Report: Timberwolves' Towns to be named Rookie of the Year

It comes as virtually no surprise, but Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns will be named the 2015-16 NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday, a source told Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press.

The honor has been expected for weeks, although the league deviated from the norm this season by naming the MVP (Stephen Curry) before the Rookie of the Year. On Sunday, the Timberwolves announced a news conference for Monday morning, where Towns will presumably be presented with the award.

The 20-year-old tweeted out some thanks Sunday evening.

Towns was considered a shoo-in after winning Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors in every month of the season. He'll reportedly join teammate Andrew Wiggins as the first back-to-back winners of the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy from the same franchise since Bob McAdoo and Ernie DiGregorio of the Buffalo Braves in 1973 and 1974.

The New Jersey native also becomes the 15th No. 1 pick in NBA history to capture Rookie of the Year honors. He's just the second Kentucky alumnus to win the award.

Towns burst onto the scene with double-doubles in his first two NBA regular-season games. Over the course of the year, he averaged 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and two assists per contest. He shot 54.2 percent from the field and showed some stretch when needed with a 34.1 percent mark from deep. His player efficiency rating of 22.5 would be the highest by a Rookie of the Year winner since Tim Duncan in 1997-98.