NBA Mock Draft 2016: 1st-Round Predictions for Fastest-Rising Prospects

It’s almost draft season.

With the NBA Finals nearing its end as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors head to Game 6 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, the hoops year could be over as early as Thursday.

The draft has snuck up, hasn’t it? In less than 10 days, 30 players will hear their names announced as first-round picks June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

At least a few of those players likely to see their dreams materialize weren’t expected to just weeks ago. Others have potentially launched themselves into the lottery, or higher in the lottery.

We’ll talk about a pair below.

Mock

Pick	Player	Team
1	Ben Simmons (LSU)	76ers
2	Brandon Ingram (Duke)	Lakers
3	Buddy Hield (Oklahoma)	Celtics
4	Dragan Bender (International)	Suns
5	Kris Dunn (Providence)	Timberwolves
6	Jamal Murray (Kentucky)	Pelicans
7	Skal Labissiere (Kentucky)	Nuggets
8	Wade Baldwin IV (Vanderbilt)	Kings
9	Marquese Chriss (Washington)	Raptors
10	Jaylen Brown (Cal)	Bucks
11	Henry Ellenson (Marquette)	Magic
12	Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame)	Jazz
13	Timothe Luwawu (International)	Suns
14	Tyler Ulis (Kentucky)	Bulls
15	Deyonta Davis (Michigan State)	Nuggets
16	Domantas Sabonis (Gonzaga)	Celtics
17	Jakob Poeltl (Utah)	Grizzlies
18	DeAndre' Bembry (Saint Joseph's)	Pistons
19	Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV)	Nuggets
20	Cheick Diallo (Kansas)	Pacers
21	Damian Jones (Vanderbilt)	Hawks
22	Diamond Stone (Maryland)	Hornets
23	Ivica Zubac (International)	Celtics
24	Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall)	76ers
25	Taurean Prince (Baylor)	Clippers
26	Malik Beasley (Florida State)	76ers
27	Zhou Qi (International)	Raptors
28	Juan Hernangomez (International)	Suns
29	Petr Cornelie (International)	Spurs
30	Denzel Valentine (Michigan State)	Warriors

Rising Prospects

Jamal Murray

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Jamal Murray is the best player in the draft—according to himself, that is.

Here’s what the one-and-done point guard out of Kentucky told ESPN’s Chris Forsberg on June 8 when asked if he felt he was the No. 1 player: "I think so. That's not a knock on anybody, I'm just looking back on the work I've put in, how far I've come, how quickly I learn, how quickly I adapt to my surroundings and how easy I fit into a team. I believe I'm the best player in the draft, but every team needs what they need."

His former head coach, John Calipari, said on ESPNU’s College Basketball podcast that the Philadelphia 76ers should draft him first overall (h/t Sports Illustrated).

Clearly, there’s no shortage of confidence.

But why should there be? Murray is a knockdown shooter, and he proved that during his workout with the Boston Celtics.

According to the team’s Twitter page, the 19-year-old hit 79 out of 100 three-pointers during last week’s workout:

That was a record…until Buddy Hield buried 85, per ESPN’s Jeff Goodman:

Murray might not be equipped to steer an NBA team just yet, but the kid can shoot. That’s a skill that will transfer to the pros immediately.

DraftExpress has Murray going to the Sacramento Kings with the No. 8 pick, but according to Brian Robb of CelticsHub.com, the sniper is only working out for teams picking third through sixth:

Murray could seamlessly step into a legitimate role with any one of those teams listed.

After Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram are called, it won't be long before you hear Murray’s name.

Skal Labissiere

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Skal Labissiere did not have a good season at Kentucky in 2015-16.

Far from it, actually. Coming into last year, both Rivals and Scout had him ranked above Simmons as the No. 1 prospect.

Oh, how things changed.

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

The 20-year-old forward averaged 6.6 points and a measly 3.1 rebounds in 15.8 minutes under Calipari. He found his groove toward the end of the campaign, but Labissiere had an eight-game stretch from Dec. 10 to Jan. 16 that featured 3.1 points per outing.

Again, rough year.

Simmons is a consensus No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick. For a while, Labissiere has been viewed as a middle-round, back-of-the-lottery selection.

Since the season ended, though, Labissiere seems to have reminded executives why the world was so high on him coming into 2015-16.

Here’s a clip that shows his incredible 7'2 ½" wingspan, per Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders:

Labissiere attempted two three-pointers at Kentucky, and he missed them both.

As Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders posted on June 5, the big fella is working to show that he can hit the long ball at the pro level:

Calipari coaches to win games. Karl-Anthony Towns was 2-of-8 from deep as a Wildcat and 30-of-88 in his Rookie of the Year season for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Just because he didn’t take a lot at UK, don’t think Labissiere can’t make threes for whichever team takes him.

DraftExpress has the 7-footer pegged to the Orlando Magic at No. 11. Don’t be surprised if he continues to climb over the likes of Henry Ellenson and even Jakob Poeltl, two big men who are No. 10 and No. 9, respectively.