NBA Draft 2015: Which Rookies Will Start Opening Night?

1. Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins will be the future cornerstone pieces of the Minnesota Timberwolves for years to come. Towns will likely be in the starting lineup on opening night this season. While the Timberwolves have Nikola Pekovic and Gorgui Dieng on the roster, it’s possible that either could be moved before then to make room for their new franchise player.

Towns is the real deal and it won’t do Minnesota any favors by sitting him on the bench and not getting him playing time. Much like Wiggins last season, Anthony-Towns will be in the starting lineup right away going up against NBA big men.

It won’t be easy on a night-to-night basis in the Western Conference, as Towns will be consistently going up against guys like Marc Gasol, Tim Duncan, DeAndre Jordan, Rudy Gobert, Dwight Howard and others. If he wants to prove he is the real deal then he needs to take on the best.

Add in the fact that he is just 19 years old and Towns will be gaining valuable experience for the long haul as he looks to live up to the hype of where he was picked.

In what are probably words that haven’t been often said before, all eyes will be on Minnesota this year and especially opening night when the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns take the floor together for the very first time in their careers.

If they’re as successful as many expect them to be, they are going to be an exciting duo to watch for a very long time.

Next: 2. Jahlil Okafor