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Towns, Porzingis lead NBA’s 2015-16 All-Rookie First Team

By John Buhler

Feb 20, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots around New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) during the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots around New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) during the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis are two of the five players to make the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team. Here are the 10 rookies to make either squad.

On Thursday afternoon, the NBA released the names of the 10 rookies that made either the NBA’s 2015-16 All-Rookie First Team or the All-Rookie Second Team.

Two of the five players to make the All-Rookie First Team were unanimous selections: Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns and New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis. Those unanimous first-team selections come as no surprise after Towns won the 2015-16 NBA Rookie of the Year award unanimously and Porzingis garnered more second place votes than any other rookie.

Completing the NBA’s 2015-16 All-Rookie First Team were Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker, and Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor. Booker easily had the best season of any rookie guard in 2015-16 for an abysmal Suns team. Jokic emerged as a franchise cornerstone playing in the low post for Denver’s Michael Malone. Okafor had a difficult rookie year playing for hyper-tanking Philadelphia, but remains a very polished offensive player at this stage of his NBA career.

The 2015-16 All-Rookie Second Team is as follows: Miami Heat small forward Justise Winslow, Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell, Nuggets point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner, and Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein. All five were certainly deserving of making at least the All-Rookie Second Team.

The three biggest names not to make either team this season were Charlotte Hornets center Frank Kaminsky, Heat shooting guard Josh Richardson, and Detroit Pistons small forward Stanley Johnson. All three were playing big roles on their Eastern Conference Playoff teams. Of the 10 players that made either All-Rookie team, only Winslow and Turner made it to the 2016 NBA Playoffs.

It seems that voters were willing to disregard positions, as both All-Rookie teams were very much big man-centric, with only Winslow as a true small forward on either team. Overall, the 2015 NBA Draft Class had a ton of players that were able to contribute at a high level as rookies in 2015-16.

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