NBA Awards Watch: Karl-Anthony Towns leads two-man race for Rookie of the Year

Rookie of the Year

1. Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C Minnesota Timberwolves – If you squinted hard enough, it was possible to formulate an All-Star case for Karl-Anthony Towns … in the Western Conference. That tells you all you need to know about how dynamic the 20-year-old rookie has been in his debut. Towns is averaging 16.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in less than 30 minutes per contest, and his 54/39/85 shooting splits are borderline inhuman. Throw in the fact that he is already an above-average defender (again, he is twenty years old), and Towns looks every bit like the future superstar that Minnesota fans were hoping for after his arrival from Kentucky. To be honest, I’m not sure this is even a “race” right now, but regardless, Towns is in the driver’s seat by a comfortable margin.
2. Kristaps Porzingis, PF/C New York Knicks – As mentioned above, Towns is putting together a ridiculous performance, and it is almost unfair to Porzingis to compare the two. In a “normal” season, New York’s new favorite son would probably be the front-runner, as his highlight tip dunks jive with 13.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. The sky is the limit for Porzingis as a player, with his crazy long frame and unimaginable skill set, but he’ll have to settle for number two unless something drastic occurs.
3. Jahlil Okafor, C Philadelphia 76ers – His defense is certainly a problem, but Okafor’s numbers make it difficult to exclude him from the top three. In truth, Okafor isn’t as bad of a defender as some would like you to believe, and while he is certainly bad on that end, 17.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game is nothing to sneeze at for a 20-year-old big man. It will be highly interesting to see what kind of strides he can make in the areas of rim protection and pick-and-roll coverage, but none of the other rookies have done enough to surpass him for third place.

Next: Most Valuable Player