I like the talent in the 2016 NBA draft, but I think if one cared enough to check that is something I have said about every draft. The strength of this draft is in the bigs. Both the PF and Center positions are deep, though there is much more star power in the PFs. This could be problematic in a league that’s going small.
Every year I try to dredge up a past draft that this one might look like in 10 years. The one that looks similar is ’95. That one featured PFs as 8 of the first 12 picks. This draft should start in a similar fashion. I placed Thon Maker 30th, because that’s where the draft kind of ran out of steam. I really have no clue on whether he’ll be a great prospect or if this is the last we’ll ever hear of him. That’s because I have no stats on him.
Here is my final top60. Prospects are listed in the order I would draft them all other things being equal.
- Ben Simmons, PF LSU
- Brandon Ingram, SF Duke
- Jaylen Brown, SF California
- Kris Dunn, PG Providence
- Chinanu Onuaku, C Louisville
- Skal Labissiere, PF Kentucky
- Domatas Sabonis, PF Gonzaga
- Deyonta Davis, PF Michigan State
- Buddy Hield, SG Oklahoma
- Zhou Qi, C Xinjiang
- Dragan Bender, PF Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Jamal Murray, SG Kentucky
- Denzel Valentine, PG Michigan State
- Cheick Diallo, PF Kansas
- Gary Payton II, PG Oregon State
- Jakob Poeltl, C Utah
- DeAndre Bembry, SF St. Josephs
- Diamond Stone, C Maryland
- Daniel Ochefu, C Villanova
- Henry Ellenson, PF Marquette
- Malik Beasley, SG Florida State
- Ivica Zubac, C Mega Leks
- Caris LeVert, SG Michigan
- Patrick McCaw, SG UNLV
- Jameel Warney, PF Stony Brook
- Wade Baldwin, PG Vanderbilt
- Alex Hamilton, PG Louisiana Tech
- Pascal Siakam, PF New Mexico State
- Ante Ziric, C Cibona Zagreb
- Thon Maker, C
- Marquese Chriss, PF Washington
- Fred VanVleet, PG Wichita State
- Troy Williams, SF Indiana
- Timothe Luwawu, SF Mega Leks
- Robert Carter, PF Mayland
- Georgios Papagiannis, C Panathiniakos
- Georges Niang, SF Iowa State
- Jared Uthoff, SF Iowa
- Demetrius Jackson, PG Notre Dame
- Joel Bolomboy, PF Weber State
- Daniel Hamilton, SG Connexticut
- Taurean Prince, SF Baylor
- Tyler Ulis, PG Kentucky
- Dejounte Murray, PG Washington
- Stephen Zimmerman, C UNLV
- Brice Johnson, PF North Carolina
- Shawn Long, C UL-Lafayette
- AJ Hammons, C Purdue
- Egidijus Mockevicius, C Evansville
- Isaiah Whitehead, SG Seton Hall
- James Kelly, PF Marshall
- Damian Jones, C Vanderbilt
- Kyle Collinsworth, PG BYU
- Malachi Richardson, SG Syracuse
- Mamadou N’Daiye, C UC-Irvine
- AJ English, PG Iona
- Matt Costello, PF Michigan State
- Marshall Plumlee, C Duke
- Kay Felder, PG Oakland
- Ben Bentil SF Providence