2016 NBA Draft Results: Team Grades and Analysis of Top Prospects
The 2016 NBA draft proved, once again, that things rarely go according to plan in the league’s annual rookie selection event.
A host of teams picking in the 10-to-20 range made surprising reaches, prompting major free falls for some projected lottery and mid-first-round picks. All in all, it was an entertaining evening that saw several teams nail their picks, others do the very opposite and many squads having mixed results.
Let’s review the results and grade each team that selected picks on their draft-night haul. Afterward, we’ll analyze the smartest lottery picks after the obvious top two of Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram.
| Atlanta Hawks | C | SF Taurean Prince (via Utah), SG/SF DeAndre Bembry, SG Isaia Cordinier |
| Boston Celtics | B+ | SF Jaylen Brown, PF Guerschon Yabusele, C Ante Zizic, PG Demetrius Jackson, PF Ben Bentil, PF Abdel Nader |
| Brooklyn Nets | C+ | SG Caris Levert (via Indiana), SG Isaiah Whitehead (via Utah) |
| Charlotte Hornets | N/A | |
| Chicago Bulls | B | SG/SF Denzel Valentine, SF Paul Zipser |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | B | PG Kay Felder (via Atlanta) |
| Dallas Mavericks | C | C A.J. Hammons |
| Denver Nuggets | B+ | PG/SG Jamal Murray, PF Juan Hernangomez, SG Malike Beasley, PF Petr Cornelie |
| Detroit Pistons | A- | PF Henry Ellenson, SF Michael Gbinije |
| Golden State Warriors | B+ | C Damian Jones, SG Patrick McCaw (via Milwaukee) |
| Houston Rockets | B- | C Chinanu Onuaku, PF Zhou Qi |
| Indiana Pacers | B | SF Georges Niang |
| Los Angeles Clippers | A | PF Brice Johnson, PG David Michineau (via New Orleans), PF/C Diamond Stone (via New Orleans) |
| Los Angeles Lakers | A | SF Brandon Ingram, C Ivica Zubac |
| Memphis Grizzlies | A- | PG Wade Baldwin, PF/C Deyonta Davis (via Boston), SF Rade Zagorac, C Wang Zhelin |
| Miami Heat | N/A | |
| Milwaukee Bucks | D | PF Thon Maker, SG Malcolm Brogdon |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | B | PG Kris Dunn |
| New Orleans Pelicans | A | SG Buddy Hield, PF Cheick Diallo |
| New York Knicks | N/A | |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | A | PF Domantas Sabonis, SF Daniel Hamilton |
| Orlando Magic | C | C Steven Zimmerman |
| Philadelphia 76ers | A | SF/PF Ben Simmons, SF Timothe Luwawu, SG Furkan Korkmaz |
| Phoenix Suns | A- | PF Dragan Bender, PF Marquese Chriss (via Sacramento), PG Tyler Ulis |
| Portland Trail Blazers | C | C Jake Layman (via Orlando) |
| Sacramento Kings | C- | C Georgios Papagiannis (via Phoenix), SG Malachi Richardson (via Charlotte), PF/C Skal Labissiere (via Phoenix), SG Isaiah Cousins |
| San Antonio Spurs | A | PG/SG Dejounte Murray |
| Toronto Raptors | B+ | C Jakob Poeltl, PF Pascal Siakam |
| Utah Jazz | C | PF Joel Bolomboy, PG Marcus Paige, PG Tyrone Wallace |
| Washington Wizards | N/A |
Smartest Lottery Picks After Top Two
No. 4 (Phoenix Suns): Dragan Bender, PF, Croatia
Before the draft, Phoenix’s two best moves at No. 4 seemed to be Jaylen Brown or Dragan Bender, considering the team is already set at the guard spots. One or both of Brown and Bender was going to drop to them, but it wasn’t clear which it would be.
Boston taking Brown made Bender the smart choice for the Suns. The squad has Mirza Teletovic and Jon Leuer at power forward, but neither are full-time starter material. Bender can step into the Suns rotation immediately and play big minutes, stretching the floor and using his high basketball IQ to make smart plays with the ball and on defense.
One thing that made this selection a bit more confusing after the fact was Phoenix’s move to get the No. 8 pick and select Marquese Chriss. Both he and Bender are 18-year-old stretch 4s with boom-or-bust potential, so it was surprising that the Suns wanted both on their roster so badly.
However, a (somewhat) small lineup of Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, Devin Booker, Chriss and Bender could become lethal in a couple of seasons.
No. 6 (New Orleans Pelicans): Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma
The Pelicans probably would have preferred to draft Kris Dunn at this slot. His athleticism, playmaking ability and defense would have been a great fit with budding superstar Anthony Davis. However, the Timberwolves snatched up the two-way point guard one pick before New Orleans was able to select him.
Buddy Hield is a pretty great consolation prize, though. Remember, this is the guy who made 85 out of 100 three-pointers in a workout for the Celtics before the draft, per ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.
Hield should be an elite spot-up shooter from Day 1, which means he can work seamlessly in most of the Pelicans’ lineups. With a much less taxing offensive role in the NBA, we should also see his defensive abilities shine.
Don’t be surprised if the Pelicans’ inability to make the postseason in 2015-16 turns out to be just a one-year hiatus.
No. 7 (Denver Nuggets): Jamal Murray, PG/SG, Kentucky
The young Nuggets have one of the brightest futures among this season's lottery teams. They didn't really have a major positional need, though upgrading small forward may have been a good idea if one of the top ones were available at their selection.
But Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram and Jaylen Brown were off the board by the seventh pick, so Denver went with the prospect available. That was easily Jamal Murray.
The Kentucky freshman can play both guard positions, making him a potentially good piece in several of the Nuggets’ lineups. His mediocre athleticism will probably prevent him from becoming a superstar, but Denver would love an efficient 18-point scorer with serviceable defense.
Basically, it’s a great time to be a Nuggets fan. The squad has 25-and-unders Emmanuel Mudiay, Murray, Gary Harris, Malik Beasley, Will Barton, Juan Hernangomez, Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic and Joffrey Lauvergne leading the way into a new era in the Mile High City.
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