincts than given credit for by scouts who only watched him play man-to-man marking in college basketball.

Ayton is shooting at a 61.6-percent clip (85.7 pct. on free throws). Another underrated aspect of his game during the pre-draft talk was his ability to facilitate, which he has showcased plentily already - he's really comfortable passing the rock out of the post.

Expect Ayton and the next player on this list to be at loggerheads for the Rookie of the Year award all season long.