NBA 2019-20: Rookie of the Year Power Rankings Week 6

After being selected with the first pick of the 2019 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, Zion Williamson was expected to ease to the 2020 Rookie of the Year Award. Williamson had been so impressive during his year at Duke that he was widely labeled as the best teenager to emerge since LeBron James.

However, the 19-year-old got injured in the weeks building up to the season. And his ongoing absence has provided several other rookies around the league the opportunity to compete for the ROTY Award.

As we enter Week 6 of the season, plenty of rookies have shown flashes of promise. But out of those, only a few have been able to influence games almost on a nightly basis.

Here, we take a look at the current front-runners to be named 2020 Rookie of the Year.

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#5 Kendrick Nunn - Miami Heat

Kendrick Nunn has made an excellent start to his rookie season with the Miami Heat

Kendrick Nunn's minutes have been up and down over the past few weeks, but the Chicago native is still making a big impact on a Miami Heat team that continues to defy expectations.

Nunn's standout game of the week came as he dropped 21 points on the Chicago Bulls in just 26 minutes. He also recorded 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting during Miami's latest win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Over his 16 appearances this season, Nunn is now averaging 16.9 points per game, which puts him second in the NBA among rookie scorers. He is also averaging 2.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists, and the 24-year-old is well in contention to become one of the oldest ROTY winners in NBA history.

#4 Coby White - Chicago Bulls

Coby White has made a big impact from the Chicago Bulls bench

A number of promising rookies have faded after making an exciting start to the season, but Coby White continues to trend in the right direction. After a somewhat muted start to life in the NBA, White has suddenly found his footing.

The 19-year-old exploded against the Charlotte Hornets to score 28 points on 12 for 19 shooting. In addition to recording a career-high points tally, White also added three assists, two rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes.

White's minutes continue to increase, and while he has still yet to start a game for the Bulls, he has managed to average 13.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists in 25.6 minutes. With Chicago expected to make trades in the coming weeks, White could soon take on a bigger role, making him a rookie to keep an eye on.

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#3 Tyler Herro - Miami Heat

Tyler Herro has proved to be one of the biggest steals of the 2019 NBA Draft

Just like the previously mentioned Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro has had a significant impact on Miami's excellent start to the season.

Despite a series of impressive pre-season performances, Herro couldn't manage to force himself into Erik Spoelstra's regular starting five. But the teenager has made an instant impact while coming off the bench.

Over 15 appearances (three starts), Herro is averaging 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. His performances are also getting better with each passing week; the 19-year-old has combined for 38 points over his last two games, against the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets.

Herro is also shooting 38 percent from three-point range. If Miami opt against bringing in another guard such as Chris Paul, the Kentucky Wildcats product would be set up for a huge season.

#2 Eric Paschall - Golden State Warriors

Eric Paschall continues to impress despite Golden State's awful form

The Golden State Warriors seem to be getting worse with each passing game, but Eric Paschall has continued to impress amid difficult circumstances.

The 23-year-old's best performance of Week 5 came against the Memphis Grizzlies as he recorded 17 points in just 24 minutes. Paschall also recorded the first double-double of his career during Monday's defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Despite starting the campaign on the bench, Paschall has recorded more points than any other player for Steve Kerr's team. He is currently averaging 16.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 31.2 minutes per game.

Paschall's performances so far this season have been among the few positives for the Warriors, and he looks like he can play a key part in the organization's future.

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#1 Ja Morant - Memphis Grizzlies

Ja Morant has been the most impressive rookie of the season so far

The Memphis Grizzlies' record now stands at 5-11, but Ja Morant has impressed big time for the Western Conference strugglers.

Morant started his week with a 20-point performance against the Golden State Warriors, before putting on a show against the Los Angeles Lakers. While the Grizzlies somehow slipped to a 108-109 defeat, Morant finished with 26 points on 10-16 shooting.

The 20-year-old's speed and agility was at times too much for the Lakers' defense to handle, and the point guard also finished with six assists and five steals.

Morant followed up his best performance of the season by scoring 19 points in 30 minutes during Memphis' defeat to the Indiana Pacers, and he leads rookies in both points (19.1) and assists (6.3).

Zion Williamson may be closing on a return, but Morant remains the front-runner for Rookie of the Year as we head into Week 6 of the season.