NBA SCIC Roundtable: 2015-16 Rookie Update Edition
What is your favorite stat (game or season) by any rookie so far?
Jason Coldiron: Porzingis’ 24/14/7 game.
Clevis Murray: Karl-Anthony Towns having 28 and 14 in his second career game.
Evan Caulfield: My favorite stat has to be when Kristaps Porzingis dropped 24 points, 14 rebounds and 7 blocks against the Rockets. That night, he really proved to critics he’s not a ‘soft’ player, and that he’s got the potential to be a two-way superstar. If you haven’t already seen it, here’s the highlight reel from the game.
John Armstrong: My favorite rookie stat is a very quiet one. Justise Winslow of the Miami Heat averages 28.8 minutes per game, which is third among rookies. At the time I’m writing this, Winslow is the only rookie in the top 10 in minutes played per game that’s playing for a plus-.500 team. His scoring isn’t quite as impressive as his contemporaries at first glance, but that’s okay because he’s playing on a team that doesn’t feature him as a primary scoring option.
Plus, he gets to share the court with savvy veterans such as Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Goran Dragic. He’s in the perfect position to get reps, play with teammates who demand more defensive attention, and learn from proven winners. It doesn’t hurt that he gets to win games in the process. It’s too bad his Duke buddy Jahlil Okafor can’t say the same in Philly.
Brandon Osborne: The top 3 rookies in win shares is Towns, Porzingis and Hollis-Jefferson. Doubt many predicted the last 2 when the season began.
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Nicholas Hughes: Justise Winslow has yet to make a start in the first 16 games of his NBA Career, yet he is currently ranked third among rookies in Minutes Per Game (behind Jahlil Okafor and Emmanuel Mudiay). Coming into the season many analysts were weary of what type of production Winslow would be able to muster up in the log jam the Miami Heat have on the perimeter. Winslow is a natural Small Forward and is able to slot in at the two as well.
That puts him in competition for playing time with starters Dwayne Wade and Luol Deng, as well as the explosive Gerald Green off of the bench. Some how though he’s managed to impress enough in the early goings to play the fourth most minutes on the team, trailing only Goran Dragic, Chris Bosh, and Hassan Whiteside.