A new NBA season has dawned, which means young faces from the college ranks and overseas are making their NBA debuts. The 2015 NBA Draft class brings a diverse set of talent into the league. A few stars may emerge from the class, but its true value lies in the depth of talent that goes past the top-five picks.
Jahlil Okafor, the third-overall pick, had the most impressive rookie debut with 26 points and seven rebounds. Okafor flashed his polished post game against a somewhat flimsy Celtics frontcourt. He’s a big man with footwork and touch far beyond his years, and with the Sixers’ lack of outside shooting, expect him to put up some gaudy stat lines with all the touches he gets.
The top two picks in the draft went head-to-head on national TV in their rookie debut. Karl-Anthony Towns looked impressive with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. He’s another rookie who is wise beyond his years. Towns is the prototype for the modern NBA big man, as he showed in the late game on Wednesday. Playing alongside Kevin Garnett, Towns looks very comfortable manning the middle. On the other end, D’Angelo Russell scored just four points and tallied two assists. Russell never found his rhythm during his debut. The Lakers have a coterie of on-ball creators who might leave Russell floating off the ball more than he’d probably like. It’s only game one, but Russell will have to learn how to find his rhythm without dominating the ball.
Touted overseas rookies Kristaps Porzingis and Mario Hezonja looked promising in their inaugural NBA performances, as well. Porzingis — don’t call him Zinger — struggled from the field a bit, but ended up with 16 points and five rebounds. His development will take time, but the 7-foot Latvian native will play large minutes if he can get his own offense and continue to put pressure on opponents like he did against Milwaukee. There’s a reason he went to the stripe for 12 free throws (9/12). In Orlando, Super Mario scored 11 points in his debut. His silky outside jumper came as advertised. The Croatian native may be the most self-confident rookie in this draft class, which makes him a lot of fun to watch.
Emmanuel Mudiay had the most impressive rookie performance for a perimeter player. He tallied 17 points, nine assists and five rebounds going against the Rockets guard rotation of Ty Lawson and Patrick Beverley. Mudiay is a sublime passer. He’s excellent at finding his teammates for corner threes and shots at the rim. He did have 11 turnovers in his debut, but that’s not an enormous concern for a rookie with huge ball-handling responsibilities in his first NBA game.
