MONDAY, 8:09am: Carter-Williams officially won the award, the NBA announced via press release. The Sixers point guard received 104 first-place votes out of a possible 124. Oladipo finished second with 16 first-place votes. Trey Burke was the third-place finisher, even though he only received one first-place vote, one fewer than Mason Plumlee. The other first-place vote went to Tim Hardaway Jr.
SATURDAY, 2:49pm: Michael Carter-Williams has been voted Rookie of the Year, a source tells Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. In what would otherwise be a season to forget for the Sixers, Carter-Williams gave Philadelphia fans hope for the future by putting up impressive averages of 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per contest. The victory doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as the only other realistic competition for the title came from Magic rookie Victor Oladipo.
Philly selected Carter-Williams with the 11th overall pick in last year’s draft, and he played a major role in the team’s surprising 3-0 start to the year. Although the club struggled mightily for the majority of the season, MCW’s ability to stuff a stat sheet excited fans around the league. He was able to notch two triple-doubles in 2013/14, becoming the first Sixers’ rookie in team history to accomplish such a feat.
The victory means Carter-Williams will join Allen Iverson as the only players in Sixers franchise history to win Rookie of the Year. There were five guards selected before Carter-Williams in last June’s draft, but the voters collectively agreed MCW put forth a better rookie campaign than any of them. He led all first-year players in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals.