2016 NBA Re-Draft: The Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown Class
Paths traveled will collide with roads not taken when the Boston Celtics play host to the Philadelphia 76ers Thursday night. We are talking, of course, about the 2016 NBA draft.
Philly opted to take Ben Simmons, then the consensus top prospect, at No. 1 overall. We all know how that turned out. Boston, meanwhile, ended up with Jaylen Brown at No. 3, with an assist from the Brooklyn Nets.
More than eight seasons later, it feels like a good time to revisit that rookie class.
Standard re-drafting protocols apply. Players will be selected without regard for their team fits. Nearly a decade later, career resumes to date shape the order in which names come off the board, but we'll be factoring in long-term outlooks as well.
1. Philadelphia 76ers: Jaylen Brown
1 of 30
Original Pick: Ben Simmons
Jaylen Brown's Original Draft Position: No. 3
Much like current Boston Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown's impact routinely gets downplayed because of the wildly talented infrastructure around him.
Even now, with four All-Star selections, one All-NBA bid and an NBA Finals MVP under his belt, he doesn't receive the same reflexive stardom recognition afforded to many of his peers. This to some extent comes with the territory as a No. 2 option. Too often, though, he's portrayed as a scorer who's neither efficient nor dynamic enough.
That's just not the case. His true shooting percentage could be higher, but dynamism is not something he lacks. In each of the previous four seasons, Brown has ranked in the 89th percentile or better of self-created shot-making efficiency, according to BBall-Index. And he has done so while regularly shouldering the heaviest defensive lifts of any legitimate top-five redraft candidate.
2. Los Angeles Lakers: Pascal Siakam
2 of 30
Original Pick: Brandon Ingram
Pascal Siakam's Original Draft Position: No. 27
Second overall should come down to Domantas Sabonis or Pascal Siakam at this stage. The latter wins out by virtue of versatility.
Sabonis is the better overall passer, more efficient scorer and now incorporates more threes into his shot diet. But Siakam can be used in more ways as a bucket-getter and, potentially, even a facilitator. His self-creation scales to more play types, and he does a majority of his work against tougher defenders as a result.
Defensive value serves as a differentiator if you're on the fence or find yourself tilting toward Sabonis on offense (which is fair). Siakam isn't a shutdown rim protector or one-on-one stopper, but he can exist within—and even elevate—a larger ecosystem. Aside from hitting the glass hard, Sabonis is more of a limiting factor at the less-glamorous end than anything else.
3. Boston Celtics: Domantas Sabonis
3 of 30
Original Pick: Jaylen Brown
Domantas Sabonis' Original Draft Position: No. 11
Please do not mistake Pascal Siakam going No. 2 as anti-Domantas Sabonis propaganda. Landing inside the top three is meant to act as the opposite.
People gravitate toward Sabonis' flaws—which are real and require an ultra-specific supporting cast around him. But there should be no denying his value as a viable offensive hub, rebounding machine and general ironman.
Sabonis is 20th in total minutes played since entering the league. More impressively, he is about to clear 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists with a 60 or better effective field-goal percentage—combined measure of two- and three-point efficiency—for the third time in his career.
The only player with more of these seasons on their resume? Nikola Jokić.
4. Phoenix Suns: Jamal Murray
4 of 30
Original Pick: Dragan Bender
Jamal Murray's Original Draft Position: No. 7
Jamal Murray is so often spotlighted for his flaws—mainly his inconsistency, availability and stamina and dependence on Nikola Jokić.
For all of these faults and foibles, though, he is a proven tough-shot maker, someone who has turned in monumental performances and moments, at both ends, on the NBA's biggest stage. The Denver Nuggets do not win their 2023 title without him.
More than that, his bandwidth for bucket-getting may officially be underappreciated.
Murray has rated no lower than the 88th percentile in self-created shot-making efficiency through each of his past four seasons, per BBall Index. And over the past five years, Jalen Brunson, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are the only other players averaging at least 20 points and five assists while downing 40 percent or more of their triples.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Brandon Ingram
5 of 30
Original Pick: Kris Dunn
Brandon Ingram's Original Draft Position: No. 2
Brandon Ingram has gradually morphed into one of the NBA's divisive players. This is often, and incorrectly, conflated with his becoming more of a detriment than asset.
Since the Los Angeles Lakers traded him away, he is averaging around 23 points and five assists while converting more than 50 percent of his twos and 37 percent of his threes. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell are the only others matching those benchmarks during this span.
Adaptability nevertheless dulls his star in contrast to the four players who go before him.
Coaxing the right shots out of him can be a chore, though it's historically not impossible. It remains to be seen whether he can adequately impact the game off the ball or within the flow of an offense rather than dictating the terms of it. Seesawing defensive performances aren't doing him any favors, either.
At age 27 and with a fresh start in Toronto, he has time to gain ground on pretty much anyone in front of him. For now, it's hard to justify investing in him over Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, Domantas Sabonis or Jamal Murray.
6. New Orleans Pelicans: Fred VanVleet
6 of 30
Original Pick: Buddy Hield
Fred VanVleet's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Undersized and undrafted, Fred VanVleet has zero business being this good. And yet, he is, in fact, this good.
He will always leave much to be desired as a finisher and from-scratch shot-maker. He offsets those gaps with defensive energy and execution that belies his size, a lethal comfort working off the ball and an underrated mix of reads as a live-dribble playmaker.
It also says a great deal about VanVleet's enduring value that even as he navigates one of his more inefficient-shooting seasons, the fourth-best team in the Western Conference is better at both ends when he's on the court.
7. Denver Nuggets: Ben Simmons
7 of 30
Original Pick: Jamal Murray
Ben Simmons' Original Draft Position: No. 1
Placing Ben Simmons verges on impossible. When healthy, he can still make things happen as a passer and defender, both on and away from the ball. But his peak is most likely behind him, forcing us to weight what was for him versus what still is and could be for others.
The 28-year-old's pinnacle is high enough in the end to stick the top-seven landing. It isn't just that he made two All-Defense squads and an All-NBA team. He was at one point talked about as a potential top-10 star. He has two top-five Defensive Player of the Year finishes and ended up 12th on the MVP leaderboard in 2020-21.
Health and a failure to materially expand his offensive horizons undermined Simmons' shot at sustainable superstardom. That he was ever, at all, on this track is not something we can ignore.
8. Sacramento Kings: Dejounte Murray
8 of 30
Original Pick: Marquese Chriss
Dejounte Murray's Original Draft Position: No. 29
Dejounte Murray's 2024-25 season from hell casts a pall over how we treat his future value as part of a re-draft. Injuries limited him to just 31 mostly unmemorable games, and he must now recover from a torn right Achilles.
Still, he has more than a half-decade's worth of fringe stardom working in his favor.
He may have enjoyed an inflated defensive reputation prior to his time in Atlanta and New Orleans, but his size and disruption are real assets on the less-glamorous end when he doesn't need to be the all-everything. And despite his existing offensive flaws, he has made strides as a half-court playmaker and scorer, including when stationed away from the ball.
Stashing someone who has basically averaged 20 points and seven assists for the past five seasons any lower than eighth, in this draft, requires us to believe the Achilles injury will nuke his utility. At 28 years old, Murray shouldn't be subject to that degree of doom and gloom.
9. Toronto Raptors: Ivica Zubac
9 of 30
Original Pick: Jakob Poeltl
Ivica Zubac's Original Draft Position: No. 32
Ivica Zubac is generally viewed as a high-impact screener, finisher and rebounder. That is (mostly) spot-on. And also sells him short.
The 27-year-old has offensive touch—and moves—that extends past the restricted area. His floor-running and play-finishing in transition remain underrated.
Most of all, he still doesn't receive enough credit for his body of work on defense. The share of shots he contests at the cup borders on absurd, and opponents typically get inside four feet waaay less often when he's on the floor. This year, specifically, he's a candidate to make an All-Defense team.
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Malcolm Brogdon
10 of 30
Original Pick: Thon Maker
Malcolm Brogdon's Original Draft Position: No. 36
Malcolm Brogdon, the Rookie of the Year for this draft class, has cobbled together quite the career.
What he lacks in conventional floor general-ing he more than makes up for with universal scalability. His long-range shooting, positional size and passing out of drives fit anywhere.
Checkered health bills along with limited athleticism have tamped down his resume. And at 32, his best days are likely behind him.
Those heydays, though, warrant a big-time salute.
