Remember the 2014 NBA Draft? There was a lot of hype surrounding that class; it was widely heralded as one of the best in recent memory. One of the reasons it was so well regarded was because many believed that three or four players from that group had the talent to become franchise cornerstones. Andrew Wiggins, in particular, significantly raised the profile of the draft. He had made a name for himself out of high school as one of the best prospects since Lebron James, and followed it up with a successful season at Kansas, playing alongside fellow star recruit, Joel Embiid, whose skill and footwork had drawn favorable comparisons to Hakeem Olajuwon. Over a year later, Wiggins has shown plenty of promise; he is a highly athletic wing that can score the ball in a multitude of ways and has the potential to be a lock-down defender. But the rest of the class has struggled. Jabari Parker and Julius Randle both experienced significant injuries last season, and Dante Exum isn't expected to be healthy until next summer. Nik Stauskas and Noah Vonleh have simply been busts so far. And Embiid has yet to play in an NBA game. With a few exceptions, the early returns for this class haven't been great, but that is a stark contrast to the rookie class of 2015, which is already starting to make its mark.
Leading the way is the big man of the future, Karl-Anthony Towns. As more teams turn towards small ball and non-traditional bigs that stretch the floor, Towns is a valuable commodity. Not only can he switch out onto a perimeter player thanks to his agility and lateral quickness, he is also already one of the league's best rim protectors. Basketball Reference currently has him 6th among centers in defensive rating and 5th in defensive win shares. What makes Towns even more special is his upside on the offensive end of the court. He is already posting up quality defensive centers successfully, in addition to a very smooth jumpshot, which should stretch out behind the 3-point line as he continues to develop (he turned 20 less than a month ago). Towns also owns a stellar 20.53 PER, ahead of the likes of Al Jefferson and Pau Gasol, two highly gifted offensive centers. It is also the best PER among rookies.
The 3rd best PER among rookies belongs to another big-man turning heads, Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis was not supposed to be this good, this quickly, when the Knicks selected him 4th overall out of Latvia, but he has shown terrific signs so far this season. He's far more mobile and athletic than he was given credit for during the scouting process. His jumpshot is not consistent enough yet but his touch and scoring prowess are terrific for his size and age. The efficiency and overall feel for the game are impressive, but what makes Porzingis special are some of the dynamic plays he can provide on both ends of the floor. He is a terrific rebounder, particularly on the offensive end, where his length and athleticism have led to several ferocious putback dunks. On the defensive end, Porzingis is averaging almost 2 blocks per game, good for 9th in the league, and 3rd amongst power forwards. When he is on the floor, the Knicks are just better. Porzingis leads New York in plus-minus, and the statistics show that Carmelo Anthony plays exceptionally better when Porzingis is on the court.
Top lottery picks aren't the only ones from this class that are making an impact, however. Justise Winslow fell to the Heat with the 10th selection, and is already playing significant minutes for head coach Erik Spoelstra. Veteran Heat players, particularly Chris Bosh, absolutely rave about his defense and maturity. In Brooklyn, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the 23rd overall selection, is now up to the 7th best defensive plus-minus number in the league. His insertion into the starting lineup is keeping an otherwise terrible Nets team competitive in games where they have no business being competitive. What's intriguing about this year's group of rookies is not only the franchise cornerstones that are off to promising starts from the top of the draft, but the depth and the quality players that are making an impact who were selected much later on. For all the praise the 2014 class received, it is this year's group that is living up to the hype. This isn't to say that the 2014 NBA Draft class didn't pan out. It's too early to tell, and perhaps in the end this class will be just as special as everyone deemed it to be. Maybe it can be even be as good as the Class of 2015.
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