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

The college basketball season is over. Now the fun begins. Let's pick a new home for these college players.

The degree of talent of this year's prospects is a sharp comparison. After the first five picks in the lottery, the incoming players are a giant mystery.

There's also a large number of international prospects hoping to make their way to the States to play basketball in the NBA.

Intrigue is high this year in the NBA draft, and the debate of who will go No. 1 will rage on until the end of the season. Take a look at the mock draft and where these prospects will land.

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Philadelphia 76ers	Ben Simmons	SF	LSU
2	Los Angeles Lakers	Brandon Ingram	SF	Duke
3	Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn)	Dragan Bender	C	Croatia
4	Phoenix Suns	Jaylen Brown	SF	Cal
5	Minnesota Timberwolves	Buddy Hield	SG	Oklahoma
6	New Orleans Pelicans	Jamal Murray	SG	Kentucky
7	Denver Nuggets (via NYK)	Timothe Luwawu	SF	France
8	Sacramento Kings	Kris Dunn	PG	Providence
9	Toronto Raptors (via Denver)	Marquese Chriss	PF	Washington
10	Orlando Magic	Jakob Poeltl	C	Utah
11	Milwaukee Bucks	Skal Labissiere	PF/C	Kentucky
12	Chicago Bulls	Demetrius Jackson	PG	Notre Dame
13	Phoenix Suns (via Washington)	Denzel Valentine	SF	Mich. State
14	Houston Rockets	Deyonta Davis	PF	Mich. State
15	Utah Jazz	Ivan Rabb	PF	Cal
16	Boston Celtics (via Dallas)	Domantas Sabonis	PF	Gonzaga
17	Memphis Grizzlies	Tyler Ulis	PG	Kentucky
18	Denver Nuggets (via Portland)	Furkan Korkmaz	SG	Turkey
19	Indiana Pacers	Damian Jones	C	Vanderbilt
20	Detroit Pistons	Taurean Prince	SF	Baylor
21	Philadelphia 76ers (via Miami)	Juan Hernangomez	SF	Spain
22	Charlotte Hornets	Malik Beasley	SG	Florida St.
23	Boston Celtics	Diamond Stone	C	Maryland
24	Atlanta Hawks	Melo Trimble	PG	Maryland
25	Los Angeles Clippers	DeAndre' Bembry	SF	St. Joe's
26	Toronto Raptors	Wade Baldwin	PG	Vanderbilt
27	Philadelphia 76ers (via Oklahoma City)	Stephen Zimmerman Jr.	C	UNLV
28	Phoenix Suns (via Cleveland)	Zhou Qi	C	China
29	San Antonio Spurs	Ivica Zubac	C	Croatia
30	Golden State Warriors	Brice Johnson	C	UNC

Ben Simmons Remains No. 1 For Now

Both DraftExpress and Andrew Sharp of Sports Illustrated expect Duke star Brandon Ingram to go No. 1 overall to the Philadelphia 76ers, knocking LSU freshman Ben Simmons down a peg.

It's understandable why that is. Ingram played in the NCAA tournament, while Simmons didn't. And when Ingram played in the tournament, he played well, averaging 23 points and just over six rebounds per game.

When it comes to game tape on the biggest stage, Ingram has more than Simmons. But in terms of immediate impact and value at both ends, Simmons is the best prospect right now, and will stay that way for a while.

Once the combine rolls around, all of that could change. Simmons' three-point shooting could sway the Sixers (again, we're presuming the 70-loss Sixers are taking the first pick) to go with the immediate scoring boost of Ingram.

Sharp feels Ingram is simply the better overall prospect:

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He's a much better scorer than Ben Simmons, he's a more fluid athlete, and given his freakish length, he should turn into a better defender. Simmons, for his part, is a fascinating player whose NBA position remains unclear. It will be fun to see how he evolves. But let's be clear: Ingram's not the choice because his fit in the NBA is simpler than Simmons. It's not because of how the NBA is played now, or how valuable wings are. He's just a better prospect.

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The difference between Ingram and Simmons is the Aussie makes those around him better. His all-around talent wasn't displayed at LSU, but put him around Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, and the Sixers are going to be this year's version of the Minnesota Timberwolves: the most exciting young team in the league.

Buddy Hield Is the Missing Piece in Minnesota

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Let's talk about that aforementioned exciting young team in Minnesota.

The Timberwolves are still a year away from taking the next step in the Western Conference, but there's some serious potential there. Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns are as exciting a duo as there is in the NBA, and they will present matchup nightmares for years to come.

However, Minnesota needs one more piece to take that leap. The Wolves need a scorer. They need someone who can play in the backcourt with Ricky Rubio and make threes while also possessing an ability to attack the basket.

Enter Buddy Hield, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress noted:

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Hield's evolution from a raw and wild freshman who averaged 7.8 points per game and shot 24 percent from 3-point range to the best player in college basketball is an incredible story of work ethic, character and determination. He was hoping to enter last year's draft, but was deterred by the feedback he received from NBA teams, which indicated he was, at best, a mid-second-round pick. Now he is expected to be drafted in the lottery in June and may have solidified his standing in the 5-10 range.

But it's important not to go overboard with his NCAA tournament play. As we've seen in the past, strong tournament performances don't always translate into great NBA careers. After all, Tyus Jones, Shabazz Napier, Luke Hancock, Kyle Singler and Wayne Ellington are five of the last seven players to be named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

The difference between those five and the other two winners of the award – Anthony Davis and Kemba Walker – is that like Hield, Davis and Walker had already cemented themselves as lottery picks before the tournament.

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Imagine this team for a moment. The pass-first Rubio will continue to evolve into one of the better facilitators in the league. Putting a young shooter like Hield in the backcourt with Rubio will improve with Rubio's assist numbers. He's been itching to get above the eight-assist mark, and adding Hield for three-point purposes will work.

Wiggins and Towns could also use someone to take the pressure off them. With two stars in the making who can already create their own shot and dominate their respective positions, getting Hield allows Minnesota to stretch the floor and create better opportunities for both of its superstars.

The Wolves are not far off from being a playoff team. Between head coach Flip Saunders' sudden passing and trying to build a foundation, Minnesota seems like the team to shock a lot of people next year. The addition of Hield would be the last piece of the puzzle for a revival in Minnesota.