The top 5 rookies to look out for in the NBA 2015-16 season

Who will be first in class?The start of every new NBA season brings with it all kinds of thrills – the anticipation of seeing your favourite stars in action, the satisfaction of seeing your team best your bestie’s and of course, the novelty of the exciting fresh faces. This season is no different, as the rookies have a lot of hope-harbouring eyes trained on them. Will we see any of them set out on the path to carving out a lasting legacy in the vein of superstars like LeBron, Durant and Duncan? One can only hope. Here is our list of the top 5 to look our for in the upcoming season, with pre-season averages courtesy of CBS Sports 

#1 Jahlil Okafor

A frontrunner for Rookie of the Year

Born: December 15, 1995 (age 19), Chicago, Illinois

Height: 6”11’

Weight: 122 Kgs

Position: Center

From being a 6"5' seventh grader who was ridiculed because his classmates thought he had failed the grade multiple times to becoming the McDonalds, Sports Illustrated and Parade high school national basketball player of the year, the 76ers rookie has had a phenomenal rise.

Okafor was part of the gold medal-winning US team in the U-16, U-17 and U-19 FIBA World Championships. The Chicagoan of Nigerian descent entered collegiate basketball powerhouse Duke as the preseason Collegiate National Player of the Year. On 25th June, 2015, Okafor was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as third overall pick.

The rookie center has averaged 10 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18 minutes per game in the preseason and has worked well in tandem with fellow Philly big man Nerlens Noel.