The 2016 NBA Draft went about as normal as everyone expected; LSU star Ben Simmons was drafted first by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Los Angeles Lakers did what everyone expected with the second overall pick, selecting 18-year old Brandon Ingram out of Duke, and the Boston Celtics got a nice prospect out of California with the third overall pick in Jaylen Brown. None of the first four picks in this year's draft are more than 19 years old. Listed below are my two biggest steals and mistakes from this year's draft.
Steal #1:
Buddy Hield, #6 overall, New Orleans Pelicans
Despite not gaining much national attention until his senior year at Oklahoma, Hield is a scary outside shooter who will spread the floor and speed up New Orleans' offense. In his last collegiate season, Hield led the Sooners to the Final Four and a 29-8 record. He averaged an impressive 25.0 points per game and even shot above 50 percent from the field en route to winning the 2016 Naismith College Player of the Year award. He has a large amount of development left to do, but his offensive skills can be dangerous assets for the Pelicans if they utilize him correctly.
Steal #2
Malik Beasley, #19 overall, Denver Nuggets
After just one decent year at Florida State (where he averaged 15.6 points per game and 5.3 rebounds), Beasley still declared for the draft despite the fact that he was not joined by running mate Dwayne Bacon. However, Beasley is another extremely talented prospect on account of his offensive versatility and smooth stroke. He is a gritty player who seemed to be frequently frustrated in Leonard Hamilton's strange offensive sets at Florida State. The Nuggets have little to lose by taking a gamble on Beasley.
Mistake #1
Thon Maker, #10 overall, Milwaukee Bucks
If I breathed on this guy, he might fall over. He stands at 7'1 but only weighs 216 pounds. To put this into perspective, he weighs about 20 more pounds than Matthew Dellavedova.
Moreover, he has never even played a collegiate basketball game. How will such an undersized, inexperienced prospect with such a fragile frame possibly contend against other NBA big men who will weigh, on average, 50-60 pounds more than him? This was a silly move for the Bucks.
Mistake #2
Georgios Papagiannis, #13 overall, Phoenix Suns traded to Sacramento Kings
The Kings already have the best big man in the game in Demarcus Cousins. They also have two other centers in Willie Cauley-Stein, 22, and Kosta Koufos, 27. Why do they need another one? At that, Papagiannis is a bit lazy and inept on the court. He frequently gets blown by and struggles to keep up with smaller guards. How will he ever manage to keep up with the fast pace of the new three-point style NBA offenses? He is a meager (at best) prospect that likely won't last on this team.