Who doesn’t love the NBA draft? Finding the diamond in the rough is what makes it so exciting. Not to mention there is also a plethora of busts that us fans can sit back and wonder; why the hell did they draft him? For example, (sorry Grizzlies fans) the Memphis Grizzlies thought Hasheem Thabeet would become a better basketball player than Stephen Curry, James Harden, Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday, and Jeff Teague. Yes, those are most of the notable names from the 2009 draft class. Yes, Thabeet was selected before all of them. Just a minor drafting failure.
Let’s look back a few years and spot out the steals. The respect I have for these players is unmatched. Being a mid-to-late second round pick in the NBA is basically the death sentence as few survive to play in the league. In 2014, Nikola Jokic (pick #41) and Jordan Clarkson (pick #46) were selected in the second round and both ended the season as starting players for their respective teams. Name the next notable second round picks, you say? How about one of the top players in fantasy, Draymond Green, who was a second round pick in 2012 or if that’s not impressive enough how about the league’s best shot blocker Hassan Whiteside who was a second round pick back in 2010? As for last season’s draft, Jordan Mickey will be the best pick of the second round and you can quote me on that one.
1. Done Deal
Reports have already surfaced that Ben Simmons has been informed that he will be taken by the 76ers as the number one overall pick. Before the report, the basketball community was 99.99% sure the 76ers were drafting the 6-foot-10 forward out of LSU. Simmons is oozing potential and after one workout, the 76ers, as well as many other scouts, believe they have found the second coming of LeBron James.
Simmons’ game tape shows extreme athleticism, exceptional passing skills, and an ability to score around the rim with ease. Though basketball is a team sport, many questioned his leadership and ability to take over as LSU could not make it into the NCAA tournament. He also has a very questionable jump shot, no three point shot and his free throw shooting percentage is sitting at a weak 67-percent. He has the skill set and potential to be a star in the league but without a steady jump shot, teams will figure him out quickly. Once he establishes his jumper, it won’t be long before Simmons becomes a force in the NBA, but until then, I expect struggles early on from the Aussie.
While most knew Simmons would be selected by the Sixers, his fantasy value obviously remains in question. Last season, Karl Anthony-Towns was being drafted as the 53rd overall player and now he’s locked in as a first round pick for fantasy. Simmons will most likely be drafted with roughly the same ADP, if not higher. Simmons has triple-double potential every time he hits the floor and he should play heavy minutes, especially if Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor is traded. He may come out of the gates running in Philly this season and he will be a very interesting pick in fantasy drafts this season.
2. Boston’s Draft
As a Celtics fan, this will be written with absolutely zero bias-- however, this is Boston’s draft, better yet their offseason. They have the cap space to sign two max deals, have eight draft picks and already have a solid core. Celtics GM Danny Ainge has never been shy when it comes to trading, and rumors have been swirling over a potential Okafor/Noel trade for the number three overall pick. There is absolutely no reason to keep eight draft picks, considering they would only keep four or so. A trade will go down, but it may be a later pick. All eyes will be on Boston as the top two picks are basically solidified. The C’s could trade the pick or draft any of the players you’ve seen in any recent mock draft. You’re welcome for clearing that situation up. In all seriousness, it’s unpredictable but will serve as the kick starter to what should be a very entertaining draft night.
I’ll do my best to highlight one of the more likely scenarios. IF, the Celtics do not trade the pick, I expect Jaylen Brown from Cal to be drafted by Ainge and company. He’s very gifted athletically, as most top prospects tend to be, except he’s only 19 and has the body of a full-grown man. Draft profiles note his lack of consistency and focus can hinder his potential to be a top player in the NBA. However, when a player is only 19 years old, they have years to grow and improve. I also expect the signing of Al Horford in the off-season, but this is all contingent on draft day trades of course. To be completely honest, a 30 year-old Horford may not be my top option but he fits Danny’s ideal scenario, a big man who can stretch the floor and has exceptional passing skills.
Brown has worked out numerous times for the Celtics thus far and those in the organization have been heaping praise on the young forward. He may not be going there in mock drafts, but it’s undoubtedly a possibility.
3. Kevin Durant 2.0?
Brandon Ingram is essentially the sure fire number two pick heading into the 2016 draft. Very few have doubts about Ingram’s or Simmons’ long term success, as both have incredible upside. Ingram has a very similar draft profile to Kevin Durant’s back in 2007. Ingram weighs less than me, he’s 6-foot-9 195 lbs, I measure out at 6-foot-3, 205. Obviously he is mainly built of muscle, and I am not. You get the point. No 6-foot-9 pro athlete should ever weigh less than 200 pounds. I’m sure he’s tired of hearing that as he’s been hounded for his weight since he declared for the draft. The NBA coaches do not mess around and he will need to put on a significant amount of weight over the remainder of this off season and continue the trend in the following off-season.
Aside from obvious weight concerns, he lacks some athleticism. Twenty years ago, this wouldn’t have necessarily been as large a concern, but with guys like Russell Westbrook in the league, athleticism is becoming increasingly more important to scouts. Exceptional talents like Dirk Nowitzki and the Gasol brothers have defied the theory that athleticism is king, but they are a rare breed.
Ingram has the perfect size in terms of height and wingspan for a small forward. His standing reach? The same as Pistons center Andre Drummond. Wow. He also has one of the quickest releases out of all players currently in the NBA, which helps when defenses are closing in on the shooter. Scouts say he has the smoothest jumper in the draft and even argue he should be the number one overall pick as his main concern is weight and lateral quickness while Simmons has a broken jumper. Ingram seems to be the most NBA ready prospect in terms of skill set and size so it would be quite the surprise if the Lakers were to shy away from him, the next potential Kevin Durant.
4. The Internet Phenom
This draft is generating plenty of buzz between picks 3-10, but late round prospects are flying a little bit under the radar. There is one select player who has been in the spotlight earlier in the season due to a multitude of reasons. If you have any social media account, the name Thon Maker probably rings a bell. Maker blew up the internet with insane handles, a smooth stroke and complete and utter domination.
He was listed at 216 pounds. To put that into perspective, that’s two pounds heavier than Golden State shooting guard Klay Thompson. Though according to recent reports, he has “bulked” up to around 225 pounds. If he wants to be able to play in the league, he HAS to gain at least 20-30 pounds. Otherwise, guys like DeMarcus Cousins, Karl Anthony-Towns, and Anthony Davis will bulldoze him in the paint.
Maker is the first prospect to enter the draft out of high school since 2005. Many teams are worried the domination and skill set was shown because the low level of competition. Very rarely do we centers possess the ability to dribble and shoot and Maker showed both but again, at the high school level. He turned 19 in late February and he’s well worth a flier for any NBA team in need of a big man in the middle. He has tantalizing upside but, of course, he’s also loaded with an equal amount of bust potential. But that’s why he’s a late first/early second round prospect. You may hear his name a lot if you even remotely follow the D-League and he could very well take the league by storm. Do me a favor -- hop on YouTube and search his name, watch and enjoy the domination over helpless high schoolers. If you have a heart, you will feel bad for these kids, I can promise you that.