Analyzing the First 13 Teams Selecting in 2016 NBA Draft

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1 / 14OrlandoMagic.com's Josh Cohen assesses the first 13 teams selecting in the 2016 NBA Draft. Click through this gallery for details. Philadelphia 76ers Many think the Sixers will have a completely different starting five in 2016-17 than the one they had this past season. There have been so many trade rumors surrounding Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel and they have three first round draft picks (No. 1, 24 and 26). Also, Joel Embiid, the third overall pick in 2014, is expected to return for opening night after missing the last two seasons with a foot injury.

thumbnail-image: OrlandoMagic.com's Josh Cohen assesses the first 13 teams selecting in the 2016 NBA Draft. Click through this gallery for details. Philadelphia 76ers Many think the Sixers will have a completely different starting five in 2016-17 than the one they had this past season. There have been so many trade rumors surrounding Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel and they have three first round draft picks (No. 1, 24 and 26). Also, Joel Embiid, the third overall pick in 2014, is expected to return for opening night after missing the last two seasons with a foot injury.
thumbnail-image: Los Angeles Lakers The Lakers would likely prefer to make a splash in free agency and not be patient developing young, inexperienced players. If that fails, however, the player they choose at No. 2 along with D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle would be a promising trio to build around. L.A. could also be aggressive in the trade market. There have been reports about the Lakers considering shopping Russell. It helps to get Kobe Bryant and Roy Hibbert’s contracts off the books and they will have to decide whether to retain Jordan Clarkson, who is set to be a restricted free agent.
thumbnail-image: Boston Celtics The Celtics are probably the biggest wild card among all teams selecting in the draft lottery. Remember, they attained this pick as part of the Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett trade to the Nets in 2013. Boston can also swap draft picks with Brooklyn next year and it has the Nets’ pick in 2018. C’s GM Danny Ainge is no stranger to making blockbuster trades on draft night (acquired Ray Allen from Sonics in 2007 and shortly after landed KG from Wolves). The only unrestricted free agent on their roster is Evan Turner and they have an assemblage of quality guards to either package in a trade or develop in their system (Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter).
thumbnail-image: Phoenix Suns Most assume the Suns (if they keep the pick) will select a frontcourt player with the fourth selection considering they already have so many quality guards on the roster (Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, Devin Booker and Archie Goodwin). Phoenix may also get Bogdan Bogdanovic to join the club next season. He was the Suns’ first round draft pick in 2014 (27th overall) and has played overseas the last two years. Phoenix also has the 13th overall pick (from Washington).
thumbnail-image: Minnesota Timberwolves With a new coach (Tom Thibodeau) and the two most recent No. 1 overall draft picks (Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns), the Timberwolves are considered by many the league’s most intriguing team of the future. Minnesota is desperate for more 3-point shooting (shot only 33.8 percent from beyond the arc this past season) and it needs more paint protection (ranked 28th in opponent points in the paint). It will also be interesting to see if Wiggins slides over to the small forward spot next season to allow Zach LaVine to occupy the shooting guard position more regularly.
thumbnail-image: New Orleans Pelicans It was an injury-plagued season for the Pelicans this past year and there are many who think Anthony Davis’ supporting cast will look a lot different in 2016-17. It remains to be seen if Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans can stay durable for an entire year and whether impending free agents, Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson, will stick around or not. Adding a reliable 3-point shooter or a promising point guard with the No. 5 pick may be the best direction for New Orleans to go in.
thumbnail-image: Denver Nuggets This is a huge draft for the Nuggets, who have three first round selections (No. 7, 15 and 19) and two second round picks (No. 53 and 56). They also have a captivating point guard to build around, Emmanuel Mudiay, and a pair of promising young big men, Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic. Denver is desperate for more 3-point shooting (shot just 33.8 percent from downtown this past season) and a stronger defensive identity (ranked 24th in defensive rating).
thumbnail-image: Sacramento Kings By making Dave Joerger the new head coach, you have to figure the Kings will be altering their philosophy a bit to become a more defensive-oriented club. Sacramento was a dreadful defensive team this past season (ranked last in opponent scoring). With Rajon Rondo an impending unrestricted free agent, it remains to be seen if the Kings will commit to him long term and whether the team will continue to try and play at a rapid pace (ranked No. 1 last season in pace of play). And all seems quiet at the moment on the DeMarcus Cousins “keep or trade” chatter.
thumbnail-image: Toronto Raptors Retaining DeMar DeRozan is obviously priority No. 1 for the Raptors, who come off their best season in franchise history. Toronto could use more frontcourt help next to Jonas Valanciunas, which is why many think it will lean towards taking a power forward with the No. 9 pick. The Raptors could also use more depth and outside shooting in the backcourt. Toronto acquired this pick as part of the Andrea Bargnani trade with New York in 2013.
thumbnail-image: Milwaukee Bucks With Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Khris Middleton viewed as the team’s primary core, you assume the Bucks will look for more frontcourt depth or a steadier point guard with the No. 10 selection. There have been reports that Milwaukee is shopping Greg Monroe, who was a defensive liability in his first year with the team. Also, Michael Carter-Williams didn’t make much progress in his first full year in Milwaukee.
thumbnail-image: Orlando Magic With new head coach Frank Vogel, we can expect the Magic to play faster and with more defensive toughness in 2016-17. Vogel’s teams in Indiana were often considered the most smothering and tactical on defense. Most of the team’s core is about to jump into the prime of their careers, which is generally when we see the largest improvements. Becoming a more consistent 3-point shooting team and taking advantage of their athleticism will be key factors for the Magic next season.
thumbnail-image: Utah Jazz Rudy Gobert, Dante Exum and Alec Burks, who all missed a ton of time last season, must all be healthy if the Jazz want to make a giant leap in the West next season. Utah seems to have a good defensive structure in place (ranked second in opponent points in the paint this past season), which is why you have to figure it needs more help in the backcourt. Perimeter shooting must improve and the Jazz could use some more athletic bodies in the fold.
thumbnail-image: Chicago Bulls There’s been very few teams making more headlines going into draft night than the Bulls, who have been reportedly tossing around trade possibilities. The question is: does Chicago still believe with its current core that it can be a title contender or does it think it needs to overhaul the roster and launch a rebuild? That’s always a hard question to answer for any team that in recent years was in championship contending discussions.
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