From 2018-19 through last season, Brogdon averaged 17 points and five assists while drilling 39 percent of his 1,500-plus three-ball attempts—touchstones matched by only Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Tyrese Haliburton (entered the league in 2020-21).
11. Orlando Magic: Buddy Hield
11 of 30
Original Pick: Domantas Sabonis
Buddy Hield's Original Draft Position: No. 6
Jekyll-and-Hyde play since being traded away from the Indiana Pacers likely skews the current perception of Buddy Hield. And that's fair. But there is no arguing against his career-long value as a floor-spacer.
Golden State Warriors teammate Stephen Curry is the lone player who has swished more treys since 2016. And Hield's efficiency has, for the most part, held up across a variety of usages.
He is not merely a deadeye standstill shooter. He is someone who can fire off ultra-deep threes off motion, pinball around as a decoy, set screens, the whole nine. His performances feature stark contrasts between his peaks and valleys, but that variance has not prevented him from settling in as one of the Association's most lethal snipers.
12. Utah Jazz: Dorian Finney-Smith
12 of 30
Original Pick: Taurean Prince
Dorian Finney-Smith's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Defaulting to a more dynamic scorer in this spot is fair game. Dorian Finney-Smith has come to typify dependable three-and-D contributions but is neither a high-volume shooter nor someone who can do much beyond finish straight-line drives.
None of the prospective alternatives move the needle quite enough to displace him, though. Caris LeVert is tempting, but the spacing and defensive elements of his game only really started to pop during his final season-and-a-half in Cleveland.
Finney-Smith, on the other hand, is the quintessential fits-everywhere role player. His three-point clip has hovered above 37 percent for the past six years, and even as he has ambled into his 30s, he continues to take on some of his teams' toughest defensive assignments.
13. Phoenix Suns: Caris LeVert
13 of 30
Original Pick: Georgios Papagiannis
Caris LeVert's Original Draft Position: No. 20
Caris LeVert has not consistently turned in standout efficiency, but he's managed to effectively transcend the "microwave scorer" stereotype.
Changes in on-ball cadence over the years have rendered him more unpredictable whenever he attacks off the bounce. He has also pretty consistently been able to playmake whether he's drawing two to the ball on his drives or coming around screens.
Three-point shooting may always be a question mark. LeVert has never cleared 35 percent or better from deep in consecutive seasons. But if he keeps up this year's efficiency and defensive tenacity, he'll have a strong case for better placement the next time we revisit the 2016 draft class.
14. Chicago Bulls: Jakob Poeltl
14 of 30
Original Pick: Denzel Valentine
Jakob Poeltl's Original Draft Position: No. 9
Peak Jakob Poeltl has a top-10-pick case. His offensive floor navigation is high-IQ, he's quicker on defense and better on the glass than advertised, and the finishing he provides coming off screens extends to the mid-range area.
Putting him any higher nevertheless feels like a slight reach. His effectiveness as a rim protector has slipped over the past three years or so, and he's not going to drop many dimes outside standstill or hand-off situations. The free-throw shooting will also continue to force his teams into tough situations down the stretch of close games.
To be sure, this isn't meant as a total takedown. Poeltl's offensive connectivity, in particular, is invaluable within systems that call for off-ball movement and/or lack a proven half-court initiator on the perimeter.
15. Denver Nuggets: Alex Caruso
15 of 30
Original Pick: Juan Hernangomez
Alex Caruso's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Leaving Alex Caruso outside the lottery should qualify as re-draft treason of the highest order. He is among the hardest-nosed defenders of the past decade, a human eclipse who's impossible to screen and both strong and exhaustive enough to guard up the positional spectrum.
And yet, volume matters.
Caruso has only averaged north of 25 minutes per game twice, and his CV is peppered with stretches of limited availability. Relative reluctance to shoot threes at a frequent enough clip, as well as spotty efficiency from beyond the arc, also works against him when he's not a guard most teams can or should trust to direct the offense.
Everything Caruso does best is translatable. But there are situations in which what he does best has its limits or, positionally speaking, isn't totally tenable.
16. Derrick Jones Jr.
16 of 30
Original Pick: Guerschon Yabusele
Derrick Jones Jr.s' Original Draft Position: Undrafted
"Imagine where Derrick Jones Jr. would rank among the league's best players if he hit more of his threes" is a common refrain among basketball sickos. Right now, it's easier to imagine than ever.
