Five rookies to watch in the 2014-15 NBA season

WASHINGTON, USA – Five rookies to watch in the 2014-15 NBA season that starts on Tuesday:

Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves: Taken with the first overall pick by Cleveland, Canada’s Wiggins was traded to Minnesota and will get a chance to shine with the rebuilding Timberwolves that he likely wouldn’t have had at LeBron James’s Cavaliers. Strong on defense, he’ll need to polish his offensive skills.

Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks: Taken second overall in the draft, the 19-year-old Parker was considered possibly the most NBA-ready player in June’s intake of new talent. Although he has dealt with conditioning issues, Parker is poised, quick and an excellent scorer.

Dante Exum, Utah Jazz: 19-year-old Aussie will be on a steep learning curve arriving in NBA without benefit of US college experience. But his athleticism and ballhandling ability make him a potential star, and Jazz coach Quinn Snyder has called him a “quick study”.

Jusuf Nurkic, Denver Nuggets: 20-year-old Bosnian arrives Stateside as the 16th pick in the draft, taken by Chicago and traded to Denver on draft night. He’s a mystery to most US NBA fans but has averaged more than nine rebounds in 19 minutes per pre-season game, demonstrating impressive defensive skills.

Bojan Bogdanovic, Brooklyn Nets: 25-year-old Croatian could find himself filling the void left by the departure of Paul Pierce for Washington. His outside shooting and experience garnered playing in Euroleague should benefit the Nets. Had a stand-out FIBA World Cup this year, finishing as the tournament’s third-leading scorer. That included a 27-point, six-rebound performance in a round-of-16 loss to France. – Rappler.com