9. Trey Lyles
Trey Lyles has sort of flown under the radar compared to the rest of this elite rookie class, but make no mistake about it: this 20-year-old is going to be good.
In his first season for the Utah Jazz, Lyles is averaging 4.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but his 37.5 percent shooting from three-point range reveals his value as the kind of stretch-4 this offense desperately needs in the frontcourt.
I hope Trey Lyles can start seeing some more time going forward. He's earned it.
— Ben Dowsett (@Ben_Dowsett) March 1, 2016
When Utah’s shorthanded frontcourt called upon him in an increased role in January, Lyles responded by averaging 8.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game on .475/.464/.542 shooting splits, including a career-high 19 points in a close loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Lyles won’t be gunning for a starting job over Derrick Favors or Rudy Gobert any time soon, but he shouldn’t be overlooked in this rookie class. Give him a few years and he might have worked his way up this list by then.
Next: No. 8