The NBA rookie class for 2015-16 has been very solid to start the season and players like Kristaps Porzingis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, D'Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay, T.J. McConnell, Frank Kaminsky, Stanley Johnson and Nikola Jokic all could get some consideration for the rookie of the year award.
Kristaps Porzingis, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor have been the most impressive to start the season and they all came into the league as top five picks. Towns and Okafor have strong numbers, while Porzingis has become a fan favorite in New York and has been in the starting lineup since the season began. Russell has been improving over the past month, while players like Winslow, Kaminsky, Johnson and Mudiay have shown strong potential.
Towns has been impressive after being the number one overall pick, averaging 12 points and nine rebounds and two blocks per game. Towns is leading the rookie class in rebounding and blocks and he has been developing into a solid all-around player for the Wolves. Okafor has had a nice scoring touch and has been consistent for the Sixers while averaging 17 points and eight rebounds per game this season. Okafor is playing well over the last stretch of games, averaging 22.3 points and 9.5 boards over his last four.
Porzingis has been playing well for the Knicks this season and while he had a bit of a rough stretch over the last road trip, the rookie is putting up solid numbers with 13 points and eight rebounds per game. Porzingis has been improving on the defensive end of the floor and he has Knicks fans very excited about his potential moving forward.
Here is a quick ranking heading into the end of December:
Karl-Anthony Towns
Jahlil Okafor
Kristaps Porzingis/D'Angelo Russell
Justise Winslow