2016 NBA Draft Pick 24
Who Picked: Shooting guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
Who Was There: Furkan Korkmaz, Tyler Ulis, Dejounte Murray
Analysis: Most mock drafts projected Luwawu-Cabarrot in the lottery picks, where several had him projected as a top ten pick. Luwawu progressed while playing for France in 2014-2015. He followed that with excelling against tougher competition in 2015-2016, improving both scoring and passing. 6-foot-7 and 205 pounds is an excellent size for the backcourt. He has good athleticism to defend smaller, quicker shooting guards. While a little raw, he is a standout in the coveted “3 and D” type player. The fact that he fell to 24 was astonishing. His strongest competition was, for the most part, from Furkan Korkmaz. Luwawu gets the nod from experience, but Korkmaz has just as much potential to develop into a coveted “3 and D” player.
Point guard Tyler Ulis was a curious prospect at 24. While the Philadelphia 76ers need a point guard, they did eventually address the position substantially in free agency. Ulis is curious as a 5-foot-9 160 point point guard. Had the team succeeded with point guard Pierre Jackson, Ulis would have been an ideal prospect to develop behind Jackson.
Dejounte Murray stands 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 170 pounds. Heexcels in transition, whether pushing the ball himself or running the wing and staying in attack mode. But with Simmons, the team needs to surround him with shooters. Murray shot just 41.6 percent of his attempts overall and 28.8 percent of his threes.
Luwawu was the right pick. Simmons needs shooters, and Luwawu was the best on the board.
Score: A+
Next: 2016 NBA Draft Pick 26