Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has been selected to the NBA All-Rookie first team while teammate Lonzo Ball is a second-team choice.
Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has been selected to the NBA All-Rookie first team while teammate Lonzo Ball is a second-team choice.
Other first-team selections include Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons, Utah Jazz point guard Donovan Mitchell, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen.
Simmons, the favorite for rookie of the year, and Mitchell were selected first team on the 100 ballots from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters. Tatum garnered 99 first-team votes.
The three are finalists for rookie of the year, which will be announced June 25 during the annual NBA awards show at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.
Kuzma received 93 votes while Markkanen got 76 for the first team.
The second team includes Dallas Mavericks guard Dennis Smith Jr., Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins and Phoenix Suns forward Josh Jackson.
Kuzma averaged 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds a game while shooting 45% from the field and 36.6% from three-point range. Ball, who averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds a game, led all rookies by averaging 34.2 minutes of playing time.
The only rookies with comparable or better statistics than Kuzma were Simmons (15.8 points, 8.2 assists, 8.1 rebounds), Mitchell (20.5 points, 3.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds) and Tatum (13.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 47.5% FG, 43.4% three-pointers).
