NBA Week 6 Rewind: So, no one can stop the Warriors?
By Tom West
Weekly NBA Rookie Watch
As they approach the two-month mark in their young NBA careers, here’s an update on how a few of the top rookies fared in week 6.
Kristaps Porzingis kept on going as a double double threat. In two New York Knicks victories against the 76ers and the Nets, Porzingis recorded 17 points with 10 rebounds and 19 points with 10 rebounds, respectively. Possibly the most impressive aspect of his performance so far has been his confidence and aggressiveness, as no one expected him to be such a presence defensively early on. Yet, with 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in just 27.7 minutes per game, that’s exactly what he’s been. So far, that’s equated to him having the best defensive rating (98 points allowed per 100 possessions) of any Knicks player. There’s certainly no way to dispute Porzingis as a top candidate for Rookie of the Year at this stage of the season.
Karl-Anthony Towns continued as expected. The Minnesota Timberwolves had another week full of loss and Towns had a couple of down moments as any rookie will (specifically, a 6 point, 6 rebound, 2-of-11 shooting night in Orlando), but he once again showed his immense potential. He ended his week with a far more assertive performance in a 109-103 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers with 27 points on 62 percent shooting with 12 rebounds and 2 blocks. That’s the kind of Towns we’ll be seeing most nights in the near future.
Jahlil Okafor had the worst week of his young NBA career, and it wasn’t for anything he did on the court; it was for the appalling way he behaved off it. After getting involved in two street fights in Boston and speeding at 108 mph in a 40 mph zone, Okafor was suspended by the 76ers for two games. It doesn’t matter that he’s young. You simply can’t carry yourself in that manner as a professional athlete, and a high-profile one at that. So, as for his actual play, that has also dipped recently. He struggled against the tough frontcourt of the Grizzlies last week as he went 3-of-11 from the field, and only recorded 5 rebounds in 30 minutes during the 76ers’ lone win against the Lakers. Then, to round off a bad week all together, he enjoyed that two-game suspension.
Emmanuel Mudiay’s rookie season has been much like his team’s: ugly. Until the Denver Nuggets won their last two games they had lost eight straight, and they appropriately rank in the bottom six in the NBA for both offensive and defensive efficiency because of it. We knew that Mudiay didn’t have good shooting range before he began his career, and that has been blindingly obvious so far. Over his last eight outings he’s shot a mere 27.2 percent (21.7 from three) and has continued his unfortunate turnover trend with 3.4 per game. He still has great athleticism and real potential as a passer and point guard in general, but it looks like it’s going to take quite some time before he’s a polished product. That’s just the price you pay as a rookie starter at the toughest position in the NBA.
Next: Under-the-radar Players to Watch Next Week