Though most of the 2015 NBA freshmen have yet to show their full potential in the regular season, there are some rookies who have already shown what they can do in the NBA Summer League.
That is likely to continue headed in the pre-season games but everyone knows that the real deal starts when the rooks start their NBA journey in the no holds barred regular season when everything turns serious.
All eyes will be on the top three picks for sure – Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor. So will the 2015-16 NBA Rookie of the Year be amongst that bunch?
Normally, the no. 1 or 2 pick would be a favorite to come out as the top rookie from their class. So how about the no. 3 pick?
The thing is that the no. 3 pick, Jahlil Okafor, would have been the top pick or even the second. His drop to the third spot comes a bit of a surprise but then again the teams that had the top two picks (Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers) had to address their team needs.
Had Okafor gone to either, he may have not gotten the exposure considering he would have been up against stiff competition.
The Wolves have Andrew Wiggins playing the same spot and were really in need of a center while the Lakers are waiting on Julius Randle to show his stuff this year.
Okafor, of course, landed with the Philadelphia 76ers which could end up as a blessing. With last year’s pick, Joel Embiid, sidelined yet again for the whole season, Okafor should easily fill in the void. He will join hands with Nerlens Noel to spearhead the Sixers frontline which should be more of a blessing since he will surely get a lot of playing time.
So, can Okafor stand out and become the top rookie? If you feel surveys are reliable and something to ponder at then maybe so.
According to an NBA poll by John Schuhmann, Okafor was the top favorite to become next season’s NBA Rookie of the Year.
Based on the survey, Okafor garnered 41.9% of the votes followed by Stanley Johnson (Detroit Pistons) with 19.4 percent and then Towns with 12.9 percent. He was also seen as the rookie with the most promising NBA career (24.1%) followed by Towns with (17.2%).
One thing that teams were wary of is Okafor’s ability to play defense. That loophole alone may have been the reason why the Lakers passed on him since head coach Byron Scott places premium on defense. Okafor seems to be good at everything else besides that.
Hence, Okafor’s stock could get a big boost once the 6-foot-11 player starts to work on his defense. If he plans to become a future NBA star, that is one department that he may have to put extra work in.