Karl-Anthony Towns Is The NBA Rookie Of The Year, And It Was Unanimous

UPDATE:

Towns has been voted the unanimous Rookie of the Year, the league announced in a press release this morning. He’s the fifth unanimous winner since 1984.

Here are the final tallies:

Here are the complete voting results, with Towns winning every first-place vote and runner-up Kristaps Porzingis receiving 117 of the 130 second-place votes.

Previously:

A year after Andrew Wiggins was named the 2015 NBA Rookie of the Year, his Minnesota teammate and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Karl-Anthony Towns, is reportedly on the cusp of being named the Rookie of the Year for the 2015-16 NBA season.

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Timberwolves announced a news conference for Monday morning, where they’re expected to announce the win.

Stein also believes Towns’ win could be unanimous.

While that last part is purely speculative — though Stein’s instincts are probably more aligned with reality than most journalists’ — it’s not as crazy as you might think.

Since the opening weeks of the season, it was obvious to all that the No. 1 pick was lording it over the rest of the rookie class. He was overwhelmingly the choice among our own scribes for the distinction, and it’s not a surprise that he’ll win with plenty of votes to spare.

In 32 minutes a night, Towns averaged 18.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. He also shot 34.1 percent from three-point range, turning into the latest prototype of a stretch five. But it’s his athleticism combined with a polished offensive game and that impressive lean length that changes him into a possible All-NBA selection for the next decade.

Not only that, but his work ethic, especially when augmented by the presence of a mentor like Kevin Garnett, is already on the extreme end of the spectrum. That means there might not really be a ceiling for the player he turns into as he keeps developing, learning and training.

That’s probably why he’s going to be Minnesota’s rep at the Draft Lottery on Tuesday night in New York.

The Timberwolves, with their new coach and GM, their young group of talent and another Draft Lottery selection on June 23, are poised to make huge strides next season. The upcoming 2016 Rookie of the Year announcement is just another way-station on their road back to relevance.