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That’s a wrap for the 2016 NBA Draft, and what an amazing draft it was. Many of the picks have been debated repeatedly on whether they are the right picks for their respective teams. So, today I’m going to do just that. In Part 1 of this Post Draft Review, I’m going to review picks 1-15, to see whether or not they were the right picks for the team that drafted them.
#1. Ben Simmons to the Philadelphia 76ers.
With the very first pick in the draft the 76ers chose Ben Simmons from LSU. He was no doubt the most skilled player in the draft class along with Brandon Ingram. In my opinion, this was an amazing pick, Simmons is an extremely impressive passer for a forward, he can get rebounds, he can run the floor with ease and can attack the basket which is something the 76ers desperately need. The only problem I see with this pick is that the 76ers are in deep need of a good shooter, and although Ben Simmons isn’t the worst choice because he can occasionally shoot, he still doesn’t fit the 76ers’ need for a shooter. Despite this, I feel Simmons will fit great in the 76ers system and if Embiid can get healthy, and they’re able to keep Okafor and Noel, then 76ers might be a team to look out for in coming years.
#2. Brandon Ingram to the Los Angeles Lakers.
I think this was an amazing pick for The Lakers as well. He is drawing comparisons to Kevin Durant, and whenever someone gets comparisons to a former MVP in Kevin Durant, you know they have amazing potential. I think Ingram will be one of the best players out of this draft and this pick for the Lakers is a great one for them in rebuilding mode, he should be able to work great along D’Angelo, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and the rest of the team. Amazing pick by the Lakers.
#3. Jaylen Brown to the Boston Celtics.
Personally, I don’t like this pick for the Celtics. It’s another guard which I don’t feel is necessary for the Celtics because in my opinion they already have a surplus of guards, in Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Marcus Smart. They are more in need of a big man, either a power forward or a center. There were definitely better choices on the board in Kris Dunn and Buddy Hield. Unless Jaylen is used as a trade item, I think this was the incorrect pick for the Celtics. Many think that even Dragan Bender might have been a better fit for this Celtics team. In my opinion, not a good pick.
#4. Dragan Bender to the Phoenix Suns.
One of the worst picks in the draft. Now I respect Dragan as a player, he is extremely skilled and will probably have a decent career in the NBA. But there were much better picks and better fits for the Phoenix Suns in this draft. Such as Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray and Buddy Hield. Despite Dragan being an amazing player, with his Point-Center skills resemblant of Joakim Noah and his ability to execute the Pick and Pop resemblant of Kristaps Porzingis, he definitely has potential to be great, but I feel the better pick would have been Kris Dunn.
#5. Kris Dunn to the Minnesota Timberwolves
Biggest steal of the draft in my opinion. This man, Kris Dunn will be a huge steal for the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach Lavine and all the other young guys on that Timberwolves roster. They will be able to thrive and finally make the playoffs. If you had watched Kris Dunn at Providence, which I have seen first hand when he came to play St. John’s; I was there live, and wow is he impressive to watch. Kris Dunn is one of the brightest stars in this draft class, and I can’t wait to see him thrive on this Timberwolves team for years to come. Amazing pick by The Wolves.
#6. Buddy Hield to the New Orleans Pelicans.
I love this pick, Buddy Hield at this position is a steal. I was personally expecting him to go at #3, or somewhere earlier than #6. Buddy is an amazing shooter from Oklahoma, and this could really help the Pelicans if they have shooting struggles this year. If the Pelicans roster is able to stay healthy, specifically Anthony Davis, I think they will be an amazing combo. In my opinion this was a great pick by the New Orleans Pelicans.
#7. Jamal Murray to the Denver Nuggets.
This man is an amazing player, and the Nuggets got a great young player with this guy. He was the top scoring freshman in the entire NCAA, and that was definitely taken into effect when the Nuggets drafted him. He has an amazing ability to score, specifically to shoot from three and midrange, but he isn’t a very good attacker of the basket, which could be a problem, but I feel he will be amazing in the NBA.
#8. Marquese Chriss to the Sacramento Kings.
I don’t know much about Chriss, but after doing a bit of research on him, I like this pick for the Kings. He is a big man who has a solid jump shot, he has the athleticism to succeed in the NBA, and has the size to get rebounds. Also, whenever a player gets comparisons to Chris Bosh, you have to think they will be at least Semi-Succesful.
#9. Jakob Pöltl to the Toronto Raptors
Jakob is a very skilled player, he has impressive athleticism for his size, he can grab rebounds and score in the paint very well. One flaw of his is his lack of shooting ability and range, also his ability to finish with contact is questioned by many. I personally don’t like this pick for the Raptors because I don’t believe they needed a solid Big, I feel they needed a small forward or a power forward to go along with Demar Derozan, Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas.
#10. Thon Maker to the Milwaukee Bucks.
This pick was unexpected in my opinion, I didn’t expect him to go until much later in the draft. He has crazy potential, he is an amazing rebounder, and he has a good mid range shot! He is extremely athletic, but it will be fixed because he still has much time to develop and flourish in the Bucks system.
#11. Domantas Sabonis to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This man has been drawing comparisons to Zach Randolph, which is definitely not a bad place to start when you get drafted. He is an amazing rebounder and can get boards on the offensive and defensive end, he can finish at the hoop very strong, but has a lack of defensive ability in part due to his lack of speed and athleticism. Despite this I think this is a good pick for The Thunder.
#12. Taurean Prince to the Utah Jazz.
I personally think this is an amazing pick. If you watched Taurean at Baylor he was a great player and he was always able to score. He might have been overlooked for his teams poor performance in the NCAA Tournament, but he played very well in that game, scoring 28 points. I love this pick for the Utah Jazz
#13. Georgios Papagiannis to the Sacramento Kings.
I don’t know much about Georgios Papagiannis but he certainly looks interesting. He went much higher than projected, 9 picks higher. After looking at his stats and highlights online, I’m not very impressed with this man. Even if I’m completely wrong and his skill simply isn’t shown in those videos. I don’t like this pick for the Kings at all.
#14. Denzel Valentine to the Chicago Bulls.
This pick was an absolute steal for the Bulls. Denzel is one of the most skilled players in this entire draft in my opinion. If you watch any of his games you will see that he has a game similar to Joe Johnson or even better. He has extreme potential to be an amazing player in this league. Amazing pick by the Bulls.
#15. Juan Hernangómez to the Denver Nuggets.
Juan is an extremely skilled basketball player, also he is very unique. He is tall at 6 foot 9 inches, but he is very athletic and speedy for his height. It might be a questionable pick to some, but I definitely see what the Nuggets see in Juan. Risky, but Good Pick by the Denver Nuggets.
That’s all for Part 1! If you enjoyed tell me on Twitter @LegendaryAndre3, or check out the websites Twitter @TheLastTimeout. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you soon.
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