Top 5 could be a stretch, but… I think Cason could be that guy! Lots of the rookies who are going to be finishing toward the top are going to be getting more minutes than him, because he’s on a much more competitive team than a bunch of the guys toward the top of the draft… he won’t get to show out as much as them, but… He’ll get to pick his spots a lot more than the other rookies, so he should appeal to voters that value efficiency.

How is Cason 5th?…

Cason has executed his role PERFECTLY so far but I have a few thoughts as to why he probably won’t end up as a top 5 rookie:

1. There are probably ~10 other rookies who are acting as productive players thus far, and while none of them have been as efficient, many have been placed in much more difficult or featured roles (which inevitably hurts efficiency)

2. His shooting splits are patently absurd and will inevitably deviate closer to the mean (although I definitely do buy his shooting stroke)

I am so excited about Cason, but I think top 10 is a safer claim at this point. People have been ripping on Scoot, but being the lead guard in an offense as a rookie is so challenging. Cason I believe would struggle in a similar role, especially as he needs to continue to work on his handle and shot creation ability.

In terms of role execution, Cason genuinely might be ROY. In terms of contextual production and displayed talent, he’s probably in the 5-10 range. This is all a moot point since he’s been amazing regardless