2016 NBA Draft

2016 NBA Draft: The Centers

June 22, 2016 by Ed Weiland Leave a Comment

I like this crop of centers a lot. I also have to say that I’m not sure what exactly the future of the center position is. Teams still need rim protectors and inside scoring is always useful. But the 2 top teams played the finals without a traditional center. Such a thing used to be unheard of in the NBA where an all-star center was a necessary piece for any team with title aspirations. That said, as analysts we have to proceed as if centers and the inside presence they bring on both ends of … [Read more...] about 2016 NBA Draft: The Centers

NBA Draft: The Shooting Guards

June 21, 2016 by Ed Weiland Leave a Comment

The 2016 SG field is pretty mediocre as draft subgroups go. We have the potential star in Hield, the frosh phenoms in Murray and Beasley, a few intriguing prospects with issues, young players too erratic to be taken seriously, old players who finally arrived as prospects and a few guys worth a flyer as a UFA. Basically it’s the usual suspects. Here are the pace adjusted numbers: Shooting Guards 2PP 3PP P40 S40 A/TO RSB40 Buddy Hield 548 460 27.4 1.2 0.7 8.1 Jamal … [Read more...] about NBA Draft: The Shooting Guards

NBA Draft: The Small Forwards

June 17, 2016 by Ed Weiland 1 Comment

This year’s SF class is on the thin side. There are a couple of freshmen at the top. Ingram looks like a solid prospect. Brown has a few more question marks, but also has all-star potential. After that the field gets kind of shaky. There are some who look like good role players, but they come with red flags as well. For such players the key will be finding the right situation. Here are the numbers: Small Forwards 2PP 3PP P40 R40 ASB40 A/TO Brandon … [Read more...] about NBA Draft: The Small Forwards

NBA Draft 2016: Brandon Ingram

June 16, 2016 by Ed Weiland Leave a Comment

Ingram had been classified as a SG for most of the year, but is now considered a SF. That makes some sense, because he’s almost 6’10 with a 7’3 wingspan. It looks like he could handle either position, but with the league going smaller SF is where I’ll analyze him. I feel he fits in either position though and that adds to his value. The last 10 years have been a golden era for SFs in the NBA. Most SFs who have been drafted in round one in the past ten years have done pretty well, especially if … [Read more...] about NBA Draft 2016: Brandon Ingram

NBA Draft 2016: Ben Simmons

June 15, 2016 by Ed Weiland Leave a Comment

Ben Simmons has been the consensus top pick in this draft since this draft was being analyzed and broken down. There were a few times in certain mocks that Brandon Ingram would sneak into the top spot, but the 2016 draft has been the Ben Simmons draft since the 2015 draft was in the books. This is a strange draft though. In ten years it could range anywhere from pathetic to great. Ben Simmons is the face of this draft and a metaphor for this draft. He could be great or he could be ordinary. … [Read more...] about NBA Draft 2016: Ben Simmons

NBA Draft: Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss

June 13, 2016 by Ed Weiland 1 Comment

In any mock you might around the webyoung PFs Marquese Chriss of Washington and Dragan Bender of Maccabi Tel Aviv are listed in the top 10. Bender is usually top 5. Chriss is as high as #3 in Draftexpress. Since most mocks are a reflection of what the websites are hearing from their league sources, it is safe to assume that both players have been wowing the scouts in workouts. Bender and Chriss both look the part. Both players are tall, long and active with 2-point range like the modern … [Read more...] about NBA Draft: Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss