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NBA Awards Watch: The Stephen Curry show rolls on

By Brad Rowland

Nov 30, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) puts up a shot in front of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) puts up a shot in front of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dunks the ball against the Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter at Target Center. The Pistons win 96-86. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dunks the ball against the Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter at Target Center. The Pistons win 96-86. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /

Rookie of the Year

  1. Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C Minnesota Timberwolves – Towns isn’t going to lead rookies in scoring this season, but if he doesn’t win the Rookie of the Year then something has gone wrong. The 20-year-old big man has been incredibly efficient in the opening days of his NBA career, shooting 51% from the field and a crisp 84% from the free throw line in Minnesota. He is already an elite rebounder, averaging 12 boards per 36 minutes (9 per game), and his offensive maturity stands out in a big way. His biggest advantage over the competition, though, comes on defense, where Towns is already a strongly above-average player in line for a jump to elite in short order. Playing time and opportunity might hold him back in terms of voting or appreciation from casual fans, but Towns has been fantastic to this point.
  2. Kristaps Porzingis, PF/C New York Knicks – The hype is out of control, but Porzingis has been very, very effective. If there is a gripe, it is with his 51.4% true shooting mark, which comes from a woeful 42.5% clip from the field this season. Much of that is Porzingis simply settling for too many long two-point jump shots, though he has been highly effective in crashing the offensive glass (top-15 in the league in offensive rebounding) and his court awareness is advanced for his age. Questions about his NBA “readiness” appear to be invalid at this point, and Porzingis has everyone in New York excited with good reason.
  3. Jahlil Okafor, C Philadelphia 76ers – It hasn’t been a good month for Okafor off the court. On the floor, though, his numbers are gaudy, as the former Duke star is averaging 17.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game on the season. The reason that Okafor lags behind Towns and Porzingis, at least through one month, is a lack of defensive ability, as concerns about his lack of footspeed and awareness have been confirmed. His raw production will keep him on any Rookie of the Year leaderboard and probably garner some first-place love, but Okafor’s defense isn’t playable right now and that is the reason he slots in at number three.

Next: Most Valuable Player

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