Jones cleared 34 percent from deep with the Dallas Mavericks last year and then proceeded to knock down 36.9 percent of his triples in the playoffs. This season, with the Los Angeles Clippers, he exits the All-Star break banging in 36.8 percent of his treys.
Granted, Jones' volume isn't nearly high enough, nor his track record extensive enough, for rival teams to care. That drags down his playability in certain cases—and, in turn, his re-draft position—quite a bit. But even a hint of outside touch goes a long way when he's become a capable top-option defender, almost regardless of position, and someone who can contribute on offense as a screener and transition threat.
17. Memphis Grizzlies: Malik Beasley
17 of 30
Original Pick: Wade Baldwin IV
Malik Beasley's Original Draft Position: No. 19
Malik Beasley never sustained the peak into which he provided a glimpse during the 2020-21 campaign, when he averaged close to 20 points per game. And there have been times when it looked like his floor fell out from underneath him.
Over the past two years, though, he has reestablished himself as one of the Association's most potent marksmen.
This season, with the Detroit Pistons, he's downing nearly 42 percent of his triples on more than nine attempts per game. And for the past half-decade, he joins Stephen Curry, CJ McCollum and Klay Thompson as the only players converting 39 percent of their threes on eight or more looks per game.
18. Detroit Pistons: Taurean Prince
18 of 30
Original Pick: Henry Ellenson
Taurean Prince's Original Draft Position: No. 12
Taurean Prince garners demerits in mass for looking like someone who should be an elite defender but doesn't play like it. There have also been seasons during which he could win a "Trying to do too much, for no reason" award on offense.
In the aggregate, though, he's far from the biggest of disappointments.
No, he doesn't repeat top-12 billing here. But if you can pick up a 6'6" wing shooting over 38 percent from three for his career who routinely plays heavier minutes and takes on defensive assignments others cannot anywhere outside the top 10, it more than likely goes down as a victory.
19. Denver Nuggets: Georges Niang
19 of 30
Original Pick: Malik Beasley
Georges Niang's Original Draft Position: No. 50
All Georges Niang's teams do is win. And I'm only, like, five percent kidding.
Niang's squads have an overall winning percentage north of 66. And his teams have only lost more than they've won when he's played once (2016-17 Indiana Pacers). He is not what you'd call the driving force of this macro success, but his plug-and-play offensive scale set does meaningfully deepen frontcourt rotations. Especially during the regular season.
If he were more valuable in the playoffs/less limited on defense, his is a stock that skyrockets.
20. Indiana Pacers: Kris Dunn
20 of 30
Originals Pick: Caris LeVert
Kris Dunn's Original Draft Position: No. 5
All-Defense teams of years past would be littered with Kris Dunn cameos if he simply played more. The 30-year-old is a force of nature on the less-glamorous end.
No passing lane is safe with him in the game. His ball denial is unreal. And at 6'3", he is someone strong enough to tussle with certain forwards.
Of course, there is a reason his All-Defense resume remains empty. And it has nothing to do with his defense. Dunn's playing time is forever capped thanks to his limitations as a shooter and, more notably, playmaker.
21. Atlanta Hawks: Gary Payton II
21 of 30
Original Pick: DeAndre' Bembry
Gary Payton II's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Kris Dunn and Gary Payton II coming off the board back-to-back feels appropriate. Both the strengths and weaknesses of their games are eerily similar.
Payton has demonstrated more as a screener and off-ball mover. But Dunn is slightly bigger and younger and, more importantly, has proved more durable.
Make sure you're pouring one out for Payton anyway. Going from undrafted to No. 21 is a huge deal, and if he ever ferries any type of real catch-and-shoot volume from deep, the 32-year-old has a ceiling that's three or so spots higher.
22. Charlotte Hornets: Guerschon Yabusele
22 of 30
Original Pick: Malachi Richardson
Guerschon Yabusele's Original Draft Position: No. 16
Recency bias is winning out here. I make no apologies.
After a half-decade away from the NBA, Yabusele has returned as one of the highest-value minimum contracts of this past summer. He remains undersized relative to the usual big-man descriptions, but he's giving the Philadelphia 76ers quality—and much-needed—minutes at both frontcourt spots.
