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Karl-Anthony Towns is the NBA's best prospect since LeBron James

Kevin Pelton writes that there hasn't been a better NBA prospect than rookie of the year Karl-Anthony Towns since LeBron James. USA TODAY Sports, Getty Images

On Monday, Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year after a unanimous vote. If his impressive debut was any indication, it won't be the last hardware Towns will earn during his career.

Based on his lone season at Kentucky, we knew that Towns -- taken No. 1 overall last June -- had great potential. But by putting together one of the best performances ever by a player his age, Towns has made a strong case for being the top prospect at this point of his career since four-time MVP LeBron James.