The NBA Draft season is amongst us and this makes me a very
happy Puma. What tempers my happiness however is that my beloved Bulls have
earned a place in the lottery after a very lackluster and disgusting season
which ended not with a bang but with a whimper.
But all of that is in the past. I will try and keep my happiness up as I
go through hours of Youtube footage and NBA draft combine results for you the
people. I shall give you my predictions
based on the draft order as it currently is.
1. Philadelphia-
Ben Simmons: F- LSU
The consensus number one pick for most of
the season goes in that slot for young Puma despite how a lot of analysts (not
considering myself an analyst) have seemingly soured on him. Simmons has the
potential to be a monster player. He’s 6’10 with point guard ball handling,
great defense and a natural ease rebounding. The only knock is he is not a
strong shooter. That can be learned.
2.
LA Lakers-
Brandon Ingram: F- Duke
3.
Boston-
Marquese Chriss: F- Washington
Super athletic and has the potential to be
a really effective scorer but will need time. Putting him on Boston with Isaiah Thomas
shooting a million shots will give him plenty of chances to rebound and if he
runs with the second unit je can work on his shot and footwork so he doesn’t
end up as another wild athletic forward who flames out (See: Thomas, Tyrus).
4.
Phoenix-
Dragan Bender: F – Croatia
Not too familiar but fits he’d would be a
good move for Phoenix as they have Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker in the back
court. Team him with a traditional low post player like Alex Len (granted he
stays healthy) and they could have a very solid young core if the grainy YouTube
footage I am basing Bender’s skill on is accurate.
5.
Minnesota -
Kriss Dunn: G – Providence
He has the potential to be the best player
in this draft. Very good defensive player and passer, and while his jump shot
could use a little work he is highly athletic and able to get to the rim at
will sometimes. Teaming him with Towns, Wiggins, LaVine and new coach Tom Thibodeau
and Minnesota continues their ascent upward towards the playoffs and away from
the lottery.
6. New Orleans
Buddy Hield: G- Oklahoma
The most polished shooter in the draft
Buddy could be the scorer from the 2 guard that the Hornets always hoped Eric
Gordon would be. It’s widely accepted he is the best shooter but what often
gets overlooked is his ability to score off the dribble. Solid defensive player
but he did handle the ball a ton which in the NBA will probably not work for
most two guards. But I think he’ll be able to learn to move without the ball
and be quite effective.
7. Denver-
Deyonta Davis: PF/C- Michigan St.
Far from being a finished product, I think
he is however a NBA caliber rebounder and rim protector which frankly is
something this team is going to need if Kenneth Faried is going to be making an
exit sooner rather than later. With Emmanual Mudiay and Danillo Gallinari
taking the bulk of the shots I think he may have a Tristan Thompson level
ceiling.
8.
Sacramento-
Jaylen Brown: SG/SF- Cal
9. Toronto-
Damontas Sabonis: C- Gonzaga
The son of Arvyda Sabonis so you know he is
a gifted passer. Seriously look up some highlights of his pops, he was a beast.
He is great at drawing fouls, a highly accurate free throw shooter and a
surprisingly good perimeter defender. Adept at slashing to the basket and putting
the ball on the floor and getting to the basket he would fit in well with Kyle
Lowry and could be a more mobile Marc Gasol.
10. Milwaukee
Skal Labissiere: PF/C- Kentucky
I honestly have no clue what kind of player
he projects out to be, simply because he just didn’t play a lot at
Kentucky. He is a very slight player but
there were flashes of him being an impact player. This is going to be a purely
potential pick because as good as he looks in workouts and measurables the
results on the court just haven’t been there.
11.
Orlando
Jamal Murray: SG/PG- Kentucky
Now they already have guards Victor Oladipo
and Elfrid Payton but he’s just too good to pass up. Murray is a lights out
shooter, has NBA range, surprisingly a good rebounder from the point guard
position. Because he’s such a good shooter at times he does depend on that shot
too much sometimes but if he is beginning his career as offensive firepower off
the bench he could be quite effective on that young Magic team.
12. Utah
Furkan Kormaz: SG- Turkey
Extremely accurate shooter, can score from
anywhere on the floor. Now I’m not sure
if this is because he was playing against U19 competition but he had a
confidence that no one could stop him and his teammates appeared to really
respond to him. My only question on him is his defense, not sure if he is good
simply because of the competition he went against.
13. Phoenix
Malik Beasley: SG- Florida St
Beasley is ridiculously athletic and always
amped when he is on the court. Usually when you have this combination you have
a very erratic shooter, not the case with Beasley. His form is immaculate and
he is a knockdown shooter. IF there is a loose ball chances are you will find
him in the aftermath. He doesn’t have great handles which does lead to turnovers
but that is something that can be improved given he is only 20 years old.
14. Chicago
Jakob Poeltl: C- Utah
Not the most exciting pick but he is an
extremely solid pick. A true 7 footer who runs the floor well, rebounds well
and passes well out of the post he could be a good replacement for the likely
to depart Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol. A
very efficient shooter but his post moves need a lot of work he could
definitely be a contributor on a Bulls team that will likely struggle this
season.
Well there you have it, the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery as it
will actually happen*.
*It most definitely will not occur in this order.*
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