Yabusele's offensive form at times feels unrecognizable. He is sinking over 40 percent of his threes on nearly four attempts per game, getting behind defenses in transition, has more directionality to his handle and looks more comfortable navigating the half-court in tandem with another big.
If this becomes a big-picture normal, he'll enter top-20-redraft territory.
23. Boston Celtics: Danuel House Jr.
23 of 30
Original Pick: Ante Zizic
Danuel House's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
For a span of three seasons or so, Danuel House Jr. encapsulated much of what really good teams wanted in a three-and-D complement: a capacity to guard 2 through 4 and find nylon on his triples.
Things started unraveling for him before he was shipped out from the Houston Rockets, and injuries have only complicated matters. But the abbreviated window in which he shined is hardly atypical this deep into the 2016 draft class.
24. Philadelphia 76ers: Damion Lee
24 of 30
Original Pick: Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot
Damion Lee's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Damion Lee deserves a bump for being among the scant few names this deep into the draft still on an NBA roster.
At his apex, the away-from-the-ball movement and shot-making he delivered was likely undervalued. And he played just enough defense to check the three-and-D box, though his positional range wasn't quite that wide.
25. Los Angeles Clippers: David Nwaba
25 of 30
Original Pick: Brice Johnson
David Nwaba's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Color me a sucker for Javonte Green-types: Players who punch above their literal weight on defense and have shown at least the faintest ability to bury wide-open threes.
David Nwaba is on the periphery of that archetype. (He had some driving chops, too.) If not for his 2019 Achilles tear, he's someone who likely winds up sticking not just on an NBA roster, but also inside a rotation.
26. Philadelphia 76ers: Furkan Korkmaz
26 of 30
Original Pick: Furkan Korkmaz
Furkan Korkmaz's Original Draft Position: No. 26
Furkan Korkmaz ending up back on the Philadelphia 76ers in a re-draft is pretty hilarious. (If you know, you know.)
Shooters with size can almost always find a place in the NBA. Korkmaz never quite actualized the efficiency or volume end of the bargain, but rest assured, his defensive limitations did him in more than anything.
27. Toronto Raptors: Juan Hernangomez
27 of 30
Original Pick: Pascal Siakam
Juan Hernangómez's Original Draft Position: No. 15
Juan Hernangómez had no shortage of flashes as a shooter and slasher. He would surely drop buckets inside some of today's space-heavy offenses.
One-position forwards who provide little defensive resistance and don't torch twine at astronomical clips are increasingly viewed as liabilities. Hernangómez falls under that umbrella. But hey, at this stage, the pickings are slim.
28. Phoenix Suns: Bryn Forbes
28 of 30
Original Pick: Skal Labissière
Bryn Forbes' Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Bryn Forbes, who has not played in the NBA since 2022-23 after being arrested twice in one year on family violence charges, gets an end-of-the-round nod for his outside touch.
Through over 425 career games, he has converted 41 percent of his three-pointers. Aside from the occasional pull-up mid-ranger, though, his game never seriously branched out beyond that.
29. San Antonio Spurs: Damian Jones
29 of 30
Original Pick: Dejounte Murray
Damian Jones' Original Draft Position: No. 30
Damian Jones has never rebounded the ball particularly well for someone his size, but he can catch and finish around the basket and, at the other end, serve as a reasonable line of rim defense.
Snagging even a few seasons' worth of reserve-center minutes this late in the process qualifies as a victory. In this case, it's even a marginal upgrade from where Jones was initially selected.
30. Golden State Warriors: Yogi Ferrell
30 of 30
Original Pick: Damian Jones
Yogi Ferrell's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
For a couple of years, it looked like Yogi Ferrell would cement himself as one of the NBA's more viable backup guards. He had little trouble drilling spot-up treys and could make stuff happen for both himself and others when he got going downhill.
Inconstant shot-making and dearth of size, at 6'0", seemed to do him in. There may have been no overcoming the latter, even though he was pretty strong and willing to fight through screens on defense.
Also Considered: Marquese Chriss; Cheick Diallo; Shaquille Harrison; Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot; Thon Maker
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
Unless otherwise cited, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass. Salary information via Spotrac. Draft-pick obligations via RealGM.
