2015-16 NBA Picks and Predictions: Rookie of the Year Rankings

2015-16 NBA Picks and Predictions: Rookie of the Year Rankings: Another NBA Draft is in the books, and while many rookies will begin their careers in the D-League or off the bench as role players, a few first-year players will shoulder a big load right off the bat. Not surprisingly, the players that are receiving more minutes and being asked to do more have the inside track on winning the Rookie of the Year Award. Just ask Andrew Wiggins, who took home the honor last year after seeing all the minutes and shot opportunities he could handle for the Minnesota Timberwolves. With that in mind, here are a few early frontrunners for ROY honors in 2015-16. Plus, check out today’s free nba picks and NBA predictions on NSAwins.com.

2015-16 NBA Picks and Predictions: Rookie of the Year Rankings

1. Karl-Anthony Towns, Center, Minnesota Timberwolves

Towns has been every bit the two-way force he was expected to be when he was taken with the No. 1 pick. His 15.4 points per game rank second among all rookies, and he is shooting at 53.5 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from beyond the arc and 83.8 percent from the foul line. Meanwhile, Towns leads all rookies with 9.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, and his 11 double-doubles are also tops among first-year players. He looks like the total package, and he is currently at the top a strong crop of rookies.

2. Kristaps Porzingis, PF, New York Knicks

He was supposed to need a year or two to develop his body and round out his game, but Porzingis has shown he is NBA ready right now and has an enormous ceiling. He currently ranks in the top three in points, rebounds and blocks per game among rookies, and his 10 double-doubles are the second most. Granted, he is only shooting 43.3% from the field, but his percentage is trending up, and he has shown the ability to score from the paint, the perimeter and the foul line. Porzingis is the real deal, and playing in a major media market certainly doesn’t hurt his chance of winning Rookie of the Year.

3. Jahlil Okafor, C, Philadelphia 76ers

Billed as an NBA-ready post scorer coming out of Duke, Okafor hasn’t disappointed. His leading all rookies in scoring, averaging 17.8 points per game, and he also ranks in the top three in rebounding, blocked shots and double-doubles. He definitely benefits from a high usage rate, and no rookie is playing more minutes. His field goal percentage could also be better, and the 76ers atrocious record certainly could be held against him. However, there is no denying that Okafor can put the ball in the basket.

4. D’Angelo Russell, PG, Los Angeles Lakers

After a slow start, Russell has started to find a rhythm, and the all-around game that made him a constant triple-double threat at Ohio State has started to show up at the next level. He has upped his scoring average by three points in December, and he is starting to find his range from beyond the arc. His shooting percentage is still below 40.0 percent, and inconsistency stills leads to an occasional dud. At the end of the day, Russell is going to have a tough time closing the gap between himself at the top three rookies.

5. Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets

The big man has dealt with fluctuating minutes all year, but he still ranks sixth in scoring and rebounding among rookies, and he owns the top shooting percentage. His playing time has been trending up recently, and he has scored at least 13 points in three straight and has nine or more rebounds in three of his last four. If his minutes remain stable, Jokic is one of the few players lurking that could work his way into the conversation with the top rookies.