NBA Week 2 Rewind: Pistons, Rockets rise, Warriors dominate
By Tom West
Weekly NBA Rookie Watch
With plenty of rookies to keep an eye on, here’s a look at a few top performers from Week 2.
Kristaps Porzingis was booed from the moment the Knicks drafted him this summer. He received endless hype before the draft, yet received criticism by many as a player who wouldn’t fit in the NBA and had more potential to be a bust than succeed.
He’s quickly showing people why they were wrong to doubt him, though.
It was more than likely that the Knicks would lose to Gregg Popovich’s Spurs this week, but a final score of 94-84 was probably a little closer than most would have expected. Porzingis was a big reason why, and he had the best game of his short NBA career with 13 points and 14 rebounds in the 24 minutes he was able to play until he strained his neck after a collision with Carmelo Anthony.
The best highlights of Porzingis’ season so far have been multiple put-backs over opposing big men in ferocious fashion. With All-Stars such as LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love on his posters already, Porzingis is proving that despite being an incredibly slender built, 19 year old power forward, he’s playing with some real aggressiveness already. His stroke from 16 feet (57.1 percent so far) and surprising attitude have helped him average 12.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks in 24.3 minutes per game.
Karl-Anthony Towns continues to play as if he’s been in the NBA for years. His first game of week two was a quieter one in some aspects, as he only recorded 11 points and 5 rebounds after going off for 28 points and 14 boards as the Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets 95-78 on October 31. That being said, he still shot effectively against the Portland Trail Blazers to start his second week by going 5-of-9 from the field, while yet again make a serious defensive impact with four blocks.
As every rookie will, Towns is going to have his down nights. No matter how experienced his foot work looks on offense and resilient he can be on defense, he’s going to have 6 point, 4 rebound performances with 3-of-13 shooting as he did against the Heat this week. It’s just normal, and fans can’t get carried away with his potential. However, the difference with Towns is that he can bounce back from those kinds of games. With 17 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks to lead the Timberwolves to a 102-93 win over the Bulls on November 7, he proved that. And with that performance, he moved himself to 4th place in the NBA in blocks per game with 3 a night.
Jahlil Okafor is going to put up numbers for the 76ers simply because virtually no one else can. That alone is going to make him a frontrunner to emerge as Rookie of the Year this season. His rare footwork and talent in the post isn’t disappointing, and he’s up 19.7 points on 52.7 percent shooting because of it.
D’Angelo Russell is okay, Laker fans. He’s in a tough situation to succeed among so many ball-dominant guards and Kobe Bryant, but a 16 point night on 66.7 percent shooting (not to mention 3 steals) was a good confidence boost for Russell as he helped the Lakers earn their first win of the season against the Brooklyn Nets.
Myles Turner could emerge as a steal for the Indiana Pacers after they selected him with the 11th pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He won’t be able to put up the numbers that fellow rookie big men such as Towns and Okafor will, but even in just 17.4 minutes per game off the bench so far Turner is starting to impress. At 6’11” with a 7’4″ wingspan, he possesses the kind of size and length that will allow him to excel defensively in the NBA. He’s agile for his size as well, and is using that footwork and length to average 1.2 blocks per game so far (2.5 per 36 minutes).
What’s equally impressive about Turner’s game, though, is his stellar efficiency from mid-range. He’s shooting 42.9 percent from 10-16 feet out and 46.2 percent from 16-24 feet, which makes him a perfect stretch four off the bench. If he continues to utilize that stroke, he can become make a name for himself this season as a “long two-and-D” guy off the bench.
Yes, that’s not a thing, but the fact is Turner is emerging as a great energizer off the bench at both ends of the floor.
Next: Under-the-Radar Players to Watch Next Week