Who should the Indiana Pacers take in the 2016 NBA Draft? | isportsweb
NBA | Indiana Pacers | Who should the Indiana Pacers take in the 2016 NBA Draft?
Who should the Indiana Pacers take in the 2016 NBA Draft?
June 7, 2016
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Kansas Jayhawks forward Cheick Diallo. Photo: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
It’s June and the 2016 NBA Draft is quickly approaching. The Pacers hold the No. 20 and No. 50 picks in this year’s draft and have huge needs in the post, more than any other position.
Last season, the Pacers took Texas forward Myles Turner at No. 11 and it worked out marvelously for them during the 2015-16 season.
Turner played in 60 games last season, starting in 30 of them. He also proved to be very efficient with his time on-the-court.
Turner finished his rookie campaign with averages of about 10 points and six rebounds per contest. Turner also shot nearly 50 percent from the floor.
Indiana knew they needed to fill the void of Roy Hibbert and did just that by selecting Turner. This season is no different, as the Pacers need to continue to boost their interior game.
It may not seem like the way to go considering the way the league is today, but a “small-ball” lineup doesn’t necessarily work for every team.
The Pacers have also had a history of successful big men and that shouldn’t stop in this year’s draft.
NBADraft.net has the Pacers taking Kansas forward/center Cheick Diallo with the No. 20 overall pick and Purdue’s AJ Hammons with the No. 50 overall pick. Both would fit perfectly with the Pacers interior needs.
Diallo is entering the draft after just one season as a Jayhawk, where he played in 27 games, starting in just one. Diallo averaged three points and about three rebounds during that span.
Those numbers don’t necessarily scream NBA, but the NBA Draft is all about potential and not just performance, even though that can help.
NBADraft.net compares Diallo to Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried. Faried’s high motor and athleticism are what scouts seem to see in Diallo and the future seems to be bright for the six foot, nine inch 20-year-old.
I didn’t watch a whole lot of Kansas basketball this past season, but did watch a lot of Big Ten basketball and one player that stood out was the Boilermaker center. At seven feet tall and 260 pounds, Hammons brings a lot to the table.
Hammons is extremely talented in the paint and can score with the best players in this draft. To me, he could easily be what Turner was this past season for the Pacers.
To add onto his offensive arsenal, Hammons can also bring it defensively. NBADraft.net stated that Hammons led the Big Ten in blocked shots throughout his four-year tenure at Purdue.
Hammons averaged about three blocks per game this past season for the Boilermakers.
In my opinion, selecting a player like Hammons that late in the draft could be the equivalent to the Golden State Warriors drafting Draymond Green in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft.
Indiana has two draft picks in this year’s draft and both men mentioned would help the franchise going forward into, what could be, a very strong 2016-2017 season for a very talented Pacers team.