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History of 16th Overall NBA Draft Pick

Recent history tells us a lot about this spot in the draft.

Olivier Dumont

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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In this year’s 2022 NBA Draft, set to take place on June 23rd, the Atlanta Hawks will have two picks at their disposal to allocate towards two bright young athletes that can make a difference for this team. In the first round, the Hawks have the 16th overall pick, and in the second round, they receive the 14th pick, 44th overall.

You might be thinking right away, what talent could the Hawks possibly get with these mid-round picks in this year’s NBA Draft? Well, to get a better idea of what the Hawks might find or land with these important draft picks, we’re going to take a look at the last four 16th overall picks that were made in the previous NBA Drafts to see how history has unfolded for each recipient of this selection.

By doing so, we will be able to assess the parallels and differences with the talent selected at that spot to better gauge what odds the Hawks have of potentially landing a future game-changer. Without further ado, here’s a look at the last four players selected at 16th overall:

2021 - Alperen Şengün

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) controls the ball as Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

2021 16th Overall Pick Team: Oklahoma City Thunder

Player Selected: Alperen Şengün, PF - Turkey (Traded to Houston Rockets)

Rookie Stats: 20.7 MPG, 9.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 47.4 FG%, 24.8 3P%

In 72 games played and 13 games starter, the Turkish power forward had himself quite an impressive rookie debut, flashing signs of stardom over the course of the season through his ability to dominate inside and crash the glass very well.

This was put on full display on March 26th when Şengün would post a career-high 27 points on 62.5% shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, and one block in their win against the Portland Trail Blazers.

2020 - Isaiah Stewart

Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart (28) is fouled by Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green (8) in the second half at Little Caesars Arena.
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

2020 16th Overall Pick Team: Portland Trail Blazers

Player Selected: Isaiah Stewart, C - Washington (Traded to Detroit Pistons)

Career Stats: 23.5 MPG, 8.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.2 BLK, 52.9 FG%, 33.0 3P%

Over his first two seasons in Detroit, Stewart has produced some solid numbers and has provided a steadying presence inside the paint on both sides of the ball. Bringing great physical strength and fearless defending, Stewart started all 71 games he played this season and tallied more points, rebounds, and assists per game as a result.

On April 6th, Stewart produced a 19-point outing to go with 14 rebounds and a block during the regular season. Earlier in February, Stewart also tallied a season-high 17 rebounds, just four shy from his career-high he secured during his rookie season (21).

2019 - Chuma Okeke

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lamar Stevens (8) defends Orlando Magic forward Chuma Okeke (3) in the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

2019 16th Overall Pick Team: Orlando Magic

Player Selected: Chuma Okeke, PF - Auburn

Career Stats: 25.1 MPG, 8.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.3 STL, 39 FG%, 32.6 3P%

In his first two seasons in the NBA, Okeke hasn’t posted anything particularly flashy, but the growth has been there. Although his shooting success has been inconsistent, Okeke has highlighted how versatile he can be during his time with the Magic through his ability to rebound, pass, defend, and score both inside and out quite well.

This really came to life on February 25th when Okeke dropped a career-high 26 points to go with nine rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one block in the Magic’s victory over the Houston Rockets.

2018 - Zhaire Smith

Philadelphia 76ers guard Zhaire Smith (8) is fouled as he attempts to dribbles past Washington Wizards Jalen Jones during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

2018 16th Overall Pick Team: Phoenix Suns

Player Selected: Zhaire Smith, SG/SF - Texas Tech (Traded to Philadelphia 76ers)

Career Stats: 11.0 MPG, 3.7 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 0.9 APG, 37.8 FG%, 31.6 3P%

During his short, two-year stint in the NBA, Zhaire Smith didn’t receive much of an opportunity to develop into his true potential following a foot fracture he suffered the very summer he got drafted. Due to further complications during his recovery, Smith didn’t up end up making his NBA debut until March 25, 2019.

He would play a total of 13 games in two seasons for the 76ers before joining the Memphis Hustle, a G League team.

2015 - Terry Rozier

Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier (3) handles the ball against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Spectrum Center.
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

2015: Terry Rozier, SG - Selected by the Boston Celtics

Career Recap: 7 seasons in the league (4 in Boston, 3 in Charlotte). Has played 477 total games with an average of 12.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.

2014 - Jusuf Nurkić

Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic (27) reacts after a basket during the second half against the Memphis Grizzles at FedExForum.
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

· 2014: Jusuf Nurkić, C - Selected by the Chicago Bulls (traded to Denver)

Career Recap: 8 seasons in the league (2.5 in Denver, 5.5 in Portland). Has played 411 total games and averaged 12.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

Nicola Vučević

Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) talks with head coach Billy Donovan during the third quarter against the Chicago Bulls during game five of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Fiserv Forum.
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

2011: Nicola Vučević, C - Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers

Career Recap: Played 11 seasons in NBA (1 season in Philadelphia, 8.5 seasons in Orlando, and 1.5 in Chicago.) Played in 741 total games and averaged 16.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game).

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Olivier Dumont
OLIVIER DUMONT

Olivier Dumont is a graduate of SUNY Rockland Community College, where he was the Sports Editor of the Outlook. After obtaining his Associate of Liberal Arts degree, he transferred to both Hunter and Baruch Colleges as part of the CUNY Baccalaureate Program for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies. He graduated with a BA degree with a concentration in Sports Journalism.

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