Reacts: Evan Mobley is the runaway choice for Rookie of the Year

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged-in LA Clippers fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts, and check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

The Clippers have young talent for the first time in what seems like eons. With the rookie class of Brandon Boston Jr., Keon Johnson, and Jason Preston — along with guys like Amir Coffey, Jay Scrubb, and Ivica Zubac — this franchise is back in the player development game.

But the Clippers still don’t have elite young talent, at least not yet, compared to some of the first-years around the league. Best-case scenario, Boston — who had 16 points and hit some key buckets in last night’s loss — might find himself on the all-rookie second team. There are a lot of other players in this year’s draft class setting a high standard, and they are the subject of this week’s Reacts survey.

Fans around the league were asked to pick a favorite for Rookie of the Year, and the results were overwhelming: 55 percent of respondents picked Evan Mobley from the Cleveland Cavaliers, who was the third pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Mobley’s selection comes as little surprise, considering Cleveland has the third-best defense in the league and sits 2.5 games out of the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

The second and third selections were a bit more intriguing. Instead of the do-it-all Scottie Barnes coming in second, Cade Cunningham captured 15 percent of the vote, followed by Jalen Green in third with 10 percent. People love primary ball handlers.

If you’d like to vote in upcoming Reacts surveys and have your voice heard each week, sign up here.