2. Pascal Siakam, Forward
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Original Draft Slot: 27
By far the best value pick in the 2016 NBA Draft to date looks to be the defending champions Toronto Raptors selecting the Nigerian forward Pascal Siakam at No. 27 overall in the first round. Siakam received his first career max contract extension last offseason, and it’s already paying dividends north of the border.
But if the Los Angeles Lakers could do it all over again, they might wind up selecting the defending NBA’s Most Improved Player honoree Siakam over the former Duke Blue Devils forward Brandon Ingram. The Lakers don’t even have Ingram on the roster anymore, since they dealt him among a number of other young players to the New Orleans Pelicans in a blockbuster trade last summer.
It looks like Siakam is well on pace to receive his first career All-Star selection this season. And he’s a dark horse NBA MVP candidate if he really takes off in the second half of the regular season. He’s averaging 25.1 points per game, 8.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, one steal, and one block so far this season.
Imagine a Lakers team that includes Siakam and LeBron. No other NBA team could realistically defend that down low. With Siakam improving his three-point shooting (39.2 percent from downtown this season), that threat could even draw out beyond 16-feet from the rim. Siakam would be the no-brainer re-draft in the No. 2 slot in the 2016 draft class.