Top 3 rookie-veteran mentorship pairings in the NBA
With the recent flurry of offseason trades and free-agent signings, it's easy to forget that there was an NBA draft a mere month ago. With many teams tabbing rookies as potential pillars, the goal of developing said talent into future stars is paramount.
A key factor in expediting the growth of most first-year players is the presence of a seasoned veteran. The intentional pairing of a well-versed player with an NBA newbie often provides invaluable in-house training that can benefit all parties involved.
We've heard the stories of David Robinson taking a young Tim Duncan under his wing, leading to the formation of the "Twin Towers."
We're familiar with a teenage Kevin Garnett, then known as "Da Kid," having the industrious Sam Mitchell to lean on during the youngster's early years.
With such iconic mentor-mentee tandems being distant memories, the 2015-16 season has the makings of a year in which we see the veritable resurrection of the rookie-veteran mentorship program.
The Big Ticket to Karlito's Way
Student: Karl-Anthony Towns
Teacher: Kevin Garnett
The aforementioned Garnett-Mitchell dynamic will be reincarnated in the form of a Towns-Garnett relationship this coming season. Outside of Duncan, is there a better big-man tutor in the league than KG?
Last season, Timberwolves fans were treated to scenes of Garnett instructing the likes of Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Anthony Bennett, Ricky Rubio - heck, anyone with ears, really.
Towns enters a situation in which Garnett offers two decades of professional experience (fun fact: the 19-year-old was born less than five months after Garnett was drafted by the Wolves), an endless wealth of knowledge, and countless tips on how to get under opponents' skin.
Towns already has a reputation for being an adept defender. Give him a year or two under Garnett, and we may see one of the fiercest competitors on both sides of the ball in the young man they call Karlito.
Justise will be upheld in Wade County
Student: Justise Winslow
Teacher: Dwyane Wade (and Luol Deng)
Falling to the No. 10 spot in last month's draft may prove to be the best thing that ever happened to Winslow.
Rather than being given the burden of leading the woeful Knicks or Lakers into potentially extended mediocrity, Winslow landed on a Miami Heat team rich with high-character vets. Within the long list of insightful players with seniority (Chris Bosh, Amar'e Stoudemire, Goran Dragic, and Udonis Haslem, to name a few) are two individuals who have career paths Winslow may aspire to emulate:
Deng, the consummate professional, has built a career on durability and reliable offensive production (15.8 points per game over 11 years), while possessing the poise necessary for playoff success.
Wade's resume requires no additional praise, as the future Hall-of-Famer is an ideal sideline sounding board for the incoming Winslow. Wade's career 25 PER is sufficiently stellar, and serves as a template for the rookie's potential trajectory.
Pau, meet Portis. Portis, meet Pau.
Student: Bobby Portis
Teacher: Pau Gasol (and Joakim Noah)
Similar to Winslow, Portis was drafted lower than many initially anticipated. Nevertheless, he will stand to benefit from the two-pronged input of former NBA champion Gasol and former Defensive Player of the Year Noah.
Portis showed signs of promise during summer league, and will likely earn key minutes as a backup to the aforementioned veterans and Taj Gibson. Although he won't log the impressive numbers he did during his lone season at Arkansas right away in the Windy City, he may assume the mantle of primary post player for the Chicago Bulls in the near future, as Noah, 30, and Gasol, 35, are no spring chickens.
Another ingredient in Portis's potentially immediate improvement: new head coach Fred Hoiberg's willingness to give his rookies playing time - something former Bulls bench boss Tom Thibodeau was infamously allergic to.
Honorable mention: The Dubs go Looney
Student: Kevon Looney
Teacher: Everyone!
Let's be honest here - the final pick in the first round of this year's draft lucked out. The UCLA alumnus will have the entire Golden State Warriors team at his disposal.
Picture Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson giving Looney feedback on his shooting mechanics. Imagine Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston teaching Kevon the value of being a role player. Think about Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes offering pointers on how to defend the league's toughest wing players.
If all goes to plan, and if Looney is willing to be a sponge, he'll have the chance to become the basketball version of Voltron - a perfectly balanced machine, ready to save the universe. Or something along those lines.