The 2016 NBA Draft has panned out to be a very deep class. While players like Jaylen Brown, Brandon Ingram, and Jamal Murray are among the headliners of the class, there were a plethora of other talented players. This includes players Pacers fans should already be familiar with, such as Pascal Siakam, Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, and Buddy Hield.
During the draft, the Pacers had the No. 20 overall pick. With that pick, they selected Caris LeVert, though they immediately traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Thaddeus Young. After parts of five seasons in Brooklyn, the Ohio native would eventually make his way to Indiana anyway after they acquired him as part of the massive four-team trade that sent James Harden to the Nets. LeVert, who recently got traded to the Atlanta Hawks, would play 74 games and some of the best basketball of his career in Indiana.
LeVert was a good value pick and remains a solid player. However, in a 2016 re-draft, he likely would not fall as far as he did originally, which begs the question of who the Pacers would end up with instead. Recently, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report tackled this question and gave his own answer.
Pacers get Kris Dunn in latest 2016 re-draft
In his re-draft, Favale has the Pacers selecting Providence guard Kris Dunn (for context, LeVert went 13th overall to the Phoenix Suns). Favale mentions in the article that these picks were made without regard to their team fit, so it does not matter that the Pacers already had Jeff Teague (who was an All-Star in 2015), Monta Ellis, Lance Stephenson, and Rodney Stuckey in the backcourt.
In the actual draft, Dunn went fifth overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Though he never fully panned out as an All-Defensive player, he still became a very solid player and is in the midst of a career resurgence.
This is an intriguing re-draft for the Pacers since Dunn is a fantastic defender and would, in theory, boost even the current version of the Pacers on this side of the ball as well. However, he leaves a lot to be desired on the offensive side of the ball and is not a good perimeter shooter. Additionally, the Pacers already have a solid group of guards. Still, it is an interesting hypothetical selection since Dunn is the complete opposite of LeVert, who the Pacers initially drafted.
In the real NBA, the Connecticut native became just a solid guard, though he can still be a menace on defense. However, in this re-draft, it is compelling to think about how different the Pacers could look if they had landed Dunn.