The NBA season is set to start in just three short weeks and the anticipation continues to grow. This season there are a lot of rookies that have a chance to make a huge impact in their first season in the league so the Rookie of the Year race should be a good one. Let's countdown the top five candidates for rookie of the year:
5) Stanley Johnson, Detroit Pistons: There are some people out there that think the Pistons made the wrong choice in taking Stanley Johnson over Justise Winslow with the eighth selection. Winslow may end up being the better NBA player of the two but Johnson has a better chance to make an impact as a rookie. Winslow is on a loaded roster and will likely see limited minutes while Johnson has a chance to start from game one. As of right now Marcus Morris is the favorite to start but Johnson at the very least will play big minutes off the bench and he is extremely explosive. At 6 foot-7 Johnson should come in and be a plus defender immediately and he showed in his one year at Arizona that he can score too. In 38 games Johnson averaged 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists while making 37 percent of his threes as a freshman. Johnson isn't being talked about much as a Rookie of the Year candidate but if he starts, or gets starters minutes he has a real shot at the award.
4) Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves: Now you may think to yourself "how is the first overall pick fourth on your rookie of the year list?" and I would answer that Towns was taken first overall as more of a long-term prospect. The Timberwolves were warranted in taking Towns first overall as he is an extremely skilled player but their thought process with him is to develop him and make him a star in the future. He isn't as NBA ready as Jahlil Okafor or some of the other guys that will be ahead of him on this list. Having said that he still has a shot at this award as he is likely to be the starting center for Minnesota and he will be mentored by none other than Kevin Garnett which is invaluable. KAT is a freak athlete who does his best work on the defensive side of the ball, blocking shots but he is no slouch on offense either. In just 21.1 minutes per game for Kentucky last season Towns averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds while making 57 percent of his field goals. Towns has some range on his jump shot and should transition well to the NBA but his offensive game might not have enough polish to bring home the award.
3) D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers: Russell may be the best player in this draft class and could end up having the best career of everyone that was taken in 2015 but he lands at number three because there is some uncertainty surrounding his role with the Lakers as a rookie. Russell may start alongside Jordan Clarkson as the shooting guard but it is also possible he could come off the bench. No matter what Russell is expected to have a big role and should be in the running for Rookie of the Year but having the opportunity to put up numbers is a big factor in projecting who will win this award and Russell may not have that chance. Russell will be sharing the court with Kobe Bryant, Lou Williams and Nick Young who will undoubtedly take shots away from the young star. Russell has also struggled with turnovers in his first offseason in the NBA and that is something that he will need to clean up. Even with all of that Russell is a gifted player who dominated in his one season at Ohio State averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while also making 41 percent of his threes on his way to being a consensus first team All-American. Russell has great size (6 foot-5) and tremendous court vision that should allow him to be a top notch guard in the NBA and in different circumstances he might be number one on this list but his team might inhibit his ability to put up the numbers to win the award.
2) Emmanuel Mudiay, Denver Nuggets: Mudiay was considered a surefire top five prospect heading into last season but he dealt with injuries while playing in China. The Nuggets scooped him up at number seven and they plan to hand him the reigns to the offense immediately. Mudiay is expected to be the starting point guard in Denver at the beginning of the season and although he isn't the best shooter he is a big point guard that has athleticism and can score in many different ways. Mudiay doesn't have much competition for the starting point guard spot as his backup is Jameer Nelson but either way the Nuggets are extremely high on him and expect him to be a star in the NBA and he will have a chance to be an impact player as a rookie. Mudiay might be the Nuggets second best scoring option after Danilo Gallinari in game one of the season so he has a chance to put up gaudy numbers. In his 12 total games in China Mudiay averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game and that experience playing professionally should be a huge help for him.
1) Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia 76ers: Okafor was the top prospect coming out of high school and he did nothing to hurt that status in his one season at Duke. Okafor helped lead the Blue Devils to the National Championship and he averaged 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while making 66 percent of his field goals on his way to being the first freshman to ever win ACC Player of the Year. Unlike Russell Okafor will have plenty of opportunities to put up big numbers as a rookie considering he will step in and be the 76ers' best offensive option immediately. Okafor figures to play alongside Nerlens Noel which should help him a lot as Noel is a presence on defense which should allow Okafor to focus more on the offensive side of the ball. Okafor's offensive game is NBA ready as his footwork is incredible, he has good touch around the rim and he could finish with both hands. He will have to work on his free throw shooting and his pick and roll defense but given the totality of his game and the situation he will be in as a rookie Okafor has to be the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award.
