2016 NBA Draft: The Year Of The High-Level Role Player
The 2016 NBA Draft has star potential at the very top, but the limitations are clear. Yet, an overarching feeling of optimism persists. Why?
Ben Simmons has drawn comparisons to LeBron James, Brandon Ingram to Kevin Durant, and Dragan Bender to Dirk Nowitzki. Beyond that trio, the likes of Jaylen Brown, Kris Dunn, and Jamal Murray have all been referred to as potential All-Stars.
Throw in reigning National Player of the Year Buddy Hield, and this draft class has strong potential.
The general consensus about the 2016 NBA Draft, however, is that the star potential is limited. There’s a sense of optimism about some of the talent at the top, but in most instances, those players are projected as starting-caliber, but not star-caliber, players.
And that’s okay.
Scattered throughout the 2016 NBA Draft are prospects with specialized skills and NBA-caliber athleticism. Few are showing signs of potential stardom, but many have the tools to develop into starting-caliber players.
And that’s what 2016 is: the year of the high-level role player.
Modern Big Men
The modern NBA big man isn’t a post player who can defend with their length, strength, and footwork. Instead, the modern NBA big man is an athlete who can run the floor, work the pick-and-roll, and defend from the help side.
True to form, there are an abundance of athletic big man to be found throughout the 2016 NBA Draft.
At power forward, the likes of Marquese Chriss, Deyonta Davis, and Skal Labissiere all project to be lottery picks. All three of those players are raw, but have the desired combination of athleticism, prowess as a shot-blocker, and potential as a shooter.
Beyond that trio, the likes of Cheick Diallo, Brice Johnson, Damian Jones, Thon Maker, and Ante Zizic have all received first-round grades on the strength of their athletic gifts.
Despite the modernization of the interior positions, grind-it-out post players who can dominate the glass remain at a premium. Thus, Jakob Poeltl‘s Top 10 grade, Domantas Sabonis‘ Top 20 projection, and Ben Bentil‘s recent rise up draft boards.
There may not be a list of future All-Stars to be found in this crop of big men, but the starting-caliber talent is undeniable.
Shooters In Abundance, Part I
The modern NBA depends more heavily on the 3-point field goal than ever before. 13 teams attempted at least 2,000 3-point field goals in 2015-16, which is as significant a development as any in NBA history.
For perspective, no team eclipsed 2,000 3-point field goal attempts in 2011-12, and just three reached the mark in 2012-13.
In accordance to those changes, the 2016 NBA Draft is nothing if not a haven for quality shooters. Buddy Hield, Brandon Ingram, and Jamal Murray are the big names, but there are marksmen to be found throughout this draft class.
In other words, there are players with an NBA-caliber skill to be found throughout this draft class.
The likes of Wade Baldwin IV, Malik Beasley, Furkan Korkmaz, Patrick McCaw, Malachi Richardson, and Denzel Valentine are all rising up draft boards with the 3-ball as their failsafe. Other shooters, including Malcolm Brogdon, Isaia Cordinier, Caris LeVert, and Wayne Selden Jr., are turning heads in Round 2.
To take it a step further than this draft class possessing quality shooters, 2016 is flush with NBA-caliber players who can shoot.
Shooters In Abundance, Part II: Stretch 4
As previously alluded to, the NBA has fallen in love with the 3-point field goal. Perimeter players are the main beneficiaries of that movement, but the evolution of the sport has birthed the highly influential stretch 4.
One of the true highlights of the 2016 NBA Draft is the presence of big men who can space the floor.
In the lottery, the likes of Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, and Henry Ellenson are all projected to excel as stretch 4s. Deyonta Davis and Skal Labissiere have the mechanics to develop that range, which plays a factor in their lottery status.
Beyond that group of five is a group of intriguing power forwards who can shoot the 3-ball.
International players such as Petr Cornelie, Juan Hernangomez, and Zhou Qi are surfacing on the first-round bubble. Ben Bentil, Joel Bolomboy, and Robert Carter are all attracting attention in the second round, as well.
It’s entirely possible that a grand total of zero of those players makes an All-Star Game appearance, but big men who can space the floor are nothing if not valuable.
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And that’s the story of this entire draft class: with or without star potential, there are high-level role players to be found and developed in both rounds.