2016 NBA Draft: Previewing The Draft Order And Predictions

 The inaugural event of the 2016-17 season begins on June 23. What can be expected in the next NBA Draft?

The 2015-16 regular season ended with a bang Wednesday night.

The Golden State Warriors won their 73rd game, breaking the record previously held by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. In the same game, Stephen Curry made his 400th three-pointer, a number that may never be broken unless Curry breaks it himself.

Not to be outdone, Kobe Bryant decided to drop 60 points (albeit taking 50 shots) to wrap up an illustrious 20-year career. The Houston Rockets clinched a playoff spot to finalize the 16 playoff teams, which means that 14 teams will return home.

Now starts the full preparation for many franchises regarding the 2016 NBA Draft. Many fans will watch the playoffs, but many more will pour over the countless draft scenarios of their favorite team. The draft is a time for excitement, as the majority of stars and superstars are selected with these 60 picks. As an NBA fan, especially one of a franchise missing the playoffs, this is where hope begins anew.

With that in mind, let’s take a detailed look at the 2016 NBA Draft.

2016 NBA Draft

Date: June 23, 2016

Time: 7:00 p.m. EST

Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

Network: ESPN

Projected Draft Order (Pre-Draft Lottery on May 17, according to NBA.com):

* Denotes a tie between the Nuggets, Kings and Bucks at 8, 9 and 10 to decide lottery position. After lottery order is determined, the inverse order will apply to picks 38, 39 and 40.

** Denotes a tie between the Mavericks and the Grizzlies at 16 and 17. After the order is determined via tiebreaker, the inverse order will be utilized to determine the tie between the Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Bulls at 45, 46 and 47.

*** Denotes a tie between the Trailblazers and the Pistons at 18 and 19. After the order is determined via tiebreaker, the inverse order will be utilized to determine picks 48 and 49.

**** The Heat, the Celtics, the Hawks, and the Hornets all finished in a tie at 21-24. A tiebreaker will be applied to the four teams, and the inverse order will apply to selections 51-54.

Interesting Factors

• Boston, Denver, Utah and Phoenix have amassed 21 total selections, including 10 first round picks.
• Cleveland, New York, Oklahoma City, Miami, Portland and Washington possess no selections in the draft.
• Philadelphia possesses the best odds for the first overall pick after possessing the second best odds last year and the third best the year before.

Way-Too-Early Predictions

Ben Simmons goes first and Brandon Ingram goes second.

Most people will not see this as bold, but with Simmons’ team at LSU finishing outside of the NCAA Tournament, many questions have arisen on his character and outside shooting. NBA general managers will ask him about these questions, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the concerns will be dismissed and the combo forward will go first overall.

This is not a shot at Brandon Ingram, who draws comparisons to Kevin Durant on occasion, but it is a reminder that a player with Simmons’ combination of skills – ball handling, open court speed, defensive tools, and basketball IQ – are still in high demand. Whether his outside shot improves or not, Simmons looks like a game changing player inside the arc and in the open floor.

Minnesota locks in on Kris Dunn to replace Ricky Rubio. 

In a similar draft to the 2009 NBA Draft with top tier talent all throughout the first 10 picks and various contributors throughout the rest of the draft, Minnesota draws a parallel with another time it drafted fifth overall.

Ricky Rubio has turned into a fantastic distributor and sly defender, but the 2009 draft will always be remembered in Minnesota as the one where they drafted three point guards: none of them were named Stephen Curry, and they traded possibly the best of the trio (Ty Lawson, recent actions notwithstanding) to the Nuggets.

With three clear building blocks in Minnesota with Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine, the two areas of need for the Wolves look to be a long term answer at power forward and a potential plan to replace Rubio. Dunn looks like one of the best two-way players in the entire draft, and the spacing provided by the three aforementioned pieces will help ease his transition. Rubio is currently better than Dunn, but with some seasoning, Dunn has the higher ceiling and could turn the Pups’ trio into a quartet.

Denver makes a ton of noise.

With three first round selections and an abundance of young talent, the Nuggets are approaching a franchise-altering crossroads. Emmanuel Mudiay has the tools to be a future top-10 point guard, and Nikola Jokic has the tools to be a future top-10 player in the entire NBA (seriously, give this guy the ball on the elbow and in the post and watch some Magic happen, oh and some Dirk too).

That said, with multiple veterans and multiple young players, the Nuggets could either try and swing a deal for a top three selection, or possibly trade for a disgruntled star player. With Blake Griffin, DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Love showing up in previous rumors, and Bulls GM Gar Forman now making noise in Chicago about Jimmy Butler, there are many different avenues for Denver to pursue. Either way, the expectations are much higher in the Mile High City (pun slightly intended).

Buddy Hield doesn’t make it past Sacramento.

With George Karl now gone, the Kings are again without a clear direction. The aforementioned Cousins isn’t as untouchable on the roster as he started this year, and Vlade Divac will likely explore all avenues. With Rudy Gay, Omri Casspi, Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein in place, the Kings are likely set at small forward and center. Point guard and shooting guard are relatively open though, as Rajon Rondo is a free agent, Ben McLemore has underwhelmed and Darren Collison is best served as a backup.

Buddy Hield would provide shooting and a dynamic offensive presence from beyond the arc that the Kings haven’t had in a long time. Hield may not become an alpha scorer, but he doesn’t need to be if he and Cousins work well together. Plugging in a high efficiency outside shooter at shooting guard solves many of the Kings’ offensive woes, and with Hield’s maturity, he could help come in and begin to change the culture for a franchise in desperate need of a breath of fresh air.

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Thon Maker is drafted within the first 20 picks.

After being cleared by the NBA to declare for the draft, Maker now has to make an impression on NBA teams that he is ready for the highest level of competition. Even if he isn’t ready quite yet, Maker possesses possibly the finest set of tools in the entire draft class.

With a 7’1″ frame and 7’3.5″ wingspan, according to Draft Express, the power forward already piques the interest of scouts. Adding in his blend of outside shooting, ball handling, defensive instincts and open court athleticism makes him a potential nightmare for opposing teams. A franchise will fall in love with those skills, and even though he will likely spend a year or two developing, Maker looks like a top five talent at this point in the draft process.

Summary

The NBA Draft will always be a time for hope, and some teams will make franchise-altering decisions June. With so many players ready to contribute and even more needing a couple of years of seasoning before reaching high heights, teams and fans should be very excited. With a higher salary cap than ever before, these teams have even more room to make large scale changes.

We will see if that occurs, but if I have to make one solid prediction, the night will be memorable for the team that selects Jamal Murray. His ability to catch and shoot, create off the dribble, and make shots from way behind the arc make him a dangerous weapon.

With Curry splashing his 400th three-pointer, teams are going to try and identify the next player with that kind of shooting potential. He may not be Curry, and frankly, it’s possible that no one will ever match Curry’s greatness this season, but Murray can certainly be the next great shooter in the NBA. Any team that selects him will reap the rewards for the rest of his career.

More hoops habit: NBA Injuries: 20 Stars That Deserve Career Do-Overs

Of course, there are other players that will be selected on June 23 and provide a high level of impact for many years, and that’s what the draft is all about. Hope that the next big thing will be the player drafted by your favorite team. If so, the ultimate goal of an NBA championship is that much closer.