At the start of every new NBA season, predictions, previews, and outlandish statements are common. During our latest episode, a viewer picked Bennedict Mathurin as the future Rookie of the Year over the likes of Paolo Banchero, Keegan Murray, and Jaden Ivey. Is that statement as crazy as everyone thinks?

While Mathurin is a great player in his own right, this pick for Rookie of the Year was still a bold statement. Especially after getting to see the debuts of Banchero and Ivey on Wednesday night.

Mathurin had himself a good game against the Washington Wizards with 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks on 7-for-15 shooting from the floor and 3-for-7 from deep. On the other side of the debate, Banchero had 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two blocks on 11-for-18 shooting. Plus, Ivey registered 19 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals while shooting 8-for-15 overall and 2-for-4 from three.

Those stat lines are all close and they’re all equally impressive for each player. The one standing out would be Banchero as he performed a statistical feat that hasn’t been done since LeBron James was a rookie. On top of that, he had the most points scored in a number-one pick debut since Allen Iverson in 1996!

With all of that being said, who do you have for Rookie of the Year this season?

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