Minnesota Timberwolves have set the foundation for their future in the form of back-to-back NBA Rookie of the Year award winners in Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns in particular dominated in 2015-16 when he averaged 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.7 blocks while playing all 82 games. Will the Timberwolves extend their run of rookie award winners in 2016-17? Or will another team have the top incoming freshman player on their side this season? Here is a look at the way too early NBA Rookie of the Year predictions nominees.
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers were thrilled when they landed the first-overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and they stayed true to their rebuild by selecting the best available player in Simmons. The 6’10’’, 240-pound forward will have every opportunity to put up big numbers in his rookie season and his skill set could translate to making him a constant triple-double threat. Simmons should fit in perfectly next to a strong cast of big men in Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid and it won’t surprise anybody if he earns Rookie of the Year honors this coming season.
Kris Dunn, Minnesota Timberwolves
It will be on Dunn to extend Minnesota’s run of Rookie of the Year award winners as the fifth-overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. The Timberwolves are reportedly shopping Ricky Rubio to allow Dunn to comfortably slide in to their starting five but it might not make a major difference even if they aren’t able to move the veteran. Dunn is polished enough to play starting minutes from the upset and his creative playmaking ability should make him the perfect fit next to Towns, Wiggins, Zach LaVine and company. Minnesota has one of the most talented young teams in the NBA and that means Dunn will be in the perfect position to excel from the outset.
Buddy Hield, New Orleans Pelicans
The sixth-overall pick will provide the Pelicans with a much-needed boost at the shooting guard position, where New Orleans will be leaning on him to stretch the floor as a talented pure shooter. It’s interesting that everyone just feels that he’s a one-trick pony – a quality spot-up shooter – but he’ll have the opportunity to be much more than that in the NBA. Hield thrived as a pure scorer at Oklahoma and the Pelicans didn’t hesitate to take him in the first round.
Anthony Davis is arguably the most dominant big man in the NBA right now and he will open up plenty of room for Hield to shine as the shooting guard New Orleans so desperately needs on their side.
This is a pretty good landing spot for Hield. Some players get drafted by teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, who are very short on talent. But remember that the Pelicans were viewed as a dangerous playoff team just two years ago before injuries really took their toll. They’re actually a decent team and Hield won’t be asked to do too much here. Look for him to have an excellent chance to ease into the league, put up quality numbers while helping the Pelicans become a better team.
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
One of the most intriguing picks for Rookie of the Year is Embiid, who is technically entering his rookie season despite the fact that he was drafted two summers ago. Embiid is somewhat of an unknown commodity to the general public but the 76ers are thrilled with his development within the organization over the past couple of years. He has the potential to put up very strong numbers in his first NBA season. – assuming that he’s healthy. At this point, we’re assuming that he will finally be but nobody really knows. He’s proven to be a big headache in terms of injuries and we’ve seen it with big men before: they don’t always recover. See Greg Oden, for example.
Embiid is a strong two-way player that should put up solid rebound and block numbers, Embiid could be a darkhorse ROY candidate if he can earn significant playing time in Philadelphia’s big man rotation.
