NBA Mock Draft 2016: 1st-Round Projections and Stock Watch for Top Prospects
Love it or hate it, the biggest event capable of changing NBA draft stock now resides in the rear-view mirror.
Said event was the NCAA tournament, where major players such as Buddy Hield stepped up, and major names such as Jakob Poeltl fell flat when it mattered most.
Granted, the draft process is merely in the infancy stages. Interviews, workouts and the like will change the stock market. But perhaps more so than any other sport, the pros take into account how prospects played in perhaps a single game quite seriously.
As the process really kicks into gear, let's take a look at an updated mock based on team need and prospect value, with some of the biggest movers as of late outlined after the jump.
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. | Denver Nuggets | C Jakob Poeltl, Utah |
| 8. | Sacramento Kings | PG Kris Dunn, Providence |
| 9. | Toronto Raptors | PF Henry Ellenson, Marquette |
| 10. | Milwaukee Bucks | C Diamond Stone, Maryland |
| 11. | Orlando Magic | PF/C Deyonta Davis, Michigan State |
| 12. | Phoenix Suns (via Wizards) | C Thon Maker, Orangeville Prep |
| 13. | Houston Rockets | G Tyler Ulis, Kentucky |
| 14. | Chicago Bulls | SG Furkan Korkmaz, Turkey |
| 15. | Utah Jazz | PF Ivan Rabb, California |
| 16. | Boston Celtics (via Mavericks) | SG Timothe Luwawu, France |
| 17. | Denver Nuggets (via Blazers) | PG Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame |
| 18. | Memphis Grizzlies | G Caris LeVert, Michigan |
| 19. | Detroit Pistons | SG Denzel Valentine, Michigan State |
| 20. | Indiana Pacers | F Marquese Chriss, Washington |
| 21. | Charlotte Hornets | PF Brice Johnson, North Carolina |
| 22. | Philadelphia 76ers (via Heat) | SG Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia |
| 23. | Atlanta Hawks | C Damian Jones, Vanderbilt |
| 24. | Boston Celtics | PF Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga |
| 25. | Los Angeles Clippers | C Skal Labissiere, Kentucky |
| 26. | Toronto Raptors | F Paul Zipser, Germany |
| 27. | Philadelphia 76ers (via Thunder) | F Dorian Finney-Smith, Florida |
| 28. | Phoenix Suns (via Cavaliers) | F Taurean Prince, Baylor |
| 29. | San Antonio Spurs | PG Wade Baldwin IV, Vanderbilt |
| 30. | Golden State Warriors | C Stephen Zimmerman, UNLV |
Stock Watch for Top Prospects
Stock Up: 13. Houston Rockets, G Tyler Ulis, Kentucky
What a tournament for Kentucky's Tyler Ulis.
As the bracket fades, Ulis' star continues to shine ever brighter because it was far from his fault the Wildcats took a loss at the hands of the fifth-seeded Indiana Hoosiers in the second round. Far from it—he went off with 27 points.
If Ulis wasn't on the radar, he is now. He's a bit of an odd prospect, though, as he's one of those guys everyone seems to doubt because of his size. At 5'9" and 160 pounds, the NBA will have to decide if the size outweighs other factors, such as one captured by SEC Network:
Ulis finished his sophomore year with averages of 17.3 points, 7.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds, though his lack of size didn't mean as much as it will in the pros.
Alas, size is something a team can work around, and in a draft that will only churn out so many contributors, it's a silly thing to write a guy off over.
A team like the Houston Rockets in the middle of Round 1 makes sense. It's hard to know the franchise's future with Dwight Howard likely opting out this summer, so adding a high-upside prospect at a potential future position of need makes sense. Worst case, Ulis spends time on the bench developing and making an impact as a role player.
Stock Up: 24. Boston Celtics, PF Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga
The aforementioned Poeltl ran into some issues in the second round of the tournament because he ran into the brick wall known as Domantas Sabonis.
At 6'11" and 240 pounds, Sabonis is one of the draft's better enforcers. This wasn't anything new heading into the Big Dance, but it sure doesn't hurt that he scored 21, 19 and 19 points while tallying eight blocks over the three contests.
For one reason or another, most seemed to sleep on Sabonis before the tournament. An ESPN.com scouting write-up detailed just how much the bracket helped turn the tide for his stock:
"Sabonis had another terrific night against Syracuse in the Sweet 16 game. He scored 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting, grabbed 17 boards and had five blocks in a loss. While he isn't the sexiest draft prospect, his strength, fundamentals, rebounding and efficiency in the paint seem to have convinced scouts he should be a lottery pick.
I'm not sure anyone helped their draft stock more than he did in the past two weeks. He's gone from the early 20s to a lottery pick if he declares. He could even end up cracking the top 10.
"
Sabonis isn't what the NBA looks for these days in its big men, as in he isn't a guy who will stretch the floor with his shot.
Which is fine. A team like the Boston Celtics won't complain that a more traditional guy like Sabonis takes a dip. Adding him means reinforcing a core underneath the basket featuring Amir Johnson, Jared Sullinger and others.
For a team with a stockpile of draft picks and already a contender in the Eastern Conference, it's nothing short of a major win.
Stock Down: 25. Los Angeles Clippers, C Skal Labissiere, Kentucky
Look up "boom-or-bust prospect" in the dictionary, and one will find a picture of Kentucky's Skal Labissiere.
Heck, look up "lukewarm," and find the reaction to the news Labissiere decided to go pro in the first place.
Labissiere didn't have much of a choice, of course, not with the way the Wildcats chew through prospects. Now he'll take his incredible upside and 6'11", 225-pound frame to the next level as a developmental project.
Needing a strong tournament performance to keep his name in lottery talk, Labissiere fell flat in the tournament, boasting 12 points in the first round against No. 13 Stony Brook before receiving just 15 minutes and scoring four points in the loss to Indiana.
Again, though, upside and how often first-round picks actually turn out will play a major role here. This close to the end of the round, why wouldn't a team like the Los Angeles Clippers take such a high-upside option?
Nobody would be silly enough to suggest Labissiere contributes in any fashion for a few years, but a few years is a long time in a place like Los Angeles, where Chris Paul is 30 years old, Blake Griffin loses that vaunted athleticism by the season and DeAndre Jordan already flirted with leaving.
Who knows? Maybe Labissiere pans out as a major building block in the future. His stock's down, but the Clippers get a win in this scenario as a result.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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