The 2016 NBA Draft provided plenty of surprises and drama.
A record number of international players were selected in the first round, and several prospects were taken above or below many of their pre-draft projections.
Which teams did a good job maneuvering through the chaos? Here’s our list of notable steals and misses from the first round of the 2016 draft.
Steals
Kris Dunn, No. 5: The Timberwolves got the best point guard in the draft at No. 5, and he also could be a valuable trade chip to help Minnesota acquire a superstar player to add to its impressive young core.
Jamal Murray, No. 7: The Denver Nuggets upgraded their backcourt with an excellent outside shooter who averaged 20 points per game at Kentucky this past season. This was possibly the steal of the draft.
Wade Baldwin, No. 17: The Memphis Grizzlies upgraded their outside shooting and perimeter defense while also finding a potential Mike Conley replacement by selecting the Vanderbilt point guard.
Timothe Luwawu, No. 24: The French swingman is an amazing athlete and will play the 3-and-D role in the NBA. His outside shooting has steadily improved, too. Great value for the 76ers with this pick.
Brice Johnson, No. 25: Johnson was a first-team All-American who averaged a double-double in North Carolina’s run to the national championship game. He’s also an excellent rebounder, specifically on the offensive glass, and has an improving low-post offensive game. Johnson should provide the Los Angeles Clippers with much-needed bench scoring and frontcourt depth.
Dejounte Murray, No. 29: The Spurs have been a model francise for 15 years, and among the reasons for that is excellent drafting at the end of the first round and in the second round. Murray is excellent value at No. 29 after averaging 16.1 points, 4.4 assists, 1.8 steals and a 41.6 field goal percentage as a freshman at Washington last season.
Misses
Thon Maker, No. 10: The Milwaukee Bucks selected a high-risk player who has never played above the high school level in Canada.
Georgios Papagiannis, No. 13: The Sacramento Kings already had DeMarcus Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein and newly signed Kostas Koufos at center before taking another one in Papagiannis.
Denzel Valentine, No. 14: The Bulls traded point guard Derrick Rose, who has a long history of knee injuries, to the Knicks on Wednesday. His potential replacement in Valentine also has had knee issues. Valentine went in the range he was expected to fall, but the fit isn’t great for Chicago.
Guerschon Yabusele, No. 16: The Celtics likely will draft-and-stash the French power forward, who has an intriguing skill set but was given an early second-round grade by most experts. It was a strange pick for a Celtics team that wants to improve quickly.
Caris LeVert, No. 20: The Brooklyn Nets took a player with an injury history when better guys were available, including Michigan State’s Deyonta Davis.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images
