Rookie of the Year honors normally go to players at or near the top of the draft board. In fact, four of the last seven winners were drafted No. 1 overall — Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin (although he sat out his first season with an injury), Kyrie Irving and last year’s winner, Andrew Wiggins.
This year’s No. 1 pick, center Karl-Anthony Towns, figures to see a lot of minutes as part of the young core in Minnesota. However, several other rookies are also in position to get a large share of playing time. The Lakers liked point guard D’Angelo Russell enough to take him No. 2 ahead of Jahlil Okafor. Russell could put up impressive numbers and plenty of flashy highlights in Los Angeles. And Okafor, who landed in Philadelphia, could lead the Sixers in scoring with his polished post game.
Beyond the top three selections, there are plenty of intriguing possibilities for this year’s award. The Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis will face a bright spotlight in New York. Overseas products Mario Hezonja and Emmanuel Mudiay will get to show their skills to American audiences. Rookie big men Willie Cauley-Stein and Frank Kaminsky should both be part of their teams’ rotations, as will small forwards Stanley Johnson and Justise Winslow. And there’s always the possibility that someone outside of the top 10 will surprise, much like Michael Carter-Williams did in 2013/14.
Today’s topic is: Who do you expect to be the Rookie of the Year for 2015/16 and why? Remember, the question isn’t just who is the most talented player from this year’s draft or which team made out the best considering its draft position. Taking into account the opportunity for playing time and the adjustment to the NBA game, who do you believe will take home the trophy next spring?
Note: Since these Shootarounds are meant to be guided by you the reader, we certainly welcome your input on the topics we present. If there is something you’d like to see pop up here for a discussion, send a message to hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com or hit up Eddie Scarito on Twitter at @EddieScarito to submit topics or ideas for what we should present in future posts.
I wouldn’t be shocked if Jahlil Okafor averages 20 points a game for the Sixers this year, thanks to the opportunities he’ll see in Philly and his NBA-ready game. He’s my pick.
I would say Mudiay because he will be the number one option on a weak team like Okafor, but he’s a better scorer and whoever has the best ppg usually wins it.
I think Danilo Gallinari could end up as the No. 1 option in Denver, but Okafor’s a more clear-cut No. 1 guy in Philly.
Okafor has the offensive skills to shine right away for Philly, but I have to pick Mudiay for ROY prediction. I just believe he’s a John Wall type player.
I agree with Chuck, Gallinari should be the first option, but that could work in Mudiay’s favor. The Nuggets have several NBA caliber players in the lineup, which should help the point guard reach higher assist totals. He’ll have less scoring opportunities than Okafor, but if he can make the most of them, he could pull better overall numbers than the Duke product.
I would love to see Stanley Johnson take the starting small forward role from Marcus Morris early in the season. I think Johnson will be able to put up big numbers given the chance.
I think a lot of doubt exists about Stan Van Gundy’s decision to draft Johnson instead of Justise Winslow. A strong season for Johnson, one that even just gets him in the conversation for Rookie of the Year, would be a huge dose of good news for the Pistons.
Stanley Johnson is a very nice piece for Detroit, I just don’t see him being in the conversation for ROY. Four years from now, I think he’ll be looked at as one of the top 10 players in this draft, but I believe SVG eases him into the rotation this season.
fave okafor then mudiay johnson in the mix dark horse myles turner or jerian grant
Your mention of Jerian Grant brings up an interesting point. Porzingis has the potential to become a much better player than Grant eventually, but Grant appears to be the better guy for this coming season.
Barring any serious injuries (see Jabari Parker).
I see ROY as really a two horse race:
Okafor vs. Mudiay (w/ everyone else battling for 3rd)