However, Okafor, coming back from his two-game suspension, finds himself taking quite the drop this week after a poor showing coming off the bench against the Spurs Sunday. Meanwhile, you'll notice the Suns' Devin Booker rises up the rankings after an impressive week.
This gap is reflected in this week's rookie rankings, which we break up in three categories: Studs, Promising and under the radar.
1. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves (Last week #2) -- Towns rebounded from an off week in a big way. Against the Trail Blazers, Towns had a monster game with 27 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He followed that up with an 18-point, five-rebound, two-assist, two-block performance against the Clippers. A very solid performance for Towns against one of the league's better defenders in DeAndre Jordan.
Towns did make a glaring rookie mistake against the Clippers, fouling Jordan away from the ball in the closing seconds of a tight game. This was just another reminder of how much he has to learn, and how much better he can get. His passion for the game is evident and he is a very knowledgeable 20-year-old rookie. Like with this play, where he makes a jump shot but is mad at himself for not finding a wide open Andrew Wiggins.
Towns recently won Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors for November and is in a tight competition with Porzingis for the Rookie of the Year award.
2. Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks (#1) -- The Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November, Porzingis is a very close second behind Towns this week. Last week, the Knicks' big man recorded two double-doubles, and on Monday, scored 28 points against the Mavs, nearly leading the Knicks to victory.
Averaging 1.9 blocks, Porzingis is not just an offense-only player as he's been showing growth on the defensive end. Averaging 14.6 points and 8.9 rebounds, Porzingis has emerged as a legitimate second option behind Carmelo Anthony for the Knicks. He is managing this role with great poise, which is why his idol Dirk Nowitzki says Porzingis is better than he was when the Mavs star was his age.
3. Justise Winslow, Miami Heat (#4) -- Winslow continues to play a large role for the Heat, playing close to 30 minutes a night and the majority of fourth quarters. He is not putting up big numbers, 6.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists but is making an impact defensively. Consistently guarding top scorers, via the Miami Herald, Winslow is holding opponents to 38.3 percent shooting, which is 4.7 percent below their usual average.
4. D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers (#6) -- Russell cracks the top five after several strong performances last week. Against the Hawks, Russell filled up the stat sheet, finishing the game with 16 points (6-16 FG, 4-7 3-PT), 10 rebounds, four assists and one steal. Russell is now third among rookies in assists (3.0) and fifth in points (10.9).
Despite his stellar play, Lakers head coach Byron Scott recently made the curious decision to have Russell come off the bench. Russell will now be mainly going against second units, so we will see if he is able to thrive in this role or if it will hinder his development.
5. Emmanuel Mudiay, Denver Nuggets (#7) -- Mudiay only managed to score in single digits in two games last week but was able to create scoring opportunities for his teammates, passing for six-plus assists in each game. The Nuggets rookie now leads all rookies in assists with 6.0 a game and is fourth overall in scoring averaging 11.0 points.
Mudiay's minutes have fluctuated a bit, especially in fourth quarters, but if he is able to minimize his turnovers and improve on his all around play, he should get an opportunity to earn back head coach Mike Malone's trust as the season progresses.
6. Stanley Johnson, Detroit Pistons (#5) -- Johnson continues to be a solid player off the bench for the Pistons. He had an excellent game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, scoring 10 points and followed that up with an all-around performances of six points, six rebounds and two assists against the Lakers on Sunday. Johnson just continues to be a grinder for the Pistons, playing tough defense and crashing the boards.
7. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (#15) -- Given more of an opportunity, Booker is showing that he can be an important player for the Suns. Booker is just an incredible shooter and is shooting 53.2 percent and 71.4 percent (on 21 attempts) from 3-point range. Against the Pistons last Wednesday, Booker dropped 18 points (3-3 from beyond the arc) and in a big win for Phoenix, he scored 14 points (6-10 FG, 2-2 3-point range) against the Bulls on Monday. He even celebrated the win in style.
8. Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia 76ers (#3) -- Suspended two games for his off-court incidents, Okafor falls five spots in our rankings. Especially since in his first game back, Okafor struggled against the Spurs, coming off the bench to score 10 points (3-14 FG). However, he still leads all rookies in scoring (16.9 points) and third in rebounds (7.9). If he is able to bounce back from his suspension and his poor shooting, Okafor will likely be in the top five again next week.
9. T.J. McConnell, Philadelphia 76ers (#8) -- McConnell's assist numbers went down a bit last week and he is now second overall among rookies, averaging 5.8 assists. Now playing a reserve role off the bench for the Sixers, McConnell has begun to be more aggressively looking for his own shot. He went to the free-throw line in back-to-back games last week though, something he hasn't done all season and is now averaging 6.8 points. Coming off the bench could work out quite well for McConnell.
10. Nemanja Bjelica, Minnesota Timberwolves (#10) -- Bjelica's minutes have decreased over the last two games yet he is making the most of his playing time. He had a solid nine-point, four-rebound performance against the Clippers on Sunday. An excellent shooter, Bjelica is shooting 46.4 percent and 38.9 percent from 3.
11. Frank Kaminsky, Charlotte Hornets (13) -- Frank the Tank scored a season-high 16 points against the Warriors last Wednesday and continues to play more and more for the Hornets. Against the Pistons on Monday, Kaminsky played over 30 minutes, finishing the game with seven points and four rebounds. After struggling to shoot the ball at the beginning of the season, Kaminsky has found his shot and is shooting 41.9 percent from the field and from 3.
12. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets (#9) -- Jokic received a DNP-CD against the Sixers on Saturday but was back in the lineup on Tuesday, scoring four points and grabbing four rebounds against the Magic. Last week, it looked like Jokic was going to be Denver's starting center but clearly head coach Mike Malone is still figuring out the right role for the Nuggets rookie.
13. Trey Lyles, Utah Jazz (Not Ranked) -- With Rudy Gobert injured, Lyles has begun to play a larger role for the Jazz. Inserted in the starting lineup against the Kings on Tuesday, Lyles scored seven points and grabbed three rebounds. His role will likely keep increasing while Gobert is out.
14. Jerian Grant, New York Knicks (#11) -- A solid reserve for the Knicks, Grant continues to do a little of everything off the bench for them. His 3-point shooting is still abysmal (17.3 percent on 23 attempts) but otherwise is playing well for New York. Grant had a nice game against the Bucks on Saturday, finishing with seven points, three rebounds and two assists.
15. Boban Marjanovic, San Antonio Spurs (Not ranked) -- After spending two games in the D-League, Marjanovic returned to the Spurs and had a dominant performance against the Sixers. Scoring 18 points in 17 minutes, Marjanovic absolutely abused Okafor.
This was the most minutes, Marjanovic played all season so it could be just a one-time thing. But he is clearly skilled and makes the Spurs bench even deeper.
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