Timberwolves' Towns named unanimous Rookie of the Year
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns was named the NBA Rookie of the Year winner on Monday, becoming the fifth unanimous winner since 1984.
The first overall pick by the Timberwolves in the 2015 Draft, Towns led all rookies with 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month in each month of the season, started all 82 games for Minnesota, and finished second in team scoring behind Andrew Wiggins.
"When you come into the league as the No.1 pick there are big expectations," new head coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He exceeded all those expectations."
Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets finished second and third in voting, respectively.
| Player | Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 130 | ||
| Kristaps Porzingis | NYK | 117 | 12 | |
| Nikola Jokic | DEN | 7 | 38 | |
| Devin Booker | PHX | 3 | 40 | |
| Jahlil Okafor | PHI | 3 | 25 |
Towns posted the best rookie season since Tim Duncan in terms of player efficiency rating and fifth-best over the last 40 years.
| Player | Year | PER |
|---|---|---|
| David Robinson | 1989-90 | 26.3 |
| Michael Jordan | 1984-85 | 25.8 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1992-93 | 22.9 |
| Tim Duncan | 1997-98 | 22.6 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 2015-16 | 22.5 |
He and Wiggins are the first back-to-back winners from the same franchise since Bob McAdoo and Ernie DiGregorio of the Buffalo Braves in 1973 and 1974.