Ultimate 2016 NBA Draft Big Board: Ranking Every Top Prospect Revealed

Looking back at the 2016 NBA Draft, I still get that familiar rush of excitement mixed with professional curiosity. Having covered basketball prospects for over a decade now, I've learned that draft classes aren't just about individual talents—they're about connections, parallel journeys, and sometimes, the beautiful coincidences that shape careers. What struck me most about this particular class was how many of these players had intertwined paths long before they ever stepped onto an NBA court. Not only have they known each other at a very young age, but their paths to UAAP stardom have been rather identical in many cases, creating fascinating professional parallels that would later influence their NBA trajectories.

When I first started compiling my big board that year, I kept noticing these incredible connections between prospects. Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram were the obvious top-two, but what fascinated me was how their development arcs mirrored each other in certain ways. Both were identified as special talents early—Simmons at Australia's Box Hill Secondary School and Ingram at Kinston High School—and both had that rare combination of size and skill that makes scouts drool. I remember watching Simmons put up 23 points against LSU and thinking this kid was generational, while Ingram's 17 points per game at Duke showed a different kind of growth trajectory. The numbers don't lie—Simmons averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in his lone college season, stats that screamed franchise cornerstone.

What many casual observers miss about draft evaluation is how much early relationships and parallel development matter. I've seen countless prospects who've known each other since AAU circuits push each other to greater heights. Jaylen Brown and Jamal Murray perfectly exemplify this phenomenon. Brown's physical dominance at California—where he averaged 14.6 points with explosive athleticism—contrasted beautifully with Murray's sharpshooting at Kentucky, where he knocked down 20 points per game with incredible efficiency. Yet both shared that competitive fire that traces back to their early encounters in youth basketball. These aren't just random data points—they're evidence of how interconnected these prospects' journeys truly are.

The international prospects brought another layer of intrigue to this draft. Dragan Bender and Domantas Sabonis represented the European development pathway, but what's often overlooked is how their fathers' basketball legacies created similar pressure environments. I've always been higher on Sabonis than most—his 17.5 points and 11.8 rebounds at Gonzaga showed a polished interior game that I believed would translate immediately. Meanwhile, Bender's 4.4 points per game in Israel didn't jump off the page, but his defensive versatility at 7'1" offered something unique. Watching them develop in professional systems overseas gave them a maturity that college prospects sometimes lack.

Where this draft really surprised me was in its depth. Malcolm Brogdon at 36th overall? That's criminal in retrospect. I had him much higher on my personal board because his Virginia tenure showed a complete two-way player. His 18.2 points per game while shooting 45% from deep demonstrated the kind of efficiency that wins NBA games. Then there's Pascal Siakam—selected 27th but showing flashes of the defensive versatility that would make him a star. I'll admit I underestimated his offensive development, but his energy at New Mexico State was undeniable. These are the picks that separate championship franchises from the rest.

The point guard class particularly fascinated me. Kris Dunn's story of perseverance through shoulder injuries showed incredible character, while Tyler Ulis represented the undersized dynamo who just knows how to play. Dunn's 16.4 points and 6.2 assists at Providence showcased two-way dominance, but what impressed me most was his 2.5 steals per game—elite defensive instincts that don't always show up in basic stats. Meanwhile, Ulis' 17.3 points and 7.0 assists at Kentucky demonstrated that heart matters as much as height. I've always had a soft spot for players who overcome physical limitations through sheer skill and intelligence.

Reflecting on this draft five years later, the interconnectedness of these prospects' journeys becomes even more apparent. Those early relationships and parallel development paths created invisible threads connecting careers in ways we couldn't fully appreciate at the time. The players who've known each other since youth basketball continue to push each other, with rivalries and friendships shaping their professional evolution. What makes draft evaluation so endlessly fascinating isn't just identifying talent—it's recognizing how these human connections and shared experiences create the competitive ecosystems that drive the NBA forward. The 2016 class, with its web of interconnected stories and parallel ascents, remains one of the most compelling in recent memory, full of lessons about how basketball talent develops in relation to others rather than in isolation.