The 2016 NBA Draft class is righting the ship in their second year

The 2016 NBA Draft class seemed to disappoint from the moment it was finalized. This was not a class loaded with potential stars or star power. The only seemingly surefire elite player from the draft, Ben Simmons, suffered an injury in the summer and missed the entire season. As the rest of the group struggled through their rookie seasons, excitement dissipated. The Rookie of the Year race devolved into a “Who wants it?” which eventually went to No. 36 overall pick Malcolm Brogdon.

There was a lot to forget in the first year of professional play for the 2016 Draft class.

But everyone gets their three-year contracts. And no one is going to give up on a player after one year. A little more than a quarter of the way through the 2017-18 season, the rookie class of 2016 has started to fight back. They are not going to get pushed aside. Not completely, at least. Several rookies have done what rookies do: Build on their experience and improve for their second year.

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Brandon Ingram, the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, is averaging 16.0 points per game on 48.0 percent effective field goal shooting so far this season. Ingram is looking more confident in his handle and his ability to create his own shot. He is quickly becoming the Lakers’ best perimeter player and someone who can work with Ball in the team’s future. He’s also quickly moving up to the top of scouting reports.

This is a perfect example of a player who had an underwhelming rookie year — 9.4 points per game, 44.2 percent effective field goal percentage — but now has established a role for himself.

Ingram is not the Kevin Durant-like scorer everyone assumed he could be coming out of Duke. Then again, that was always an impossibly high standard. Kyle Kuzma has sucked up more shots and is the Lakers’ leading scorer. But Ingram, like Kuzma, is doing so efficiently. Ingram is not playing the part of go-to star quite yet. But his scoring aptitude remains high. At a time when the Lakers are hunting from outside for their new star, he may still reside internally on the roster.

Ingram has to improve his 3-point shooting (or get a 3-point shot at all). But he’s shown flashes of his easily scoring ability which drew lofty comparisons to other perimeter scorers.

Jaylen Brown is the easiest one to spot because the Boston Celtics are at the top of the standings. The third overall pick from 2016 is averaging 14.8 points per game and providing excellent defense. He is a role player and hardly relied on to be a star like Ingram has been.

Brown has the confidence to fill his expected role. He has improved his 3-point shooting — to 40.2 percent on 4.5 3-point field goal attempts per game — and has provided stellar defense. Brown looks like a veteran out there and might be the best player in this rookie class. If only the league gave out a Sophomore of the Year Award.

But Brown’s biggest success has come on the defensive end. The Celtics have built the best defense in the league on the backs of long, rangy defenders who are able to cover multiple players and positions. Brown fits that role to a tee.The Celtics have a 98.4 defensive rating with Brown on the court. There are plenty of other players doing better — including Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart. But defense is about all the parts to the whole. The Celtics have done well to acquire all these kinds of players and turned them loose defensively.

Brown’s emergence as an offensive threat has made his defense that much more of a tool.

A change of scenery can also do a player well. A new role and new expectations can often light a fire. Domantas Sabonis entered the draft as a potentially strong stretch-4 option. That is largely how the Oklahoma City Thunder used him.

Upon his trade to the Indiana Pacers, they changed his role. According to Basketball-Reference’s play-by-play data, his splits between power forward and center have nearly flipped. He now plays nearly 85 percent of his minutes at center.

While Sabonis can still hit from beyond the arc — 45.5 percent — most of his attempts are now coming near the basket. Expectedly, it has led to an increase in efficiency and his raw numbers across the board. At center, his shooting also becomes a bit more of a weapon, especially off the bench.

Without Russell Westbrook sucking up all the oxygen, both he and Victor Oladipo have thrived. The Pacers are playing at a breakneck pace and are spreading the floor with multiple shooters on the floor. Sabonis has fit in well. Out of Oklahoma City’s rather stagnant offense, Sabonis’ natural playmaking skills are becoming more apparent. At Gonzaga, Sabonis was a do-it-all center who could work the high post as a passer and playmaker, averaging 1.8 assists per game. He is up to 2.2 assists per game for the Pacers in just 25.0 minutes per night.

Sabonis has always been a very smart player. He was always much more than a spread-the-floor type. His role in Oklahoma City never unlocked all of his skills. Indiana’s free-flowing offense has done more to bring Sabonis’ natural ability to fore.

Position changes are not uncommon for young players. There is always a fair bit of experimenting going on with them as they set to find their way in the league.

The Denver Nuggets continue to experiment with Jamal Murray at point guard. He has not quite been the 3-point shooter they expected, but he has upped his average to 14.4 points per game. It is clear point guard is not exactly the best fit for him. But the Nuggets are dutifully developing him and waiting for those flashes to come through.

The same could be said for the Milwaukee Bucks and Thon Maker. He has kept his numbers flat and has gone through moments of very strong play. But he is still young. And the Bucks have to like the direction he is headed.

So has Kris Dunn with the Chicago Bulls (11.8 points per game in his first major minutes of his career) and Buddy Hield with the Sacramento Kings (shooting 45.9 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 11.8 points per game).

The sophomores are figuring out their games. For players like Dunn, Sabonis and Hield who have moved teams, they are proving no one should have given up on them. Or at least given them a fair chance to develop.

Next: Can LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball succeed overseas?

The Draft Class of 2016 was not the star-studded class everyone hoped it would be. But the rookies have grown into sophomores. They have improved dramatically. As rookies do before their sophomore season.