Just when you thought the NBA season was over with, think again. Tonight [Thursday, June 23] a number of young men’s lives will change forever.
Tonight, the arena JAY Z helped build plays host to another monumental moment in NBA history. The 2016 NBA Draft will take place at the Barclays Center and many fans are excited about what picks their favorite teams will be making. As expected, teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers already have their minds made up. LSU freshman sensation Ben Simmons and Duke Blue Devil freshman phenom Brandon Ingram will become the #1 and #2 picks of this year’s draft, holding the privilege of becoming the first players to sport the new 2016 NBA Draft Snapback hats specially made by adidas when they pose and take pictures with Commissioner Adam Silver. Die hard hoop fanatics should also be on the look out for sleeper picks that may help change the outlook for the upcoming 2016-2017 NBA regular season.
Although the youngsters in charge are leading the 2016 draft class, there are some talented college veterans with the potential to become starters and impact players for an NBA franchise. Among those college veterans is Michigan State Spartans point forward Denzel Valentine. The 2016 AP Player Of The Year is coming off an amazing four year career hooping for the legendary Tom Izzo. His senior year was his coming out party, as he averaged 19.2 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game en route towards racking up numerous of media awards and All American recognition. Another college hoop veteran fans should keep a eye on tonight is Oklahoma Sooner scoring machine Buddy Hield. Hield was able to show fans his improvement of turning himself from a shooter into a versatile scorer with the rock in his hands. He averaged 25.0 points and 5.7 rebounds a game, phenomenal eye popping numbers that helped him run away with the Wooden, Naismith and Oscar Robertson Award as the nation’s top male collegiate male basketball player.
This year’s class is a wide open one, and fans should be pumped and excited for the abundance of talent NBA franchises should select. From the playmaking scoring ability of Providence College’s point guard Kris Dunn to the young Kevin Durant physical-like prototype of Thom Maker, the next superstar is just one draft pick away. Make sure you tune in and witness the movement of the next generation live tonight on ESPN at 7pm ET.
