In 2015, Towns became the first overall No. 1 pick in the Timberwolves' history due to his outstanding talent, and he impressed fans with his early career performances, and he was soon named to the All-Star and All-Star team. However, due to the poor record of leading the team all year round, Towns's reputation took a sharp turn for the worse, and it was not until this season that he finally proved himself again, and with his help, the Timberwolves reached the Western Conference Finals again after 20 years.
Now, nine years later, who are the other nine players in the top 10 of the class of 2015, and how have they developed since entering the league?
10. Winslow
He averaged 8.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in his career
When Winslow first entered the league, his offensive performance was very sluggish, averaging only 6.4 points per game in his rookie season and shooting 27.6% from three-point range. In the second season, due to injury, Winslow played only 18 games before the season was reimbursed, and his performance since then has always been more defensive than offensive.
Winslow was traded to the Grizzlies in the 2019-2020 season, but he was again reimbursed for the season due to injury and did not return until February 2021, and the Grizzlies later decisively gave up the final year of his contract. Winslow joined the Clippers in 2021, and at the age of 25, he has been completely reduced to a fringe player, and since then he has not been able to prove himself due to injury, and this season he can only play in the Development League for the Raptors' affiliated teams.
9. Kaminsky
He averaged 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in his career
As an older rookie, Kaminski was 22 years old in his first season, but his combat attributes were not outstanding, he averaged only 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game that year, and only 7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in the playoffs, and his shooting percentage was a dismal 30.4%. Later, the rookie contract ended, and the Hornets did not renew Kaminsky's contract, so he came to the Suns for 2 years and 10 million.
Kaminski is also just an ordinary rotation player here, and in the process of reaching the Finals with the team in 2021, he averaged only 2.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in the playoffs. After being cut by the Suns, Kaminsky joined the Hawks and Rockets successively, but basically could only play in garbage time, and he was completely eliminated after playing last year.
8. Stanley Johnson
He averaged 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in his career
After Stanley Johnson entered the league, the Pistons quickly discovered that his ceiling was not high, so he was an ordinary role player on the team at the time, but his defense was still good at that time, so he could still have a place in the NBA. However, as shooting ability became more and more important in the NBA, Stanley Johnson's shortcomings without three-point shooting were also exposed, and he also moved to multiple teams as a result.
After being cut by the Bulls in the 2021-2022 season, Stanley Johnson joined the Lakers, where he also played a period of highlights, but unfortunately his technical shortcomings left him unpopular with other teams, and he disappeared after playing 30 games for the Spurs last season.
7. Moodier
He averaged 10.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in his career
Moodier is also a player who came out of the CBA, he played for the Guangdong team in the 2014-2015 season, and after entering the NBA, he averaged 12.8 points and 5.5 assists per game in his rookie season, but the disadvantage is that his overall shooting percentage is relatively inefficient. After playing two-and-a-half seasons with the Nuggets, Moodier was traded to the Knicks, where he played a career highlight in 2018-2019, averaging 14.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 44.6% from the field.
However, due to injury, Moodier failed to renew his contract with the Knicks, and his form declined greatly after joining the Jazz, and he was eventually 25 years old when he left the NBA.
6. Cauleystan
He averaged 8.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in his career
As a pie-eating center, Cauleystan's physical fitness is still okay, and he also averaged 12.8 points, 7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game in his best season with the Kings. However, Cauleystan's defense is average, and his position on the court and ball quotient make him a defensive weakness that opponents can target.
After that, Cauleystan joined the Warriors, Mavericks and other teams, but it didn't work well, his playing time was less and less, and although he signed a training camp contract with the Rockets last season, he was cut before the season began.
5. Hezonia
He averaged 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in his career
Coming from a European basketball system, Hezonia is clearly not comfortable with the NBA style of play, and although he is a lottery pick, he only averaged 17.9 minutes per game in his rookie season. Hezonia joined the Knicks in 2018, where his performance was still mediocre, and as a swingman at the guard, his three-point shooting was almost non-existent, and he ended up playing in the NBA after the 2019-2020 season, and in 2021 he joined the Greek league.
4. Porzingis
He averaged 19.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks per game in his career
Porzingis was very favored by the outside world at the time, he was 2.21 meters tall, and had excellent running and jumping talent, and his projection ability was also quite outstanding on the inside. In his third season with the Knicks, Porzingis made a name for himself, averaging 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 2.4 blocks per game that year, and he was also named an All-Star.
However, Porzingis' athleticism was greatly reduced due to injury, and he was also traded to the Mavericks while recovering. After that, Porzingis' playoff performance made fans more and more disappointed with him, but anyway, for him, the regular season performance is still very stable, he joined the Celtics last year, he can be regarded as making up for the team's shortcomings, his style of play is very suitable for this team, and he has a chance to win his first ring in the playoffs this year, but only if he can return as soon as possible.
3. Okafor
He averaged 10.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game in his career
Okafor's rookie season that year was quite amazing, averaging 17.5 points, 7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, but due to his own style of play, his position as a 76er was quite awkward. Okafor's best part of playing with the ball in the low post is unrivaled, but his talent is clearly not as good as Embiid's, so the team has to choose the latter of the two.
The following teams didn't regard Okafor as the core of their team, so he never played in his rookie season that year, and slowly he faded out of the NBA, and then he traveled to various overseas leagues, during which he also joined the CBA, but the overall effect can only be said to be average.
2. Russell
He averaged 17.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game in his career
After being drafted by the Lakers, Russell had the privilege of playing with a superstar like Kobe Bryant in his rookie season, and although the Lakers didn't win much that year, he learned a lot from the latter. Russell was traded to the Nets in 2017, where he also had two career highlights, averaging 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7 assists per game in 2018-2019, and he was not only selected as an All-Star, but also led the team to the playoffs.
However, after the Warriors, Timberwolves, or the current Lakers, Russell's tactical status is not as high as it was back then. And judging from the playoffs over the years, Russell is indeed not an All-Star level player, compared to his good brother Towns, until now he has never completely proven himself in the playoffs, after the first round of this year, Russell's future has become confusing again, and there is a high probability that he will be used as a trade chip by the Lakers in the offseason.