The 2014 NBA rookie class wasn’t very deep to begin with and when injuries took their toll, it left us with a relatively weak class with few bright spots beyond Rookie of the Year award winner Andrew Wiggins.
The No. 1 pick from the 2014 NBA Draft averaged 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season but that wasn’t good enough to crack the top 50 in fantasy basketball leagues.
The reality is that rookies often struggle to deliver from the outset and even the best of them might not be worth drafting until the later rounds in fantasy drafts, so keep that in mind as you read on.
Here is a look at the projected top five NBA rookies for fantasy basketball leagues this season.
Emmanuel Mudiay, Denver Nuggets
Point Guard
Mudiay might not be the top pick from the 2015 NBA Draft or even the most talented player from this year’s class, but he has the best combination of skill, intelligence and opportunity. Those are the three most important criteria when it comes to evaluating a rookie’s fantasy value.
The Nuggets drafted Mudiay to be their franchise point guard and their long-term plan for him got an immediate boost when they traded Ty Lawson to the Houston Rockets. The seventh-overall pick will get the opportunity to start from the start and be the primary ball handler for Denver’s offense. After he dazzled at the Summer League, he is considered the favorite to have the best fantasy basketball season among NBA rookies.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Center
Minnesota had the NBA’s best rookie last year and they could have it again this year after making Towns the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Towns has all of the tools to become a fantasy stud including the ability to shoot the three-ball, block and rebound.
The only question is how quickly he progresses at the pro level. Towns will start from the jump, so he already has decent value, but look for his stock to receive an additional boost in keeper leagues where he has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Anthony Davis as a talented big man that can do it all.
Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia 76ers
Center
Some were surprised that the Los Angeles Lakers passed on Okafor with the No. 2 pick but he ended up going to Philadelphia at No. 3 and he will have the opportunity to start from the get-go and play a big role for the 76ers this season. Okafor’s upside might not be as high as Towns but he is very polished already and should contribute with some decent fantasy numbers as a rookie.
Philadelphia has been a very unreliable fantasy source over the past couple of years but Okafor and Nerlens Noel could be the two players worth taking in fantasy basketball drafts. While Okafor might be good, might be bad in reality, we know that he’s going to get a ton of minutes and soak up a ton of stats for fantasy. That’s what matters to us here.
Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers
Power Forward
Turner could be the sleeper pick of this group since he isn’t talked about as much as Mudiay, Towns or Okafor but has the potential to contribute at a high level from the outset for the Pacers this season. Turner has a high skill set and range as s shooter but he can also block at a high rate and he showed off his dark horse ROY potential in the NBA Summer League when he averaged 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game.
What you have to like about him is that he’s got a clear path to minutes. With Roy Hibbert and David West gone, the Pacers are going to rely on Turner a lot right off the bat (with all due respect to Jordan Hill).
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Stanley Johnson, Detroit Pistons
Small Forward
An argument could be made for Russell or even Charlotte’s Frank Kaminsky, but in terms of overall fantasy production from the outset, we absolutely love what Johnson brings to the table for the Pistons. A smart, polished wing that can do it all, Johnson has the potential to stuff the stat sheet in areas like blocks and steals while putting up decent point and rebound totals.
There is no denying that part of the equation is how Stan Van Gundy decides to split minutes between him and veteran Marcus Morris on the wing, but Johnson clearly has the higher upside and the potential to put up even bigger numbers when he seizes the starting job in his rookie season.
