NBA Draft 2016: Predicting rookie busts

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 /

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Dec 9, 2015; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears forward Jaylen Brown (0) looks to pass against Incarnate Word Cardinals guard Shawn Johnson (41) in the second half at Haas Pavilion. Cal won 74-62. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Jaylen Brown

The first big surprise of the night came early on, when the Boston Celtics selected California forward Jaylen Brown with the No. 3 overall pick. Brown is considered one of the most athletic players in the draft and a great defender.

However, it was a bit of a surprise that he went with the No. 3 pick. In the buildup to the draft, the Celtics had been plenty of trade rumors circulating around the pick and that left people thinking the Celtics would ultimately come away with something better than Brown with their top pick.

While it’s not the worst pick in the world and Brown’s athleticism will help him in the league, if he doesn’t pick up an offensive game soon, he might not live up to the status of being drafted so high as he was.

That’s not to say he’s going to be out of the league quick and bust hard, but he might just not be as good as you would hope for a No. 3 pick in the draft. He’s got raw talent, but for where the Celtics are at this point, this didn’t seem like the right pick for that.

Whether that’s more of a condemnation against them than Brown remains to be seen.

Next: 4. Jakob Poeltl

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