# 2016 Draft Boards



## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

It's getting to be that time of year, so I thought I would start the festivities with my personal top ten so far:


*Brandon Ingram*- He needs about 30 pounds or so, but he shoots so well and is surprisingly strong for the size. Way too much upside
*Ben Simmons*- He hasn't shot as well in college, so I have to knock him down a spot. But can run an offense out of the 4 spot.
*Jamal Murray*- Combo guard that can score from everywhere on the floor. He's atop my Boston wishlist at the moment.
*Kris Dunn*- Ridiculous handles, shoots well enough from distance to keep defenses honest.
*Jaylen Brown*- I'm still skeptical, but he's growing on me. Makes fewer boneheaded plays now than a few months ago. So I think that Stevens can get the best out of him.
*Skal Labissiere*- Another one that's kept improving. A project to be sure, but it now looks like he's worth the wait after his early season deer in the headlights performance.
*Buddy Hield*- Defense, shooting, scoring. Not much more you can ask of your two guard. Also, he's a gym rat that's actually improved (you hear the gym rat compliment thrown around about lots of guys, who mysteriously never seem to add to their game, Buddy, on the other hand, has. Point, Buddy.)
*Henry Ellenson*- Sorry, I have an obligation to cheer for the Marquette guys.
*Jakob Poeltl *- I don't think he's a great player, but I think he's going to be a rock solid NBA starting center for the next 10-12 years.
*Kay Felder*- I know he's projected to go in the second round, but in a decade's time when people look back at overall productivity, I think he'll rate out as the 9th-12th best player in this pool.


----------



## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

My ten sleeper picks list. These are guys not altogether on the radar that have the highest upside that I can see, but I'm not willing to put them on my top ten/twenty list (this is my way of saying that Kay Felder is so good that he doesn't belong on this list even though he will probably be available in the second round).


*Benjamin Bentil*- He's basically just gotten better every single month. He shoots well, and has decent range on the shot. Enough that he should be able to be a modern stretch 4 that can defend out on the perimeter. A lot will depend on how he measures out, but I think that if he returned to school he'd be a guaranteed top 8 in 2017 (unless he's actually like 6'7" in shoes).
*Dwayne Bacon*- Another player who might have less than ideal measurables. Not highly recruited coming out of high school, really needs to work on the shot, and probably just a SG, even in the new smallball NBA. That being said the shot mechanics aren't broken, he really needs to refine the shot more than rebuild it, and has a motor. The sort of guy that if he kept going back to school would be the Buddy Hield of the 2018 draft.
*Malcolm Brogdon*- He's little on the old side at 23, but has a long career in front of him as a three and D guy in the NBA. One of those Courtney Lee types, only with fewer mental lapses, that will just keep giving teams that already have their stars in place solid wing play. As an added bonus has enough size and length to give you spot minutes at the SF spot.
*Tyler Ulis*- If he were built like an NFL running back (like Kay Felder) I'd be tempted to put him on my top 20. As it is I'm not sure he has the size to take a starter's pounding in the NBA. I do think he'll be a great change of pace PG off the bench, though.
*Cheik Diallo*- An horrific freshman year at Kansas. Rawer than steak tartare, but I am choosing to write off the lost season as a Kansas thing. Kansas views itself as an NBA minor league team and don't seem to waste a lot of time on developing players. It's best that he goes to a good team to mentor under someone like Al Horford because Diallo has the physicals to be an NBA terror.
*Melo Trimble*- On a team that has its stars at other spots Trimble is sort of the ideal supporting cast point guard. Not obtrusive, gets the ball where it needs to be, and doesn't hurt you on either end of the floor.
*Brice Johnson*- A guy that will reap the benefits of the new smallball era that's been ushered while he was at UNC. Was a rail thin trackthlete when he arrived at UNC, put on around 50-55 pounds, but looked slow when he was playing at 235-240. Played at 225-230 this year and has a lot more bounce. He may not be starter material, but he has a long future ahead of him as a bench depth swing forward.
*Wayne Selden*- Another guy that should never have set foot in Kansas. He's finally stabilized this year, the threes are finally falling, and the blockheaded plays that marked his unheralded freshman campaign are finally starting to go down. I don't think he's going to ever live up to his high school billing, but as an athletic 6'5" 230lb player with a solid wingspan I think he's going to go a long way as a bench depth swingman.
*Malik Newman*- Combo guard with less than ideal physicals (not overly strong, not overly long). But that's why he's going to go in the second round. His upside is something like Lou Williams, but that's not a bad get in the middle second.
*Tim Quarterman*- The other guy at LSU. A long combo guard that shows some promise as an offensive QB. I doubt he ever cracks a starting lineup in the NBA without the assistance of injuries, but he's another guy that I can see having a ten year career in the NBA.


----------



## 29380 (Feb 23, 2009)

After the top-2(3?) this draft is pretty meh in my opinion, I still like Simmons over Ingram and would have Dunn 3rd. Dragan Bender struggled at the start of his 1st season playing vs men but has improved would probably still take him 4th even with buyout concerns. I'm still not sure I like Hield as a top-10 pick but this draft is weak enough that you can take a chance on his shooting translating. I like Skal but would probably not put him in the top-10 right now, Cal has used him incorrectly and the shot blocking is nice but too much of a project. Bacon was a 5-star who was 20 before his freshman season, also not a Selden fan 6-4/6-5 forward that lacks quickness who shooting I don't buy(shooting 59% at the FT line).

