2016 NBA re-draft: Who lands Jaylen Brown five years into his career?
At the time, the 2016 NBA Draft was considered to be a two-player draft with Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram as the two biggest prizes.Years later, more star power has emerged beyond those two. Jaylen Brown proved to be an excellent pick for the Boston Celtics at No. 3 and while the rest of the top 15 was largely disappointing, plenty of quality players emerged from later in the draft and the undrafted ranks.Were the draft to happen today, here's a look at how the first round would shake out and who the Celtics would land with their three selections.Odd picks are by Jacob Camenker and even picks are by Justin Leger.
No changes here for the Sixers. Simmons has been one of the best players in this draft class, as he has made an All-NBA team, was named Rookie of the Year in 2017-18, and is a three-time All-Star. Simmons isn't a great shooter, but few can guard him near the hoop. And on defense, he is one of the best defensive stoppers in the league because of his 6-foot-10 frame.
Original Pick: PG Ben Simmons
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Nothing new here either. Ingram, of course, eventually was traded to the Pelicans in the trade that brought Anthony Davis to L.A. But over the last two seasons, the Duke product has been a stud for New Orleans. He was an All-Star in 2019-20 and is playing at a high level this season as well, averaging 24.1 points and shooting 47.2 percent from the field through 35 games. We'd like to think the Lakers wouldn't change a thing if they could do it all over again.
Original Pick: SF Brandon Ingram
I thought that Brown might go to the Lakers in this re-draft, but with him on the board, the Celtics have a decision to make. Do they go with a wing like Brown or take a big like Domantas Sabonis or Pascal Siakam?
You could make a case for the two bigs, but Brown has been great in Boston and is a great defender who is ascending to star status with his now-strong offensive game. He is averaging 24.8 points per game this year along with 5.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists and just made his first All-Star team. He should make many more before the end of his career.
Original Pick: SG Jaylen Brown
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Now, things start to get interesting. The Suns' 2016 pick of Dragan Bender turned out to be a major bust. So how would they redeem themselves in a re-draft?
How about Domantas Sabonis? The 6-foot-11 All-Star has been sensational for the Indiana Pacers the last two seasons. He's averaging 21.1 points and 11.1 rebounds through 34 games and is only getting better. Put him with Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton and enjoy.
Original Pick: PF/C Dragan Bender
A top-tier point guard is certainly an option for the Wolves here, but it's impossible to pass on Siakam here. It took a couple of years for him to develop, but Siakam eventually became one of the most well-rounded bigs in the NBA. Siakam has averaged at least 20 points and seven rebounds per game the last two years while being a versatile defender. He also has a championship to his name. The C's recently found ways to stop him with Brown in the playoffs, but don't use that to diminish his unique, All-Star-level skillset.
Original Pick: PG Kris Dunn
Since the Wolves passed on a point guard, the Pelicans take advantage by snagging one of the best available in Jamal Murray. His development has somewhat stagnated in 2020-21, but there's no doubt the potential is there for the 23-year-old to evolve into one of the game's premier guards. Murray is on pace to set career-highs in points per game (21.7) and shooting percentage (48.5 percent). By drafting Murray, New Orleans is banking on him to get even better. And he will.
Original Pick: SG Buddy Hield
The Nuggets needed a point guard badly in this draft, as they only had Jameer Nelson and Emmanuel Mudiay at the position. With Murray off the board, Brogdon is the next best option. Brogdon was a second-round pick, but he was the Rookie of the Year for this class (Simmons was ROTY a year later after missing his first year in the league). He also has a 50-40-90 season in his bag and has averaged double figures in points in each of his five NBA seasons. He's steady and while he doesn't have the same scoring punch as Murray, he is super efficient and would pair well with Nikola Jokic.
Original Pick: PG Jamal Murray
Hield ended up in Sacramento anyway thanks to the 2017 DeMarcus Cousins trade, so it's only fitting the Kings draft their guy here. Hield has earned a reputation as one of the NBA's best 3-point shooters and was rewarded in 2019 with a $94 million contract extension. Although he's been a subject of trade rumors, Hield has proven to be a great fit in Sac-Town the last few seasons.
Original Pick: PF Marquese Chriss
In 2016, the Raptors landed VanVleet as a free agent. This time around, they're lucky to get him with the ninth pick.
VanVleet is a career 39 percent 3-point shooter and played a key role in the Raptors title run in 2019, when he averaged 14 points per game in the Finals on 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He fits really well in Toronto and is a no-brainer with Siakam off the board.
Original Pick: C Jakob Poeltl
While injuries have plagued LeVert so far in his promising NBA career, the Bucks wouldn't be able to resist him at No. 10 overall. LeVert would fit well alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton as a solid shooter and distributor. Last season with Brooklyn, LeVert posted 18.7 points per game to go with 4.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds. He continues to improve with each season, and that should continue to be the case when he returns to action.
Original Pick: PF/C Thon Maker
Murray was originally the penultimate pick in the first round of the draft, but he has proven to be much better than that for the Spurs. He has improved each season, and he is averaging 15.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game this year. Talk about well-rounded.
The Magic were continuing their still-ongoing search for a point guard of the future at this time, so they'd be happy to have Murray at their disposal.
Original Pick: PF/C Domantas Sabonis
We should note that we're focusing purely on the court as Beasley has had some issues off of it recently. The 24-year-old is a valuable three-and-D wing who would fit perfectly alongside Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in Utah. He broke out for the Timberwolves in 2019-29 and picked up where he left off this season with 20.5 points per game and a 40.6 3-point percentage through 33 games.
