2016 NBA Draft: 10 NBA Rookies That Could Make Serious Impact In First Season
Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; A general view of the stage before the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The 2016 NBA Draft was one of the best in recent years and left the league with a few players who look to be future All-Stars. King James Gospel looks at 10 rookies who can have an immediate impact for their teams.
In recent drafts, there have been players like Karl Anthony-Towns, Andrew Wiggins, D’Angelo Russell, and Jahlil Okafor that were selected by a franchise and look like possible All-Stars in the future. There have also been players drafted like Anthony Bennett, Royce White, and Ben McLemore who came into the draft with hype but have failed to make a significant impact in the league.
The 2016 NBA Draft has given the league and its fans players like Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, and Buddy Hield to look forward to being household names and to lift fallen franchises from the rubble.
Still, lesser known players like Kay Felder and Deyonta Davis can impact their franchises on the level of players like Jameer Nelson and Serge Ibaka, who were cornerstones for their teams for years.
King James Gospel has analyzed the talented 2016 rookie class and ranked selected ten rookies who can have a significant impact for their team in the first season.
Ben Simmons
1st Overall – Philadelphia 76ers
Regardless of the potential of Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid or Dario Saric, these players aren’t the centerpiece of the team.
Ben Simmons is the new face of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise and with point-forward skills reminiscent of the future Hall of Fame small forward LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, though Simmons not close to James now. Simmons will be the primary playmaker for his team as well though a player like Okafor could feasibly lead the team in scoring.
Simmons’ presence on the court will allow players like Okafor, Embiid, Noel, and Saric to thrive offensively because he can play the point-forward position and allow other players, like Gerald Henderson and Sergio Rodriguez, to space the floor.
His abilities should improve the team’s assist totals, field goal percentage, and win totals as the 76ers look for a return to basketball relevancy.
Kris Dunn
3rd Overall – Minnesota Timberwolves
Kris Dunn is going to be star in the league, and can become the best point guard in the league. Between his athletic ability, scoring ability, defensive ability, physical profile, mental aptitude and swagger on the court, Dunn has the full package.
Ricky Rubio is still the starting point guard for Minnesota, but the Timberwolves franchise will be clamoring for Dunn to succeed him sooner rather than later.
Dunn provides the Wolves with shooting, athleticism and defensive ability that the team was sorely missing in a conference that includes high-scoring point guards such as Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard.
In a guard-driven league, Dunn provides the team with a guard that can score with or play great defense against the best of the players at his position. His abilities will make him a prime candidate for Rookie of the Year, giving the Minnesota Timberwolves three Rookie of the Year winners in three seasons.
Brandon Ingram
2nd Overall – Los Angeles Lakers
Ingram will be viewed as the replacement for Kobe Bryant. Though he doesn’t seem to possess the same level of assertiveness in the game as Bryant, Ingram has no problem taking over a game. With the Los Angeles Lakers, Ingram will be “the man” as D’Angelo Russell plays the role of the primary facilitator and Julius Randle continues to develop as a scorer. The Lakers are developing a young core with a bright future.
Ingram is a cerebral player that possesses a smooth jump shot and the athletic ability to complement his game. To boot, Ingram’s 7-foot-3 wingspan will allow him to have more of an impact on the game defensively.
With their cornerstone players in place, the Lakers can be a surprising team in the West after adding small forward Luol Deng and center Timofey Mozgov to a starting lineup coached by fornery Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton.
During the Golden State Warriors record-breaking 2015-16 season, where they eclipsed the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls win total of 72 wins with 73, Walton guided the Warriors to a 39-4 record in Steve Kerr’s absence.
Buddy Hield
6th Overall – New Orleans Pelicans
Buddy Hield is a going to be the Kobe Bryant of New Orleans if he gets to write his tale. Hield is a gifted scorer who can make shots from all over the court and for a team that lost shooting guard Eric Gordon in the offseason and whose only consistent, and elite, player is Anthony Davis. Hield can do wonders for the team’s win total, the fan’s interest in the franchise and the franchise’s reputation and credibility around the league.
Hield steps into a starting lineup that is missing three-point shooting, a primary scorer in the backcourt, a clutch performer and chemistry. As a cornerstone for the franchise, along with Davis, Hield gives New Orleans a second piece to build around as the Pelicans look to be perennial playoff contenders in the near future. If Jrue Holiday has his act right this season, the Pelicans can pull off a first-round upset because in the moments with the highest amount of pressure, Hield will take over.
Denzel Valentine
14th Overall – Chicago Bulls
Denzel Valentine didn’t particularly shine throughout the NBA Summer League’s Las Vegas circuit, but he showed the same propensity to deliver in the clutch that he did at Michigan State. The Chicago Bulls will need that as a team that will find itself in a lot of close games due to a lack of scoring depth and three-point shooting at the top of the roster, but potential to be a strong defensive group.
In addition, Dwyane Wade’s ability to play more than 70 games next season should be in question. At 34, Wade is still an above-average two-way player, but he’s within the sights of Father Time.
Valentine, a rookie, shouldn’t be expected to play at the future Hall of Famer’s level, but he’s going to counted on to be a nightly contributor from behind-the-line, as a facilitator, and in the clutch. As the year progresses, look for Valentine to have a few performances like his 2015 Valentine’s Day performance against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Jamal Murray
7th Overall – Denver Nuggets
Jamal Murray is one-half of a tandem of shooting guards poised to breakout onto the scene for the Denver Nuggets. Gary Harris, the other half of this group, has already ascended into a realm of basketball relevance that is surprising for a young prospect for a non-playoff contender such as the Nuggets. Next season, expect Murray’s name to be in the crop of rookies considered to be serious contenders for Rookie of the Year.
