Why media is wrong saying Banchero is clear ROTY over Pacers’ Mathurin

To sum up:

I’m not saying Mathurin is certainly the rookie of the year and I’m not saying that Paolo isn’t. But I’m saying there are a few things to consider before buying the claim that the difference between the two is absolutely massive.

1. Mathurin is putting up similar numbers to Paolo on more efficient shooting in fewer minutes. Mathurin shouldn’t be punished for a few fewer minutes just because of the talent that is around him on the team.
2. Mathurin plays a different role on the team than Banchero. He has the ball less because he is playing an off-ball guard position while Banchero is being asked to bring the ball up the court and start the offense. Because of this, their impact is going to look different between the two.
3. Mathurin plays with backup players while Banchero plays with the starters which means that the ability of the players around you have some impact on your numbers as well. For example, assists can only become assists if the other person makes the basket.
4. Banchero has already shown that he might struggle with injuries moving forward while Mathurin has shown an ability to stay healthy. And while this shouldn’t be a huge factor in the minds of the voters, it should be important when it comes down to making decisions about winners in a tight contest.

So what do you think? Should Mathurin be considered to have a decent chance at the ROTY award?