Follow Mike @MikeElworth24. For site updates follow @walterfootball.
April 4, 2023.
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Philadelphia 76ers: Jaylen Brown, G, California 
Actual Pick: Ben Simmons
Brown isn’t perfect, but he is by a pretty large margin the top player from his class. The actual third pick of the 2016 NBA Drive is averaging about 27 points a game and about six rebounds and three assists. He is also an excellent defender. The 76ers were porous that season, and I have to admit I would have loved to see a Joel Embiid-Jalen Brown duo. -
Los Angeles Lakers: Pascal Siakam, PF/C, New Mexico State 
Actual Pick: Lonzo Ball
Siakam has developed his game so much, and he has become a versatile star this season, averaging a ridiculous 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The franchise player in Toronto would probably be with the Pelicans right about now because the Lakers traded Brandon Ingram in the Anthony Davis trade. -
Boston Celtics: Domantas Sabonis, C, Gonzaga 
Actual Pick: Jaylen Brown
Sabonis has become one of the truly elite big men in the NBA, as well as the franchise player for the Kings, although it is more of a duo with De’Aaron Fox. With a ridiculous 19 points, 12.5 rebounds and seven assists a game while helping lead the Kings to the playoffs for the first time in a very long tkme, Sabonis is a star. We wouldn’t have gotten the Brown/Tatum duo we have now if Sabonis were drafted here, but Sabonis-Tatum would have been ridiculous. -
Phoenix Suns: Brandon Ingram, SF, Duke 
Actual Pick: Josh Jackson
Ingram might not be the second pick again, but he is a fantastic player for the Pelicans, an all-star, an excellent scorer, and about 50 times the NBA player Dragan Bender was. Ingram is a star in a small market and would have been one in Phoenix as well. -
Minnesota Timberwolves: Fred Van Vleet, PG, Wichita State 
Actual Pick: Kris Dunn
Van Vleet is one of the most elite undrafted players in the NBA in a very long time. He’s a champion, an all-star and about to make around $130-$180 million or so in free agency. The Timberwolves have had a ton of big names on their roster over the last half decade or so, but what they’ve needed was a steady point guard, who simply hasn’t been there. A team with Fred Van Vleet and Karl-Anthony Towns would have made noise. -
New Orleans Pelicans: Dejounte Murray, G, Washington 
Actual Pick: Buddy Hield
The Murray trade to the Hawks hasn’t worked in Atlanta’s favor, but Murray is a two-way stud who was developed beautifully in San Antonio. Buddy Hield was a nice pick, but Murray is a scorer, playmaker, shooter and defender who has few flaws. The Pelicans had Jrue Holiday at point guard and had their Anthony Davis-DeMarcus Cousins experiment working, but I think Murray would have been a fantastic fit. -
Denver Nuggets: Jamal Murray, PG, Kentucky 
Actual Pick: Jamal Murray
Jamal Murray has had injury problems, but when healthy has been an excellent Robin to a Nikola Jokic’s Batman. More scorer than point guard, when Murray is on his game, there are not many guards superior to him. -
Sacramento Kings: Ben Simmons, G, LSU 
Actual Pick: Marquese Chriss
In a draft with many busts, here was one more: Marquese Chriss. He was a worthy gamble given his insane athleticism, but Simmons makes sense now that we are aware of who they became. Right now, there are more Simmons haters than fans, but for half a decade or so, he was one of the best guards and defenders in the NBA, and he could be again. -
Toronto Raptors: Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma 
Actual Pick: Jakob Poeltl
Hield may be on his third team, but there are few players who can shoot at his level, and he is a perfect third option in the NBA. He would have looked very nicely next to Kyle Lowry at guard for the Toronto Raptors. -
Milwaukee Bucks: Jakob Poeltl, C, Utah 
Actual Pick: Thon Maker
The Bucks swung big with Maker, but he was a huge bust. Obviously needing a big man, if Poeltl was available, which he wasn’t, the double-double machine would’ve fit. -
Orlando Magic: Dorian Finney-Smith, F, Florida 
Actual Pick: Domantas Sabonis
A talented forward, Finney-Smith has been a strong starter for many seasons, which is really what you hope for when you have a mid-first-round pick, like he is here. -
Utah Jazz: Malcolm Brogdon, G, Virginia
Actual Pick: Taurean Prince
Brogdon is very likely to win his second Sixth Man award soon and is a well-rounded, perfect sixth man. He can run a team, defends well and is a fantastic shooter who would have made a big difference for a Phoenix team that would have been a perfect fit with a young Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe. -
Phoenix Suns: Ivica Zubac, C, Bosnia
Actual Pick: Georgios Papagiannis
Zubac is a lot like Poeltl; he just works hard, gets a lot of double-doubles amd is a solid starting NBA center. At this point, the Suns had an old Tuson Chamdler and Alex Len, who had trouble making the most of his big talent, so Zubac could have fit. -
Chicago Bulls: Caris LeVert, SF, Michigan 
Actual Pick: Denzel Valentine
LeVert is a versatile offensive player who can capably play three positions on offense. Injuries have been a huge factor on his career as well, but he would have helped the Bulls in their “Three Alphas” season a few years ago. -
Denver Nuggets: Georges Niang, F, Iowa State
Actual Pick: Juan Hernangomez
The Nuggets had a young Nikola Jokic and had just drafted their point guard, but this was a team that could have used Niang’s shooting and offensive talent off the bench as a sub to Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler.
Go to Mike’s 2016 NBA Mock Re-Draft: Round 1 – Picks 16-30
Sorry for cutting this into two halves; I’ve received complaints about load times and putting the mock draft on two pages saves bandwidth.
By Mike Elworth.
Follow Mike @MikeElworth24. For site updates follow @walterfootball.
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