Darrell Griffith, 1981 Rookie of the Year
Voters gave the award to the leading scorer of the rookie class. But Griffith’s 20.6 points per game weren’t all that efficient, he averaged more turnovers than assists, and his squad won just 28 games. Kelvin Ransey averaged 15.2 points and 6.9 assists and was third in minutes per game for a 45-win Trail Blazers team; he lost the award by a single vote point. Larry Smith, Kevin McHale, and Joe Barry Carroll all had good cases as well.