Ben Simmons poses for a portrait during the 2016 NBA Rookie Photoshoot at Madison Square Garden Training Center on August 7, 2016. (Photo : Getty Images/Nick Laham)
The 2016-17 NBA season will feature many talented rookies that are set to show what they got and help their team. According to the latest projections and rumors, Ben Simmons and Kris Dunn are two of the top rookies that will have an immediate impact in the upcoming season.
The Philadelphia 76ers will have the most number of first-year players heading into the new season including Simmons, Joel Embiid, Dario Saric and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot. However, Simmons seems to have the most hype surrounding him since he was taken first overall in the 2016 NBA Draft.
On the other hand, the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Kris Dunn with the fifth overall selection. They might have found their starting point guard of the future but they still have to observe if he has what it takes.
In a recent list made by Basketball Insiders, Simmons and Dunn top the list of the rookies that will have an impact in the 2016-17 NBA season. Two more Sixers rookies, Embiid and Saric, made the top five while Buddy Hield of the New Orleans rounds out the list.
Simmons is expected to lead the Sixers offense this season while Dunn is considered as one of the polished rookies in this year's class. Embiid is finally healthy after missing two seasons due to foot problems while Saric makes his way to the NBA from Europe.
As for Hield, there are a lot of expectations for him since he is coming off an unbelievable season at Oklahoma. The starting shooting guard spot is his and he is the perfect compliment for Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis.
However, one surprising omission from the list is Los Angeles Lakers rookie swingman, Brandon Ingram. The second overall pick was not included despite showing a lot of potential in the 2016 Summer League. Lakers fans will not be happy about the list but they should be rejoicing since they are entering a new era.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Daily News, Ingram is determined to become the 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year. He is using it as a motivation for the upcoming season but it is expected that he may struggle early in his first year just like with D'Angelo Russell.
"That's something that is on my mind. All rookies want to win rookie of the year. That's something that drives me," Ingram said.
Check out the video below for some of the highlights of the upcoming NBA rookies.