Murray’s offensive style is similar to that of Ray Allen. A gifted off-guard when playing off-the-ball, Murray has all the savvy you could want from a rookie who can get blistering hot with a smooth shot and the confidence to keep shootings from three all game. As an added benefit, Murray consistently attacks the rim.
As the Nuggets try to accumulate enough talent to be competitive in the Western Conference, Murray is a player who can be a cornerstone piece for the franchise. Expect big scoring numbers from Murray in his first season as well as a high three-point field goal percentage.
Thon Maker
10th Overall – Milwaukee Bucks
Thank goodness Thon Maker was allowed to be drafted despite never playing collegiate-level basketball because he’s going to get the chance to grow under a young player’s coach and legend in Jason Kidd.
Currently, the team has talented frontcourt players such as John Henson and Greg Monroe that will receive the bulk of the playing time, but as time passes Maker will get chances to shine before he catches his big break. Though players like Monroe and Henson are talented big men, and Jabari Parker is a young and talented combo forward, Maker has the most potential of any player on the team outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In high school, Maker was showing off his ability to run the court as the ball-handler, catch lobs, and shoot the mid-range jumper as a 7-foot-1 center. Skills like that in a body like his are rare and will be hard for coach Kidd to ignore. The obstacle to Maker’s potential playing time is Antetokounmpo development as a point-forward because with the more minutes Antetokuonmpo runs the point the more opportunity there is for Parker to impact the game at small forward and Maker to impact the game a power forward.
Kay Felder
54th Overall – Cleveland Cavaliers
Felder is a 5-foot-9 point guard built like Nate Robinson, with springboard legs and has the scoring ability of Robinson.
Robinson is a 14-year NBA veteran has played in 618 NBA games over the length of his career. With career averages of 11.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 22.5 minutes per game while shooting 36.0 percent from three-point range, Robinson shows that sub 6-foot size is not a hinderance to being productive on an NBA level. Though Robinson was a career journeyman, playing for eight teams over his NBA career, Robinson’s inability to secure a long-term deal was due to his questionable intangibles.
Felder, on the other hand, has all the intangibles a team wants to see. In addition, the point guard who studies every one of Chris Paul’s moves is a far more determined facilitator. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have no official backup point guard, Felder can shine as the lone point guard on the roster who is both an athletic specimen and an above-average distributor.
Well ahead of his draft class with his advanced offensive moves, Felder will also be able to consistently impact the game as a scorer, much like Damon Stoudamire once did. As Kyrie Irving learns how to be a better defender, Felder has the physical ability to impact the game on that end against quicker, stronger and faster point guards. Irving has shown the ability to slide down to shooting guard, this will prevent Irving from being consistently attacked defensively. Imagine if Matthew Dellavedova was quicker and a better scorer or that Iman Shumpert was a better scorer and facilitator, that’s Felder.
Deyonta Davis
31st Overall – Memphis Grizzlies
Deyonta Davis is the power forward who is going to replace Zach Randolph, it’s as simple as that. Though Z-Bo has a significant advantage as a scorer from both the high and low post, Randolph has no place in the future of the NBA as a player without the athleticism to guard small-ball power forwards or provide rim-protection.
Davis, on the other hand, is a long and athletic power forward with the ability to run the floor well in transition, defend players outside the paint and protect the rim. His versatility also sets him away from both Randolph and Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies aging All-Star frontcourt duo.
As the Grizzlies look to adapt to a changing league, one where positional versatility is the norm for a player, Davis is the team’s first step towards the future. His ability to play and dominate defensively at both frontcourt positions will allow the Grizzlies to be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA once again.
Jakob Poetl
9th Overall – Toronto Raptors
For the Toronto Raptors, a team that was the second seed in the Easterm Conference playoffs last year, maintaining the status of who is important. While teams like the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks have made splash moves, the Raptors are a playoff team that lost its best defensive player in the offseason. As the Raptors look to replace the defensive play and rim-protection of Bismack Biyombo, the team will start with Poetl.
A 7-foot-1 center who can move fluidly on the perimeter is hard to find and using this athletic ability Poetl provides outstanding pick-and-roll coverage. His athletic ability complements his defensive awareness and allows him to provide strong weakside shot-blocking. As the Toronto Raptors continue to compete in the East, Poetl will be a defensive playmaker as the game slows down. He won’t be on the level of Biyombo, but he’ll be a difference-maker.
Jun 27, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; NBA commissioner David Stern addresses the crowd before the 2013 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Best Draft Ever?
There haven’t been this many prospects to be excited about from one draft class since the 2003 NBA Draft. That draft class featured two players that are guaranteed to be future Hall of Famers in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. In addition, superstars like Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh were selected in that draft as well Knowing players like Darko Milicic were in that same class, it’s easy for fans to be skeptical of a player’s future.
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Yet, there have also been players like Draymond Green and Isaiah Thomas, two players selected in the second round that are cornerstone players for their current franchises. The NBA is a tale of successes and failures. It’s a story of hopes, dreams, realities, and disappointments. As the Cleveland Cavaliers megastar LeBron James likes to state, “he’s just a kid from Akron”.
The 10 rookies on this list have a high chance to make a sustained impact for the team’s they currently play for. As early as this season, players like Kris Dunn, Kay Felder, and Jamal Murray could be household names in the NBA. Meanwhile, players like Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, and Buddy Hield will be as exciting to watch in the league as they were in college.
Which rookies do you believe have the best chance at succeeding in the NBA? Let us know in the comments section or follow and tweet us @KJG_NBA.
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