Original Pick: SF Taurean Prince
This is where the value starts to dry up a bit. With the Suns having already selected Domantas Sabonis in this re-mock, they needed some guard help. Dunn hasn't lived up to the billing of a No. 5 pick, but he still has some upside and averaged 12.4 points and 6.0 assists per game during a two-year stretch with the Bulls. He has had knee issues of late, but if he can get healthy, perhaps the Suns would be happy to have him as a role player.
Original Pick: PF/C Georgios Papagiannis
Considering the overall drop in talent from here on out, the Bulls get a solid pick here at the end of the lottery. Prince's production has seen a dip since his impressive sophomore campaign but he still brings value with his 3-point shooting ability and decent defense. The potential is absolutely there for the 26-year-old to make an impact.
Original Pick: SG Denzel Valentine
House took a couple of years and few teams to find his footing in the NBA, but he has turned into a solid 3-and-D wing starter for the Rockets. He'd fit in well with the Nuggets, especially given their ability to coach guys up into quality role players.
Original Pick: PF Juan Hernangomez
The Celtics could sure use a three-and-D wing off the bench, and Finney-Smith would fit the bill. That's why they're taking him in the re-draft after selecting Guerschon Yabusele in 2016. Undrafted out of Florida, Finney-Smith has shown steady improvement each season and has shown the ability to shoot the 3 and rebound. During the 2019-20 campaign with Dallas, he shot 37.6 percent from beyond the arc in 71 games.
Original Pick: PF Guerschon Yabusele
Over his five-year NBA career, Zubac has averaged 16.3 points and 12.6 rebounds per 36 minutes played. The Grizzlies could've used him as a long-term successor for Marc Gasol, who was 31 at the time of this draft.
Original Pick: PG Wade Baldwin
The Pistons get an amazing athlete in Derrick Jones Jr., who went undrafted in 2016. He's shown some improvement over the last couple of seasons and is showing value as a solid shot-blocker and rebounder. If he can find a 3-point shot, look out.
Original Pick: PF Henry Ellenson
The Nuggets continue to add to their backcourt with Bryn Forbes here. Forbes is a great 3-ball shooter (40.7 percent on his career) and can play both guard spots. He would help replace some of the scoring lost by missing out on Murray in this re-draft.
Original Pick: SG Malik Beasley
Damontas Sabonis was stolen from them earlier in the re-draft, so the Pacers go with Poetl to fill the big-man void here. It isn't the sexiest pick in the world, but Poeltl is a conventional 7-foot-1 center who can finish around the rim and protect the basket.
Original Pick: SG Caris LeVert
Since coming over from Turkey, Korkmaz has been a solid role player for the 76ers. He shot better than 40 percent from 3-point range during the 2019-20 NBA season, and he would've been a nice backup for the playoff-contender Hawks when this draft happened. He could've learned under Kyle Korver, so this would've been a nice fit for him.
Original Pick: SF DeAndre' Bembry
Valentine showed serious flashes during his sophomore season in Chicago when he posted 10.2 ppg and 5.1 rpg. He hasn't been able to find the same success since then, but the 27-year-old still is a solid bench option for the Bulls. Here, the Hornets bet on Valentine's potential.
Original Pick: SG Malachi Richardson
Chriss was a disappointment as the No. 8 pick, but he's still good enough to go in the first round. Last year, he averaged 9.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as a backup for the Warriors, and reprised his role this year before getting hurt in the second game of the season.
The Celtics could've used a big-man like Chriss, as they were struggling at the center spot when this draft came about. Either way, Chriss would be better than the pick they made here, Ante Zizic, and he, Finney-Smith, and Brown could all certainly co-exist as depth pieces on these Celtics.
Original Pick: C Ante Zizic
Yogi Ferrell broke out for the Mavs as a serious threat from beyond the arc, but the hype quickly died down when he joined the Kings. Philly takes a chance on Ferrell here and hopes he returns to 2017-18 form as a valuable shooter for the second unit.
Original Pick: SG Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
McCaw is a 6-foot-7 guard that has bounced around the NBA, but he has been a solid defensive specialist throughout his career. Also, he has the distinction of being the only NBA player to win three NBA championships from this draft, two with Golden State and one with Toronto. Doc Rivers was the coach of the Clippers at this time, so he would've been happy to have a defensive-minded option off the LA bench in the pre-Patrick Beverley days.
Original Pick: PF Brice Johnson
Hernangomez didn't see much success to start his NBA career with Denver, but that quickly changed upon heading to Minnesota. After joining the Wolves, he averaged 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 14 games. Obviously a small sample size, but at this point in the re-draft you take those flashes of potential and hope there's something there.
Original Pick: SG Furkan Korkmaz
This was originally the Pascal Siakam pick. Instead of Siakam, the Raptors land another potential-packed big man. Maker hasn't worked out so far during his NBA career and has largely been buried on the bench of the Bucks, Pistons, and Cavaliers. However, maybe the Raptors and their strong talent-development program could have turned him into a good role player.
Original Pick: PF Pascal Siakam
Niang's numbers aren't going to jump off the page, but there's still some value here at this point in the draft. He'd be welcomed in Phoenix as a solid 3-point shooter off the bench.
Original Pick: PF Skal Labisierre
Luwawu-Cabarrot has stuck around in the NBA thanks to his 6-foot-7 size and ability to guard well on the wing. He has averaged 7.5 points per game for the Nets these past two seasons as well, so he has some offensive ability. He would've fit in well as a role player for Gregg Popovich's Spurs.
Original Pick: PG Dejounte Murray
Caruso is simply electric, and that's exactly why the Warriors snag him with the last pick of the first round. No, his numbers aren't going to wow anybody, but Caruso is a solid defensive guard who is going to bring it each and every game. He's also a career 37.1 percent 3-point shooter. There's no doubt Caruso would be fun to watch alongside Steph Curry, Draymond Green and a healthy Klay Thompson.
Original Pick: C Damian Jones
