The 2016 NBA Draft is stating to take shape, at least on paper- Ben Simmons #1 to the Philadelphia 76ers, Brandon Ingram #2 to the L.A. Lakers, and maybeย Dragan Bender, possibly the next Kristaps Porzingis, #3 to the Boston Celtics. Or it could be possibly Buddy Hield, Kris Dunn, Marquese Chriss and Jamal Murray, in an order that’s anybody’s guess, right after the top three.
ESPN College Hoops and International Draft expert Fran Fraschilla discussed the 2016 NBA Draft on a media conference call, andย Here areย transcripts of some of the highlights of the Jamal Murray discussion below, via an ESPN release.
Fraschilla mentioned Hield and Dunn before moving on to Murray.
“the third guy that I think will be in that mix is Jamal Murray, only 19 years old, but way mature beyond his years. Anybody who watched him in the Pan Am Games last summer, as an 18-year-old, playing against a FIBA-level of player; not quite the NBA, but high-level, physical, mature players, he was dominant, really, and he dominated the SEC this year.”
“He’s a point guard who had to play off the ball this year because of Tyler Ulis; a lead guard, point guard, scoring guard, however you want to say it. And the beauty of Jamal Murray, as opposed to those other two guys, is there is more ceiling because he’s at least a couple years younger than both.”
Here’s the link to our latest NBA mock draft. We do have Jamal Murray slotted in the top 6, and here’s why:
6. New Orleans-Jamal Murray, SG, Kentucky, 6-5, Fr.
The Pelicans should be thrilled if either Murray or Hield fell to them since they need depth at shooting guard with Eric Gordon entering free agency. Murray is a terrific scorer whether shooting it from the outside or driving to the bucket. Go here for more on Jamal Murray.ย
ESPN NBA Draftnik Chad Ford, who answered media questions during todayโs NBA Draft media call.ย Hereโs transcript of what he had to say regarding Jamal Murrayย via ESPNmediazone.comย ย
“Jamal Murray will go 3 to 7. He’s got a pretty narrow range right now. He’s in the mix literally with every single one of those teams with maybe the exception of the Suns.”
“The Celtics are looking at him at three, Wolves are looking at him at 5, Pelicans like him at 6, and Denver even likes him at 7 as a nice backcourt made to Emmanuel Mudiay, and it’s a little bit fluid there because he’s battling guys that are in the same tier.”
“All of them are very different at what they do, and I think it’s going to come down more to team need than it is on necessarily ranking talent. I think as far as talent goes, Murray has the ability to be the best perimeter scorer in this draft. I think he’s going to be a 20-point-per-game scorer in the NBA and one of the best shooters in this draft. Defensively I think the concerns are there.”
With Murray’s departure, to succeed and proceed, Malik Monk is up next, to fill right in at the 2. Here’s a link to more on Monk.ย
Paul M. Banks runsย The Sports Bank.net, partnered withย FOX Sports Engage Network.ย andย News Now.ย Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribuneโs RedEyeย publicationย andย Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country.ย Follow him onย Twitterย andย Instagram
