Hoops Habit
Fansided

2016 NBA Rookie Ladder: Who Can Challenge Towns For ROTY?

By Nathan Grubel

Feb 13, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns competes in the skills challenge during the NBA All Star Saturday Night at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns competes in the skills challenge during the NBA All Star Saturday Night at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 11
Next
Feb 10, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Myles Turner (33) holds the ball while Charlotte Hornets center Frank Kaminsky III (44) defends in the second half of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Charlotte beat Indiana, 117-95. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Myles Turner (33) holds the ball while Charlotte Hornets center Frank Kaminsky III (44) defends in the second half of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Charlotte beat Indiana, 117-95. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers

Is Turner a “poor man’s Towns” or is he a different player all his own?

Both can shoot from three-point range and protect the rim, but I’m not sure Turner has the same skill set as Towns in terms of handling the ball and making plays for his teammates.

That’s fine because Turner still has a bright future as a stretch center, which is the direction that the league is going. The Pacers have a coveted asset in Turner so he still has plenty of potential as a future NBA star.

And since he returned from injury and has had more playing time he’s put up some great performances and has shown the league that he’s ready to emerge as one of the top prospects out there.

But to say he’s on Towns’ level and could challenge him for the award isn’t likely. Paul George and Monta Ellis are still on the floor for Indiana and they’ll take the majority of shots available. He doesn’t have a green light like Booker does in Phoenix.

Still, Turner’s skill set packs crazy potential, which means we need to take him seriously in the coming years.

Next: Next Jefferson?