NBA: Predicting Who The Top Five Rookies Will Be In 2016-17

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) gestures to the crowd while standing with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number six overall pick to the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Jaylen Brown (California) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number three overall pick to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

2) Jaylen Brown (20/1 odds)

The Boston Celtics taking Jaylen Brown with the third overall pick was one of the biggest surprises of the 2016 NBA Draft. I’m not trying to say that Brown was a bad selection, but a trade sounded like all but a sure thing and so much was being made of Providence guard Kris Dunn possibly going to Boston at 3 that Brown seemed like an outside shot at best.

Brown is an ultra-athletic freshman wing out of California with potential as high as any of the other prospects in this year’s draft other than Ben Simmons. At Cal, he displayed the ability to be a quality defender at any level and also showed that he can be very dangerous in transition.

In Boston, Brown will have to fight for some playing time barring a significant trade with all of the wings that the Celtics boast. With the news of Al Horford signing with Boston, the likelihood of a trade is becoming more and more likely.

If he can get out onto the court in year one, I believe that Brown will be able to make a similar impact to that of what Andrew Wiggins did in his first season with Minnesota. Both players’ shots have something left to be desired but they provide so much more than just another scoring option.

With 20+ minutes per game, I can see Jaylen Brown being one of the best rookies in the NBA next season that should be able to be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year late into the 2016-2017 season.

Next: No. 1

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