The 5: Biggest names to be taken with the No. 16 pick in NBA Draft
Jun 8, 2018, 9:46 AM | Updated: Jun 9, 2018, 12:10 pm
The Phoenix Suns have a plethora of picks in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft at their disposal.
And while most of the talk is over who the team will select with the no. 1 overall pick, it is not the only pick in the first round for Phoenix.
At No. 16, the Suns have the opportunity to boast not one but two top-20 first-round draft picks on their roster next season.
With that in mind, here are the top 5 players to be selected with the 16th overall pick:
John Stockton
One of the best players to ever dish it was a No. 16 pick in the 1984 NBA Draft.
Stockton averaged a career double-double during his time in the NBA.
He made the All-NBA team 11 times and the All-Defensive team five times.
In terms of assists and steals, Stockton takes the cake.
Not only does he hold the NBA record for assists (15,806), he also boasts the NBA record for steals (3,265).
The next closest? Jason Kidd with 12,091 assists and 2,684 steals.
The 10-time All-Star played 19 seasons for for the Utah Jazz, behind only Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant, as the longest time a player has played for a single team in NBA history.
Out of those 19 seasons, Stockton played a full season in all but two of them, amassing 1,504 career games.
Ron Artest, Metta World Peace
Known for his part in the “Malice in the Palace,” World Peace also carved out a decent career in the NBA.
Drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1999, Artest was known for his defensive abilities, but also showed flashes on offense.
In 2000, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
After being dealt to the Pacers in 2002, he continued to show his potential, being named an NBA All-Star and winning the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2004.
But his career path took a hard turn after the brawl.
He was suspended a record 73 games before requesting a trade. The Pacers sent him over to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Peja Stojakovic.
He did, however, help the Kings reach the 2006 NBA playoffs. The last year the Kings have been since. Against the San Antonio Spurs, World Peace averaged 17.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the five-game series.
After running into trouble again in 2007, World Peace was sent over to the Houston Rockets and later the Los Angeles Lakers.
With the Lakers, World Peace had his shining moment in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals. Playing more minutes than anyone else on the team — Kobe Bryant included — World Peace put up 20 points, five rebounds and five steals, helping the Lakers take down the Boston Celtics.
He played 17 seasons in the NBA, averaging 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Hedo Turkoglu
Suns fans should remember Turkoglu from his stint in the Valley. The Turkish small forward was a part of numerous playoff teams that went on deep runs.
Drafted by the Kings in the 2000 NBA Draft, Turkoglu contributed off the bench right away. In the 2000-01 playoffs, Turkoglu averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in eight games as a rookie.
The following year, Turkoglu averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds during the regular season as the Kings went 61-21, earning the top spot in the playoffs. The Kings went on to the Western Conference Finals with Turkoglu right in the mix as the Kings’ sixth man.
Following his time in Sacramento, Turkoglu spent a season with the Spurs before going to Orlando.
He saw his best year with the Magic during the 2007-08 season. He started every game, averaging 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
In 2009, Turkoglu reached the NBA Finals with the Magic, losing in five games to the Lakers.
Suns fan got a glimpse of Turkoglu during the 2010-11 season. Unfortunately for the Suns, Turkoglu didn’t work out, only averaging 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He was traded midseason back to the Magic as a part of a package deal that included Jason Richardson and Earl Clark for Marcin Gortat, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus and a first-round pick.
Nikola Vucevic
The next two picks are still relatively young. The first is Magic center Vucevic.
After being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2011 NBA Draft, Vucevic struggled in his rookie season. In 51 games, he scored just 5.55 points and 4.82 rebounds per game.
In a 2012 trade that saw 12 players shipped off to different teams, including Dwight Howard to L.A., Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets and Andrew Bynum to the 76ers, Vucevic was sent over to the Magic.
There, he shook off his disappointing rookie season.
In six seasons with Orlando, Vucevic is posting double-double numbers. He is averaging 16.0 points and 10.4 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game.
His best season came in 2014, when he shot a career-best 52.3 percent from the field, averaging 19.3 points and 10.9 rebounds.
Terry Rozier
The sample size is small, but it’s evident that “Scary Terry” has some game.
Drafted by the Boston Celtics in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Louisville, Rozier made a name for himself in the 2017-18 season.
Jumping from 8.0 minutes per game in his rookie year to 25.9 in 2017, Rozier made the most of the opportunity, especially in the playoffs.
Without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, Rozier started 19 games for the Celtics, averaging 16.5 points, 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds in the playoffs. In six games, he had at least 20 points and at least eight assists in seven.
His best game came against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers as he dropped 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting (.625) with seven assists.
Even with the injuries, Rozier helped bring the Celtics just one game away from reaching the NBA Finals, losing in seven games to the Cavaliers.
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