Draft Analysis: NBA Draft Winners and Losers
The 2016 NBA Draft is done, and everyone still seems to be recovering from what was one of the wildest draft nights in recent memory, with unexpected, sometimes inexplicable, picks being made all night long.
Obviously, how much of this plays out won’t be known for years, but based on a combination of needs, player value, and pick value, here are my early Winners and Losers from draft night:
Winners
Philadelphia – The night could have gotten much bigger if any of the rumored deals between Boston and the Sixers worked out, but the team still did quite well with keeping their three pick, including the top selection, Ben Simmons. Simmons’s ability to handle the ball, create, and pass will make whatever players the Sixers surround him with even better. I’m not as high as many seem to be on European players Timothe Luwawu and Furkan Korkmaz, but getting them in the late first round is a great value. The Sixers have been doing a good job in the draft the past few years, but now it’s time to put it all together.
Phoenix – The Suns were in need of a big who could stretch the floor, and ended up coming away with two top prospects who fit the bill and can make a future impact. At number four, Phoenix was able to land Croatian teenage Dragan Bender, and after a deal with Sacramento, grabbed Washington’s Marquese Chriss at number eight. Bender’s skill and Chriss’ athleticism should both fit in well for the Suns’ future. Phoenix was also able to grab Kentucky point guard Tyler Ulis in the early second round, and though very small, he could be a long-term back-up for them.
Atlanta – The names aren’t going to wow a lot of people, but the Hawks added some very good depth and defense on the wing with Taurean Prince and DeAndre Bembry. Both should be in position to move into the rotation quickly with their experience, and could make the idea of losing Kent Bazemore in free agency a little easier to handle.
Brooklyn – When you’ve hit rock bottom, there really is no harm in swinging for the fences, and that what the Nets seemed to do at number twenty, the pick they received from Indiana in the Thaddeus Young deal, picking Michigan guard Caris LeVert. LeVert is a lottery-level talent, but injuries the past two years derailed his college career. If he can stay healthy, his versatile offensive game will play well at the NBA level. The Nets also made a great selection at forty-two, grabbing hometown product Isaiah Whitehead, a dynamic guard who can be an instant upgrade to a shallow Nets’ backcourt.
Memphis –As this wild draft played out, a lot of talent was dropping, and no team took advantage of that like the Grizzlies, getting two projected lottery picks at seventeen and thirty-one. Wade Baldwin may not be a Mike Conley replacement, but his versatile skill set and defensive potential at the point guard position will make him a very good back-up. Michigan State freshman Deyonta Davis is raw, but athletic, and has potential as stretch four and rim protector.
Golden State – Odds are that Festus Ezeli will command more in free agency than the Warriors will want to pay, so Golden State may have landed his possible replacement in another Vanderbilt center, Damian Jones. Jones’ effort and awareness were certainly questionable, and recent surgery will keep him out of action for a while, but the potential on the defensive side is well worth the last pick of the first round. The Warriors then moved into the second round and landed versatile guard Patrick McCaw, a super athlete with a lot of potential on both ends of the floor.
New Orleans – The Pelicans instantly filled a hole in their backcourt with the top long-range shooter in the draft, Buddy Hield. Hield is more than a shooter though, and his ability to attack the basket, and even create a bit out of the pick-and-roll, should surprise some people. In the second round, the Pelicans added a high potential big in Cheick Diallo, a raw, athletic forward who can run the floor, rebound, and block shots.
Los Angeles Lakers – The Lakers didn’t have to do much, but waited at number two, landed Brandon Ingram, and instantly added the team’s best player. A much better job than grabbing D’Angelo Russell in the same spot last year. They then were able to add a young big man in Ivica Zubac, who has great size and emerging skill on the offensive end, in the early second round.
Losers
Boston – Boston controlled this draft coming in, holding three first-round and five second-round picks, but they desperately wanted a deal to add an experienced player, which they couldn’t pull the trigger on. The talent they accumulated in the draft isn’t necessarily bad, but Jaylen Brown is a risk at number three, especially after showing very little as a college freshman, and the two international players they took in the first round, Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic, while maybe decent additions to the frontcourt down the road, are not likely to make any real impact. Boston did get a steal in the second round when Demetrius Jackson, a potential mid-first round pick, fell to them at forty-five, but another smallish point guard is not what they need. The one second round pick who could end up making an impact is stretch four Ben Bentil, a terrific long-range shooter and transition scorer.
Sacramento – Sacramento had a gift fall into their lap at number eight when Marquese Chriss was available, and it seemed they made the right move taking the local product, but they traded him away in a deal with Phoenix. In return they ended up with two picks, which they used on big men Georgios Papagiannis, a Greek big man who is young and has good size, but has never really shown much. At twenty-eight, they gave a gift to Kentucky coach John Calipari, who was working the phones desperately to get someone to select Skal Labissiere. Labissiere has a lot of potential as a stretch four, but his one season at Kentucky showed he was barely ready for college, let alone the NBA. I did like the Kings grabbing Malachi Richardson at twenty-two, an athletic young win scorer with freakish length. Another raw player, but his play in the NCAA Tournament showed he won’t shy from the bright lights. The Kings may have also gotten a steal at fifty-nine in Oklahoma point guard Isaiah Cousins. There’s a need there and he may be able to play as a back-up right away.
Milwaukee – Thon Maker. Number ten. More power to Milwaukee if this works out, but it seems they are trying to catch the Antetokounmpo-lightning in the bottle for a second time by going for a high upside, but raw, big man, but the question marks surrounding Maker make this just seem like a wasted pick. The Bucks did bounce back a bit in the second round with Malcolm Brogdon, a steady shooting guard and high-level defender.
New York – Phil Jackson said he expected to get into this draft, and it could have been a great opportunity with all the talent falling, but not a peep was heard from the Knicks all night.
