NBA Preseason 2015: Schedule and Updated Predictions for Top Rookies
The 2015 NBA preseason is well into its second week, which means that now is as good a time as any to check in on the league's most notable rookies.
While it didn't quite have the surefire No. 1 selection of an Andrew Wiggins, the 2015 class was filled with a number of high-upside players whom lottery teams hope will turn their fortunes around. Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to build something special with Wiggins in Minnesota, D'Angelo Russell is the Lakers' great post-Kobe hope and Kristaps Porzingis is either a bust waiting to happen or a walking deity.
It depends on who you ask.
Now that each of the first four picks has made it onto an NBA floor, let's take a look at how each has done and reassess our expectations for 2015-16.
| Memphis | Cleveland | 7:00 p.m. | |
| San Antonio | Miami | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Philadelphia | New York | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Minnesota | Toronto | 7:30 p.m. | |
| New Orleans | Chicago | 8:00 p.m. | |
| Portland | Utah | 9:00 p.m. | |
| Miami | Orlando | 7:00 p.m. | |
| Milwaukee | Cleveland | 7:00 p.m. | |
| Detroit | Indiana | 7:00 p.m. | |
| Dallas | Oklahoma City | 8:00 p.m. | |
| Houston | Phoenix | 10:00 p.m. | |
| Sacramento | L.A. Lakers | 10:00 p.m. | |
| Denver | Golden State | 10:30 p.m. | |
| Charlotte | L.A. Clippers | 8:00 a.m. | |
| Toronto | Minnesota | 7:00 p.m. | |
| Boston | Brooklyn | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Detroit | Chicago | 8:00 p.m. | |
| San Antonio | Atlanta | 8:00 p.m. | |
| Indiana | Cleveland | 7:00 p.m. | |
| Houston | Golden St. | 10:00 p.m. | |
| Washington | Philadelphia | 7:00 p.m. | |
| Boston | New York | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Oklahoma City | Memphis | 8:00 p.m. | |
| Atlanta | Dallas | 8:30 p.m. | |
| Phoenix | Denver | 9:00 p.m. | |
| New York | Charlotte | 7:00 p.m. | |
| Sacramento | New Orleans | 7:00 p.m. | |
| Miami | Houston | 8:00 p.m. | |
| Washington | Milwaukee | 8:30 p.m. | |
| Golden St. | L.A. Lakers | 10:00 p.m. | |
| Philadelphia | Brooklyn | 1:00 p.m. | |
| Detroit | San Antonio | 4:00 p.m. | |
| Minnesota | Memphis | 6:00 p.m. | |
| Cleveland | Toronto | 6:00 p.m. | |
| Miami | Atlanta | 7:00 p.m. | |
| Denver | Oklahoma City | 7:00 p.m. |
Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
The early returns are in on Towns: so far, so good. The No. 1 overall pick scored 18 points in his NBA preseason debut, adding five rebounds and two blocks while contributing on both ends of the floor. He followed that up with 13 points and 10 rebounds against the Bulls on Saturday.
"It was kind of bittersweet," Towns said after his debut, via Marcus R. Fuller of the Pioneer Press. "I wanted to do a lot more on both sides of the basketball. I'm just getting my feet wet."
Towns is in a difficult spot in Minnesota, mostly due to the presence of Nikola Pekovic. It's obvious which of the two is part of the franchise's future (Towns), but less clear who will get the lion's share of the work early in 2015-16.
The Timberwolves are going to have to trade Pekovic eventually, and the sooner the better. He's a good offensive center who is under a contract that will look super-manageable under the new cap ($23.7 million combined for 2016-17 and 2017-18) and is nearly a decade older than most of the team's core.
That divorce won't happen, however, until another team is willing to give up a usable asset. Towns may wind up sitting behind Pekovic early in the season as the team tries to showcase him for a trade. Or even worse, the team could try to shoehorn them on the floor together by playing Towns at power forward. It's a solution that would get Towns more in-game time but also sounds like a spacing nightmare.
Everything Towns has done so far makes him look like a worthwhile No. 1 pick. The T-Wolves just need to unclutter their roster and facilitate his growth.
D'Angelo Russell, PG/SG, Los Angeles Lakers
Suffice it to say, things could be going better for the No. 2 pick.
Russell opened his NBA preseason career with a forgettable five-point outing against Utah and then followed it up by nearly breaking his behind when challenging Rudy Gobert. In total, Russell has as many bruised butt cheeks (two, I'm assuming) as made field goals.
"I just tried to come across with help defense and made contact with a bigger guy," Russell said, via Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. "I just fell wrong. I didn't want to give up the easy layup, and I tried to contest it. I just got caught and landed on my tailbone."
None of this is going to alter Russell's trajectory. He's still an instant star in the making, gifted with a generational smoothness on the offensive end that should instantly translate. There's a lot of pre-injury Brandon Roy to Russell's game. He can create for himself and others off the bounce, hits threes with comfort and is unafraid to finish near the rim despite non-elite athleticism.
Missing preseason time is a bummer, but it's not going to affect how he's viewed internally or externally.
Jahlil Okafor, C, Philadelphia 76ers
After a promising debut, Okafor's turned in two straight disappointing performances. He's a combined 5-of-18 from the field, scoring 14 points and grabbing only seven rebounds in consecutive wins over Cleveland and Brooklyn.
Saturday night's performance against the Nets was particularly disconcerting, as Okafor had more fouls (three) than points (two) in his 17 minutes.
"He's still growing," fellow big man Nerlens Noel said of Okafor, via Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He still has a lot of time to get used to that NBA game. I think he's doing well. It's just mentally he just needs to feel a little more comfortable and get used to the offense."
Again, these struggles are nothing to worry about. Okafor remains a Rookie of the Year favorite. Even with the awkward fit alongside Noel, the Sixers' roster deficiencies necessitate Okafor getting a ton of playing time and opportunities. He's arguably the team's best offensive player from opening night, and the team as a whole is invested in developing him into a star.
Don't worry about one or two bad games. Okafor's going to be a nightly double-double this season.
Kristaps Porzingis, PF, New York Knicks
Porzingis' superstar potential leaps off the screen.
Aside from Bradley Beal's Vine-ization (the 2015 posterization) of Porzingis, the Latvian rookie flashed a solid all-around game Friday night, scoring nine points while adding 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
“I was more relaxed,’’ Porzingis said, via Marc Berman of the New York Post. “I went there and let the game come to me and not the other way around. I felt more comfortable on the court. I was anxious for the first game to show everybody and especially New York.’’
It's going to be a process. Everyone inside and outside New York knows it. Porzingis is a ball of potential, but he's also still very much in the developmental phase. He was borderline lost at points in the Knicks' preseason opener and wasn't exactly a wrecking ball for all 21 minutes against Washington. Beal's highlight dunk might've been a jarring block for Porzingis had he not recovered.
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