Last summer, after all the scouting was done, after all the experts had made their predictions, and after every blogger wrote their opinion piece, the 2016 NBA draft began. Just like any other draft, many aspects were easy to predict. Ben Simmons went number one, the Thunder swindled another team and the Kings did something stupid. It was all happening like clockwork. Once the lottery is over, anything can happen on draft night, and that’s part of what draws so many fans to the event.
The Pacers were one of those teams that picked after the lottery. They had drawn intrigue from many other teams, they could have done anything last year.