2016 NBA Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions for Most Intriguing Prospects

Now that the order of the top 14 selections has been established with the 2016 NBA draft lottery on Tuesday, organizations can begin planning for who they will take on June 23 in Brooklyn, New York. 

This might not be the deepest draft the league has seen, but a pair of can't-miss prospects in LSU's Ben Simmons and Duke's Brandon Ingram are projected to go off the board first and second. 

After my latest first-round mock draft, I will try to shed some light on what the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers could be thinking at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively:

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Philadelphia 76ers	Ben Simmons	F	LSU
2	Los Angeles Lakers	Brandon Ingram	SF	Duke
3	Boston Celtics	Dragan Bender	PF	Croatia
4	Phoenix Suns	Jaylen Brown	SF	California
5	Minnesota Timberwolves	Buddy Hield	SG	Oklahoma
6	New Orleans Pelicans	Kris Dunn	PG	Providence
7	Denver Nuggets	Jamal Murray	PG/SG	Kentucky
8	Sacramento Kings	Domantas Sabonis	PF/C	Gonzaga
9	Toronto Raptors	Jakob Poeltl	C	Utah
10	Milwaukee Bucks	Deyonta Davis	PF/C	Michigan State
11	Orlando Magic	Marquese Chriss	PF	Washington
12	Utah Jazz	Furkan Korkmaz	SG	Turkey
13	Phoenix Suns	Henry Ellenson	C	Marquette
14	Chicago Bulls	Denzel Valentine	SG	Michigan State
15	Denver Nuggets	Malik Beasley	SG	Florida State
16	Boston Celtics	Taurean Prince	SF	Baylor
17	Memphis Grizzlies	Skal Labissiere	PF/C	Kentucky
18	Detroit Pistons	Brice Johnson	PF	North Carolina
19	Denver Nuggets	Dejounte Murray	PG/SG	Washington
20	Indiana Pacers	Stephen Zimmerman	PF/C	UNLV
21	Atlanta Hawks	Diamond Stone	C	Maryland
22	Charlotte Hornets	Timiothe Luwawu	SF	France
23	Boston Celtics	Damian Jones	C	Vanderbilt
24	Philadelphia 76ers	Tyler Ulis	PG	Kentucky
25	Los Angeles Clippers	Malachi Richardson	SG	Syracuse
26	Philadelphia 76ers	Wade Baldwin	G	Vanderbilt
27	Toronto Raptors	Cheick Diallo	C	Kansas
28	Phoenix Suns	Thon Maker	C	Australia
29	San Antonio Spurs	Petr Cornelie	PF	France
30	Golden State Warriors	Caris LeVert	SG	Michigan

The Lakers might find it more beneficial to draft Ingram instead of Simmons because they have their point guard of the future with D'Angelo Russell. 

Drafting Simmons, who despite his 6'10" frame could play almost like a point forward, could inhibit the growth of Russell, along with young power forward Julius Randle and shooting guard Jordan Clarkson. 

Ingram, on the other hand, is a 6'9", 196-pound small forward who still has to work on bulking up for the physicality of the NBA, but he can shoot well from deep. 

His 41.0 percent mark from three would add another dimension to the Lakers offense that was dead last in three-point shooting in the league at 31.7. 

Meanwhile, Simmons would be a perfect fit for the 76ers, who are looking for that big-time player who can do it all. They already have a young core in the frontcourt with Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, but no one on the current roster has the versatility of Simmons. 

He is the kind of player who can stretch the floor in a 76ers offense that needs everything. Philly was second-to-last in the league with 97.4 points per game along with a field-goal percentage of 43.1 in 2015-16.

His acquisition could also give the 76ers some wiggle room in terms of finding a legitimate point guard. Philadelphia wouldn't need to acquire the biggest name or the best-scoring one; all it would need is a facilitator who could take hold of the offense when Simmons is not on the court or unavailable. 

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.