NBA Round-Up: The Rookies
One month into the 2015-2016 NBA season, we have seen some surprising and disappointing play from some of the teams. Before the season began, there were some clear contenders and pretenders. We saw injured players return to the floor, and we saw newcomers to the league through the draft. Here is my round up of the first month of the season thus far.
Let’s begin with the rookies, Karl –Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis and Jahlil Okafor. The Timberwolves chose Towns with the first pick of the draft, and he has not disappointed. His numbers are impressive, and he has had an immediate impact on his team. Towns is averaging 14 ppg and 9 rpg. Teamed up with last year’s number one pick Andrew Wiggins, and under the wing of veteran Kevin Garnett, Towns is in a good position to get even better as the season continues. He is one of the front-runners to win the Rookie-of-the-Month award for the first month of the season.
Jahlil Okafor, drafted 3rd overall by the Sixers, has been placed in a difficult situation. The Sixers have not won a game thus far and remain the only winless team in the league. Okafor is productive, averaging 18 ppg and 8 rebounds; however, on a team with no direction and whose plan of building through the draft has failed miserably, he will have to endure some early losing in his career. He was recently involved in a skirmish in Boston after he was heckled by fans which resulted in a “street fight.” It remains to be seen what comes of this situation, but the Sixers organization has stated that they are aware of the situation.
Kristaps Porzingis is unquestionably the steal of the draft. Nobody could have predicted this type of production by the Knicks rookie center, nobody except Phil Jackson. Reports before the draft were that he would be a project for the Knicks, and he was 2 to 3 years away from showing what he can really do on the basketball court. Porzingis has given the Knick fans hope and something to cheer for as his play exemplifies New York. He plays hard and with passion. His touch from behind the arc has drawn comparison to Dirk Nowitzki. He has had quite a few highlight dunks in his early career to the delight of his teammates and the fans. With 13 ppg and 9 rpg, the beginning of his NBA career looks bright. He already posted a career high 29 points against the Hornets. Carmelo Anthony is fond of the young player and has seemed to gel very well with him on the court. Their relationship moving forward will be essential to the success of the Knicks. Porzingis is also in the running for the Rookie-of-the-Month.
The Los Angeles Lakers drafted D’Angleo Russell second overall. Many believed they would have drafted Okafor as the Lakers have had a historic legion of big men in their storied franchise history, but they went with the guard. He has struggled thus far with 10 ppg and 2 apg. He is also only playing about 25 minutes per game. The Lakers as a team have been struggling mightily as well. Russell has shown some improvement in the last few games, but he is going through some growing pains early in his career.
Some other notable rookies around the league have also made immediate impacts on their teams. Emmanuel Mudiay of the Denver Nuggets, Justice Winslow of the Miami Heat, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson of the Brooklyn Nets, and Stanley Johnson of the Detroit Pistons have all proven themselves early for their respective teams.
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Photo: Ned Dishpan NBAE/ Getty Images