The Best 2016 NBA Draft Prospects Nobody Is Talking About

With the early-entrant deadline having passed for the 2016 NBA draft, scouts and executives now have 162 names to sift through. And a handful will receive more love from teams than media or fans. 

These may not be franchise players or future All-Stars; rather, they’re overlooked prospects who I predict to emerge as NBA assets, based on personal perspective and feedback from scouts.

I pegged six players who are flying below the radar and should eventually rise above it, whether it’s at the NBA combine, during workouts or after the draft.

 

Patrick McCaw (UNLV, SG, Sophomore)

Draft Status: Hired an agent, staying in the draft

Despite a productive freshman season, we didn’t quite see the full eruption from McCaw—2016-17 seemed like his big year.

Nevertheless, he’s hired an agent and entered the 2016 draft. A team that may have anticipated a breakout junior year out of him could jump the gun and reach this June.

McCaw offers a rare package of two-way versatility. He’s an athletic, 6’7″ 2-guard with a mix of shooting, passing and defensive playmaking, a fairly unique combination. He averaged 2.1 threes and 3.9 assists per game while finishing sixth in the country in steals. 

He also added 14.7 points per game, a number he’d likely have raised with another year at UNLV.

Analytics departments will favor McCaw, who did most of his work at the rim (76-of-115, 66.1 percent) or behind the arc (68-of-186, 36.6 percent), not on two-point jumpers (24-of-60, 40 percent), per Hoop-Math.com. His 2.9 steals per 40 minutes should also look good under the analytics lens, given the ties between steal rate and NBA success, as pointed out by ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton. 

In the 20-30 range, there will be an abundance of low-ceiling bigs and international projects (Diamond Stone, Damian Jones, Ante Zizic, Ivica Zubac) for teams to choose from. I’m betting one general manager looks to make a bigger splash. It may take a few years to see results, but McCaw is one of the more exciting draft prospects outside the lottery discussion.

Best-Case Draft Projection: Mid-first round

Worst Case Draft Projection: Second round

 

Ben Bentil (Providence, PF, Sophomore)

Draft Status: No agent, eligible to return

Bentil’s monster sophomore numbers never translated to much NBA draft buzz during the year. He finished the season averaging 21.1 points and 7.7 rebounds, yet projected top-10 pick Kris Dunn received most of the attention at Providence.

Fans and media have overlooked the Friars big man in the NBA draft discussion. One scout recently told me he thought Bentil could go in this year’s first round. 

At 6’9″, 235 pounds, he looks big and strong enough to compete around the basket with NBA 4s. And though not a particularly bouncy athlete, Bentil flashed an encouraging perimeter game, having hit 52 threes and developed into a difficult face-up cover from the short corners.

It needs work, but his jumper looks convincing, while his improved footwork and one-handed touch fuel a post game consisting of go-to moves and counters. 

Poor rebounding (8.9 boards per 40 minutes) and shot-blocking numbers (1.2 blocks per 40 minutes) weaken his draft case. But they shouldn’t just negate all the positives—specifically advanced, inside-out versatility, next-level physical tools and the production to back it all up. 

Unless …

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