5 sleepers I like:

1. Gary Payton II
2. AJ Hammons 
3. Chinanu Onuaku
4. Dorian Finney-Smith	
5. Chris Boucher


----------



## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

I like Selden as depth alone. He's one of those guys that I don't think ever starts absent injuries. He would be a terrible starter, but as backup wing? He's fine. Teams don't get all stars in bench roles. You get roleplayers.

Of my sleeper list the one guy that I think has all star upside is Bentil, but that's assuming he really is 6'9". Aside from that he might be more roleplayer material. The rest of them are strictly depth/other guy on the floor level players. Just guys that are going to fall in the 21-50 range.


----------



## 29380 (Feb 23, 2009)

I don't think there is a chance Bentil 6-9 _maybe_ 6-8, two or three years ago I would have complete written him off but tweeners have had a better success rate lately.


----------



## 29380 (Feb 23, 2009)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/709485596939567104
Going to be a lot of these test the water types due to the new rule


----------



## UD40 (May 12, 2005)

Joel Bolomboy needs a spot on any and all sleepers list.

Wait till June and thank me later.


----------



## ChrisWoj (May 17, 2005)

29380 said:


> I don't think there is a chance Bentil 6-9 _maybe_ 6-8, two or three years ago I would have complete written him off but tweeners have had a better success rate lately.


The reason so many of these "tweeners" are succeeding in bigger roles is because NBA teams are measuring their effective size using arm length instead of flat height. A guy can have an extra quarter inch on the neck and dome and suddenly he's half an inch taller than another guy that may have a standing reach that is superior by an inch or two. The real question is - does he have true length?

(and of course, depending on your particular skillset as a forward/tweener - can he put on the muscle to hold his space)


----------



## 29380 (Feb 23, 2009)

ChrisWoj said:


> The reason so many of these "tweeners" are succeeding in bigger roles is because NBA teams are measuring their effective size using arm length instead of flat height. A guy can have an extra quarter inch on the neck and dome and suddenly he's half an inch taller than another guy that may have a standing reach that is superior by an inch or two. The real question is - does he have true length?
> 
> (and of course, depending on your particular skillset as a forward/tweener - can he put on the muscle to hold his space)


I think its has more to do with the downsizing of the league(Draymond) and the improvement in skill development(Butler, Middleton, Crowder).


----------



## ChrisWoj (May 17, 2005)

29380 said:


> I think its has more to do with the downsizing of the league(Draymond) and the improvement in skill development(Butler, Middleton, Crowder).


Some agreement - but that downsizing has been facilitated by the length. How many of these 'rangy' downsized 4s don't have a hell of a wing span? Green's a great example - his wingspan is 7.5 inches longer than his height. He's 6'5.75 without shoes with a 7'1.25 wingspan. And he doesn't play nearly as well at the four if he doesn't have that reach both vertically and laterally (which helps keep him out in front on switches to 3's).

This downsizing can't happen without the length to be placed at a severe rebounding and defensive disadvantage - you're only as effective as the balls you can reach. Whether that's horizontal on a dribble drive or in the passing lanes, or vertically playing in the post.

You can say chicken or egg, but I don't think it happens without the focus on a different measurement as key to what a player can actually do on the floor.


----------



## Mrs. Thang (Apr 14, 2011)

I'm apparently way out on an island here but I think Denzel Valentine should be one of the first five college players drafted. I would definitely take Simmons and Ingram over him and after that I would have him in the mix. He's the best 3-point shooting SF in the draft and also the best point guard in college ball. He won't be able to play the point at the NBA level but high-IQ, slick passing, knock-down shooting forwards are what make pace and space offenses work and he's just fantastic in all regards. He's like a fusion of Evan Turner with Doug McDermott.


----------



## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

Ben Simmons holding a sneaker deal summit is leaving me with an uneasy feeling about him as a player.


----------



## 29380 (Feb 23, 2009)

I don't know why it would most lotto picks do.


----------



## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

Most lottery picks don't hold public summits.


----------



## 29380 (Feb 23, 2009)

E.H. Munro said:


> Most lottery picks don't hold public summits.


What do you mean by a public summit? That the knowledge of when the pitch meetings are taking place is public knowledge or is there something else?


----------



## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

My sleeper is Thon Maker to be a top 20 pick.


----------



## Bogg (May 4, 2009)

In an unusual set of circumstances, only four teams have first-round picks this year. The GMs of Boston, Philly, Phoenix, and Denver are just going to stand on the stage during the telecast and pick guys out of the invited prospects seated at the table by the stage, schoolyard-style. Should be an interesting night.


----------



## scdn (Mar 31, 2011)

Toronto has 2 1sts too.


----------



## Bogg (May 4, 2009)

scdn said:


> Toronto has 2 1sts too.


Toronto should be trying like hell to trade up with Phoenix and grab some Derozan insurance if Boston (or whoever Boston trades the pick to) takes Bender at 3. Even if it takes both their 2016 firsts _and_ both their 2017 firsts, it'd probably be worth it to put Jamal Murray next to Lowry (or in a best-case scenario, behind both Lowry and Derozan).


----------



## scdn (Mar 31, 2011)

I don't see Murray being worth 4 1sts.


----------



## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

scdn said:


> I don't see Murray being worth 4 1sts.


#9 and three picks in the 20s for Murray is definitely lopsided. In Toronto's favour.


----------

