2016 NBA Mock Draft: Latest Post-NCAA Championship Predictions
With the Villanova Wildcats' thrilling win over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the books, the focus of the basketball realm now centers on the 2016 NBA draft on June 23.
Those Wildcats might have a few guys in attendance—notably Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins—but this is a loaded class with more intrigue than usual.
Outside of Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons, most everything seems up for grabs. There are sleepers, plenty of guys sure to rise and major wild cards like Thon Maker ready to change how folks think about the process.
Here's an updated mock draft so you can begin to catch up on the happenings in the process.
2016 NBA Mock Draft
| 1. | Philadelphia 76ers | F Ben Simmons, LSU |
| 2. | Los Angeles Lakers | SF Brandon Ingram, Duke |
| 3. | Phoenix Suns | SG Buddy Hield, Oklahoma |
| 4. | Boston Celtics (from Brooklyn) | SF Jaylen Brown, California |
| 5. | Minnesota Timberwolves | PF Dragan Bender, Croatia |
| 6. | New Orleans Pelicans | SG Jamal Murray, Kentucky |
| 7. | Sacramento Kings | C Jakob Poeltl, Utah |
| 8. | Toronto Raptors (from New York) | PF Henry Ellenson, Marquette |
| 9. | Denver Nuggets | PG Kris Dunn, Providence |
| 10. | Orlando Magic | PF/C Deyonta Davis, Michigan State |
| 11. | Milwaukee Bucks | C Skal Labissiere, Kentucky |
| 12. | Phoenix Suns (from Washington) | PG Wade Baldwin IV, Vanderbilt |
| 13. | Utah Jazz | SG Furkan Korkmaz, Turkey |
| 14. | Chicago Bulls | PF Ivan Rabb, California |
| 15. | Boston Celtics (from Dallas) | SG Timothe Luwawu, France |
| 16. | Denver Nuggets (from Houston) | C Diamond Stone, Maryland |
| 17. | Detroit Pistons | SG Denzel Valentine, Michigan State |
| 18. | Denver Nuggets (from Portland) | PG Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame |
| 19. | Indiana Pacers | F Marquese Chriss, Washington |
| 20. | Atlanta Hawks | C Damian Jones, Vanderbilt |
| 21. | Charlotte Hornets | SG Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia |
| 22. | Philadelphia 76ers (from Miami) | PF Brice Johnson, North Carolina |
| 23. | Memphis Grizzlies | G Caris LeVert, Michigan |
| 24. | Boston Celtics | PF Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga |
| 25. | Los Angeles Clippers | C Thon Maker, Orangeville Prep |
| 26. | Philadelphia 76ers (from Oklahoma City) | F Dorian Finney-Smith, Florida |
| 27. | Toronto Raptors | F Paul Zipser, Germany |
| 28. | Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland) | F Taurean Prince, Baylor |
| 29. | San Antonio Spurs | PG Melo Trimble, Maryland |
| 30. | Golden State Warriors | C Stephen Zimmerman, UNLV |
Notable Prospects to Watch
5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Dragan Bender, PF, Croatia
Dragan Bender isn't a household name just yet, but the 18-year-old Croatian will find himself with such a status soon.
A member of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, Bender comes in at a gigantic 7'1" and 216 pounds. It's not so much just the size, though, as it is the fact Bender is a great shooter who's tremendous with the ball in his hands, which means coaches can trot him out anywhere from small forward to center.
According to Sports Illustrated, Bender revealed Wednesday he will enter the draft—much to the excitement of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota is one of the great young teams in the league right now. It's hard to know the future of Ricky Rubio, but Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns make up a great core complemented by others such as Zach LaVine.
The young Timberwolves won't be able to take a pass on Bender. Think of him like another version of Kristaps Porzingis, a guy who can go out anywhere on the court and produce. Giving the coaching staff more options and helping to wear down opponents is nothing short of a good thing with Bender's hypothetical arrival in Minnesota.
6. New Orleans Pelicans: Jamal Murray, SG, Kentucky
One of the most complete players in the draft, most should know about Kentucky's Jamal Murray because, well, he played at Kentucky.
Still, it will be interesting to see how Murray's stock fluctuates on the path to June's event, especially because he's not a guy who will impress in athleticism drills. He's a combo guard but a bit small at 6'5" and 207 pounds, and he lacks elite explosiveness.
Such a knock didn't hurt Murray as a freshman with the Wildcats, of course. He averaged 20 points per game while shooting 45.4 percent from the floor and 40.8 percent from long range. As ESPN Stats & Info revealed, he joined a rather prestigious list after the season, too:
Should the top five care more about athleticism and simply other positions, though, Murray won't get past the New Orleans Pelicans at six.
Long story short, the Pelicans continue to realize they haven't built correctly around Anthony Davis, nor is he aggressive enough to do it on his own. Now the team seems like it will lose Eric Gordon this summer, meaning the front office has to patch up the position before it can think about upgrading on Norris Cole at the point or Alonzo Gee at small forward.
Murray doesn't fix all of the problems in New Orleans, but he gives the team options, which is more than most franchises can say they have right now.
25. Los Angeles Clippers: Thon Maker, C, Orangeville Prep
How's this for a wrench in normal draft proceedings?
Maker, a Sudanese 7-foot enforcer, graduated high school in Canada one year ago and will test the limits of the NBA's rules when it comes to draft eligibility.
Expect the hype train to leave the station shortly as Maker begins draft workouts and the process of getting to know the Association's teams. He's a gifted athlete, to say the least, who had programs like Kansas and Kentucky chasing him.
Back in January, ESPN.com explained why in a scouting report: "Maker, who has that super long and lean Kevin Garnett body type, has off-the-chart upside, and with continued development and hard work is an immediate-impact player on the college level and potential NBA lottery pick."
The thing is, one doesn't have to look far around to see not many folks have Maker as a sudden lottery pick because he wants to enter the draft. He's still a project, albeit one with amazing upside, so him falling to the mid-20s wouldn't stand as the biggest stunner of the draft.
Think about a team like the Los Angeles Clippers, one without any crazy immediate needs. The Clippers could develop Maker for a few years ahead of DeAndre Jordan's 2018 option year. Or maybe they need him even sooner based on all the drama around Blake Griffin, who could certainly find himself on the trade block if there is another incident or the team fails to make a dent in this year's postseason.
Maker doesn't fit with the Clippers right away, but then again, that organization's plan for the future is about as unpredictable as whether the NBA will declare Maker eligible, so it seems a fitting marriage.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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