NBA.com recently posted their annual GM survey in which they asked the suits across the league a number of questions pertaining to the upcoming season like who is going to win the MVP and which player will have a breakout year.
They also posed this hypothetical question: If you were starting a franchise today and could sign any player in the NBA, who would it be?
Nearly 50% of NBA GMs chose last year's Rookie of the Year (and reigning Skills Competition champion) Karl-Anthony Towns. To be exact, 48.3% of GMs said they would pick KAT #1 if they were starting a team from scratch. Considering Towns still can't even drink a beer legally and has already shown that he's a force to be reckoned with in the league, this shouldn't really surprise anyone.
Kevin Durant was second on that list, voted on by 20.7% of GMs, followed by soon to be 32-year old LeBron James who accumulated 17.2% of the vote.
Despite the fact that Las Vegas sportsbooks have Russell Westbrook as the favorite to win the MVP award next season, 46.7% of GMs picked LeBron in that category- Westbrook was the second most popular choice with 23.3% of the votes.
Check out how general managers across the NBA voted on some of the other categories featured in the annual GM survey below. Full survey here.
Which team will win the 2017 NBA Finals?
1. Golden State – 69.0%
2. Cleveland – 31.0%
Last year: Cleveland – 53.6%
Which player forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments?
1. LeBron James, Cleveland – 75.0%
2. Stephen Curry, Golden State – 21.4%
3. Draymond Green, Golden State – 3.6%
Last year: LeBron James – 62.1%
Which player is most likely to have a breakout season in 2016-17?
1. Devin Booker, Phoenix – 31.0%
2. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota – 13.8%
3. Myles Turner, Indiana – 10.3%
4. D’Angelo Russell, L.A. Lakers – 6.9%
Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota – 6.9%
Which team will be most improved in 2016-17?
1. Minnesota – 56.7%
2. Utah – 23.3%
3. New York – 10.0%
Who will win the 2016-17 Rookie of the Year?
1. Kris Dunn, Minnesota – 46.7%
2. Buddy Hield, New Orleans – 13.3%
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia – 13.3%
4. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia – 10.0%
Brandon Ingram, L.A. Lakers – 10.0%
Who is the best defensive player in the NBA?
1. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio – 66.7%
2. LeBron James, Cleveland – 10.0%
3. Avery Bradley, Boston – 6.7%
Draymond Green, Golden State – 6.7%
DeAndre Jordan, L.A. Clippers – 6.7%
6. Hassan Whiteside, Miami – 3.3%
Last year: Kawhi Leonard – 27.6%
Which team has the best home-court advantage?
1. Golden State – 58.3%
2. Denver – 16.7%
3. Oklahoma City – 10.0%
4. San Antonio – 6.7%
5. Utah – 5.0%
6. Portland – 3.3%
Last year: Golden State – 65.5%
