NBA Mock Draft 2016: 1st-Round Projections and Prospects Shaking Up Stock Market

The 2016 NBA Draft pool is officially set, as teams can now focus on which players will actually be available when the selections begin on June 23.

The May 25 deadline to withdraw from the draft passed Wednesday, with players like Maryland's Melo Trimble and Oregon's Dillon Brooks announcing their intentions to return to school.

The only real remaining threats to players rising or falling down draft boards will be team workouts leading up to the draft. Some players have already started making noise and shook up draft lists, which is sure to continue for the next few weeks.

Here is a look at the projected first-round selections, which have not changed since the second version of this mock on May 24, along with players whose stocks have either improved or regressed in the last few weeks.

Pick	Team	Player	Team
1	Philadelphia 76ers	Ben Simmons	LSU
2	Los Angeles Lakers	Brandon Ingram	Duke
3	Boston Celtics (from Brooklyn)	Dragan Bender	Maccabi Tel Aviv
4	Phoenix Suns	Jaylen Brown	California
5	Minnesota Timberwolves	Jamal Murray	Kentucky
6	New Orleans Pelicans	Buddy Hield	Oklahoma
7	Denver Nuggets (from New York)	Jakob Poltl	Utah
8	Sacramento Kings	Kris Dunn	Providence
9	Toronto Raptors (from Denver)	Henry Ellenson	Marquette
10	Milwaukee Bucks	Demetrius Jackson	Notre Dame
11	Orlando Magic	Domantas Sabonis	Gonzaga
12	Utah Jazz	Denzel Valentine	Michigan State
13	Phoenix Suns (from Washington)	Deyonta Davis	Michigan State
14	Chicago Bulls	Timothe Luwawu	Mega Leks
15	Denver Nuggets (from Houston)	Furkan Korkmaz	Anadolu Efes
16	Boston Celtics (from Dallas)	Taurean Prince	Baylor
17	Memphis Grizzlies	Marquese Chriss	Washington
18	Detroit Pistons	Tyler Ulis	Kentucky
19	Denver Nuggets (from Portland)	Wade Baldwin IV	Vanderbilt
20	Indiana Pacers	Stephen Zimmerman	UNLV
21	Atlanta Hawks	Malik Beasley	Florida State
22	Charlotte Hornets	Skal Labissiere	Kentucky
23	Boston Celtics	DeAndre' Bembry	St. Joe's
24	Philadelphia 76ers (from Miami)	Cheick Diallo	Kansas
25	Los Angeles Clippers	Juan Hernangomez	Estudiantes
26	Philadelphia 76ers (from Oklahoma City)	Malachi Richardson	Syracuse
27	Toronto Raptors	Ben Bentil	Providence
28	Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland)	Dejounte Murray	Washington
29	San Antonio Spurs	Diamond Stone	Maryland
30	Golden State Warriors	A.J. Hammons	Purdue

Robert Carter, Maryland

Entering the draft, Maryland forward Robert Carter was considered to be a fringe second-round prospect who was not guaranteed to even be selected. That is no longer the case.

Carter was excellent at the NBA Draft Combine, and he impressed Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman:

DraftExpress.com's Jonathan Givony also praised Carter, saying the 22-year-old had 22 points and seven rebounds during the first day scrimmages:

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Robert Carter may have helped himself as much as any other player to participate in Thursday's 5-on-5 scrimmages. The 22-year-old big man showed his versatile offensive skill set, knocking down pick and pop jumpers out to 3-point range, putting the ball on the deck, scoring with jump hooks in the post and competing defensively and on the glass. 

"

In its latest mock draft, DraftExpress now has Carter going No. 44 to the Atlanta Hawks. 

Carter was solid on a loaded Terps roster last season, averaging 12.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while hitting 55.4 percent of his shots.

At 6'9" and 251 pounds, Carter is a stout post-scorer who can also knock down outside jumpers. He will not be making any all-star teams in the NBA, but he should develop into a quality option off the bench.

Skal Labissiere, Kentucky

Skal Labissiere entered this past season as the No. 2 overall player in the 2015 high school class and seemingly a lock to become a lottery pick in the 2016 draft.

Yet, Labissiere disappointed, finishing with 6.6 points and 3.3 rebounds a game while averaging just under 16 minutes. He looked overwhelmed physically and often out of position on both ends of the floor. 

His draft stock fell as a result, but he reportedly put on a solid performance at the combine, per NBC Sports' Rob Dauster. Labissiere is also impressing enough to be featured at No. 8 in DraftExpress' latest mock, ahead of other heralded big men like Marquette's Henry Ellenson and Utah's Jakob Poltl.

Comcast SportsNet Chicago's Mark Schanowski believes he is also on the Chicago Bulls' radar at pick No. 14: 

Labissiere is raw and obviously talented as a long power forward with the ability to hit mid-range jumpers, but it is tough to be sold on him after watching him struggle against stronger competition last season.

He may develop into an NBA starter, which is apparent by rising draft stock, but using a lottery pick on Labissiere is an unnecessary risk given the uncertainty around his game.

Thon Maker, Athlete Institute

Athletically, there may not be a more gifted prospect than Thon Maker.

Maker, who was the No. 10 prospect in the 2016 recruiting class, was ruled eligible for the draft because he is 19 years old and graduated from a secondary school last year, per ESPN's Chad Ford. He is a 7-footer who can handle the ball and jump through the roof, which is evident by DraftExpress' highlight tape of his strengths:

Ford had Maker as a solid first-round pick when he was made eligible in April, but his stock has continued to fall ever since. He did not participate in the scrimmaging portion of the combine, and he has fallen out of the first round, per DraftExpress.

Comcast SportsNet New England's Dalen Cuff and Tim Welsh discussed Maker as a first-round possibility for the Boston Celtics, who pick third, 16th and 23rd in the round. However, they all agree that he has not proved himself against quality competition and would not be a smart pick in the first round.

However, CBS Sports' Seth Davis believes Maker is being overlooked:

Opinions on Maker vary wildly because he is such an intriguing yet unknown prospect. This makes his draft stock extremely volatile. He could remain as a projected second-round pick, or he could thoroughly impress a team enough at a private workout to surge back into the first round. 

All statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com.

All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.com.