The NBA is full of surprises each and every season. Trying to predict who will have a breakout year, who will thrive in a new role, and which star will shine the brightest is nearly impossible. But in the 2015-16 NBA Awards Prediction Series at Last Word On Sports, we will try to do exactly that. A panel of five LWOS basketball writers will be predicting the winner for each of the five main awards – Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Most Valuable Player – in preparation for the 2015-16 NBA season.

For a complete listing of the 2015-16 NBA Awards Prediction Series, click here.

Without further ado, here are our picks for the 2015-16 Rookie of the Year award.

2015-16 NBA Rookie of the Year Predictions

Robert Holmes, basketball staff writer: Jahlil Okafor. Okafor has shown during the NBA summer league and preseason that he has the offensive prowess to score a lot of points on a Sixers team that needs a force in the paint. Joel Embiid will not be playing any time soon and Nerlens Noel led all Sixers big men with 9.9 points per game last year. The only obstacle that Okafor will have to overcome are the constant double teams that come with being a team’s number one option. If the Sixers can space the floor better this year with the addition of Nik Stauskas, then opposing teams will not be able to double every play. Okafor will have plenty of plays called for him and should be able to average at least 16 points and 8 rebounds per game, putting him at the top of the rookie class.

Lior Kozai, basketball staff writer: Emmanuel Mudiay. Rookies who play the most minutes and get the most touches usually produce the most, even if they aren’t necessarily the best players – see past ROY winner Michael Carter-Williams. Mudiay will have the minutes and touches; with Ty Lawson gone, Mudiay is the man at the point in Denver. As for his competition: Jahlil Okafor’s stats will be taken with a grain of salt, as there’s now a stigma associated with all 76ers players. Other top rookies like D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns have tougher battles for minutes. Although Mudiay struggled playing in China last year, he was fantastic in summer league, and he’s already shown flashes of how great he can be. Mudiay will earn this award.

Jack Hammond, basketball staff writer: Emmanuel Mudiay will win the 2015-2016 Rookie of the Year award. Mudiay is a very good player but many have not seen him play yet because he skipped college basketball to play professionally in China last year. Back in the United States, Mudiay will have the ball in his hands a lot this year because of the departure of Ty Lawson. He also has a solid cast of players including Kenneth Faried, Jusuf Nurkic and Wilson Chandler that he can distribute the ball to. Mudiay is very athletic and will impress people in his first year.

Peter Rosston, basketball staff writer: This year’s rookie class is filled with a boatload of talent. Top overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns will have an immediate impact on a very bad Minnesota team. Out of all the rookies, Mario Hezonja might just have the highest ceiling. He is an explosive scorer with great size for a shooting guard. Unfortunately for him, the Magic are loaded with young talent. He will likely start the season behind Victor Oladipo on the depth chart, but could work his way into a starting role. Emmanuel Mudiay will take over the reigns as leader of the Nuggets offense, and with no quality backups behind him on the depth chart, Mudiay will play some big minutes the whole season. He is a matchup nightmare as a 6’ 5” point guard with incredible athleticism. He will have the ball in his hands a lot and will be relied upon heavily, but as long as he is up to the task, he should bring home the rookie of the year award.

Jack Moon Perrin, basketball department head: Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns is already known a strong defensive player. In the preseason for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Towns is already demonstrating he can increase his Kentucky average of 10.3 points per game. Surrounded by a cast of talented and former number one players, Towns will be able to receive the support and distribution needed to score on the inside and from the post. Expect Towns to demonstrate strong defense and shot blocking skills with high percentage inside scoring to make him an extremely dominant rookie.