2016 NBA Mock Draft: Predictions and Analysis for Top Prospects Available
The beginning of the NBA playoffs means 16 teams are working hard to find a higher level of play to make a deep run.
The other 14 squads, though, are working hard to find out which draft prospects make the most sense for their franchise.
In honor of what the latter group is doing right now, let's put together a first-round mock draft and examine some prospect-team combinations that could work for both parties involved.
| 1 | Philadelphia 76ers | Ben Simmons, F, LSU |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | Brandon Ingram, F, Duke |
| 3 | Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets) | Buddy Hield, G, Oklahoma |
| 4 | Phoenix Suns | Dragan Bender, F, Croatia |
| 5 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Jamal Murray, G, Kentucky |
| 6 | New Orleans Pelicans | Kris Dunn, G, Providence |
| 7 | Denver Nuggets (via New York Knicks) | Jaylen Brown, F, California |
| 8 | Sacramento Kings | Timothe Luwawu, G/F, France |
| 9 | Toronto Raptors (via Denver Nuggets) | Ivan Rabb, PF, California |
| 10 | Milwaukee Bucks | Jakob Poeltl, C, Utah |
| 11 | Orlando Magic | Furkan Korkmaz, G/F, Turkey |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | Malik Beasley, G, Florida State |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns (via Washington Wizards) | Denzel Valentine, G/F, Michigan State |
| 14 | Chicago Bulls | Skal Labissiere, F/C, Kentucky |
| 15 | Denver Nuggets (via Houston Rockets) | Domantas Sabonis, F, Gonzaga |
| 16 | Boston Celtics (via Dallas Mavericks) | Henry Ellenson, F/C, Marquette |
| 17 | Memphis Grizzlies | Demetrius Jackson, G, Notre Dame |
| 18 | Detroit Pistons | Deyonta Davis, F/C, Michigan State |
| 19 | Denver Nuggets (via Portland Trail Blazers) | Tyler Ulis, G, Kentucky |
| 20 | Indiana Pacers | Thon Maker, F/C, Australia |
| 21 | Atlanta Hawks | Stephen Zimmerman, C, UNLV |
| 22 | Charlotte Hornets | Marquese Chriss, F, Washington |
| 23 | Boston Celtics | Taurean Prince, F, Baylor |
| 24 | Philadelphia 76ers (via Miami Heat) | Wade Baldwin IV, G, Vanderbilt |
| 25 | Los Angeles Clippers | Brice Johnson, F, North Carolina |
| 26 | Philadelphia 76ers (via Oklahoma City Thunder) | Malachi Richardson, G, Syracuse |
| 27 | Toronto Raptors | DeAndre' Bembry, F, St. Joseph's |
| 28 | Phoenix Suns (via Cleveland Cavaliers) | Dejounte Murray, G, Washington |
| 29 | San Antonio Spurs | Juan Hernangomez, F, Spain |
| 30 | Golden State Warriors | Malcolm Brogdon, G, Virginia |
Examining Potential Fits
Brandon Ingram and the Los Angeles Lakers
While most regard LSU's Ben Simmons as the top prospect in this year's class, Brandon Ingram should be the top player on the Lakers' draft board.
Los Angeles is a young team full of ball-dominant players, many of whom have trouble shooting accurately from three-point range (they shot 31.7 percent from downtown as a team, last in the league). Simmons is a tantalizing prospect with the ball, but the Lakers would lessen his potential impact if they put him in a lineup with D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle.
Who handles the rock? And which players are good enough as spot-up shooters to spread the floor for their teammates?
That's where Ingram comes in. He's a deadly offensive player off the catch, whether he shoots immediately or attacks the basket. The 6'9" forward's 41 three-point percentage in his only season at Duke would've led the 2015-16 Lakers by a wide margin, though the college arc is closer to the hoop.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman also loves the fit of Ingram's off-ball abilities:
Kevin Durant (6'9", 240 lbs) is the most common NBA comparison Ingram has received because of the players' length combined with their ball-handling and scoring abilities. Durant was pressed into a go-to guy role immediately upon entering the league, and he struggled with it, scoring 20.3 points per game but shooting just 43.0 percent from the field and 28.8 percent from long range in his rookie year.
A spot on the Lakers would help Ingram ease into the NBA game. A successful rookie season for the Duke product in Tinseltown might produce an average of 14 points per game on an efficient 45 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc.
It could be a while before Ingram develops the physical strength to be a good defender in the NBA, but the Lakers present a great opportunity for him to succeed immediately.
Dragan Bender and the Phoenix Suns
The Suns' 2015-16 season was a disaster. Dealing with injuries and underperformance by some of its veterans, Phoenix won just 23 games, its worst total since the franchise's first campaign back in 1968-69.
With a season like that, you have to look for silver linings. Rookie shooting guard Devin Booker was the biggest one, as the baby-faced 19-year-old averaged 19.2 points and 4.1 assists per game after the All-Star break.
Mirza Teletovic and Jon Leuer are good enough big men to play rotation minutes, even if they aren't starter material. And former No. 5 overall pick Alex Len has shown too many flashes at center for Phoenix to give up on him.
Slated to pick fourth overall, Phoenix doesn't need a guard, as Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Booker figure to play big minutes in the near future. Len should be the center of the future, so it looks like a forward is the team's best option.
Why not scoop up Dragan Bender, a 7'1" 18-year-old who can reasonably play both the 3 and 4?
The Croatian youngster has nice mobility to both run the fast break and defend in space. Considering Phoenix plays at a fast pace every year and ranked 26th in defensive efficiency this season, per ESPN.com, Bender would be an excellent fit. His nice shooting touch and great size for a forward are bonuses as well.
Bender's ceiling is also among the highest in the draft, and he could do a lot to revitalize a jaded Suns fanbase. The team has missed out on the playoffs in six straight seasons, and seeing some success from an 18-year-old phenom like Bender (along with improvement from Booker) would be huge.
Jaylen Brown and the Denver Nuggets
All things considered, the Nuggets had a wonderful 2015-16 campaign under new head coach Michael Malone. With Wilson Chandler out for the year after hip surgery and leading scorer Danilo Gallinari (ankle) missing 29 games, the young roster did an admirable job of staying competitive and mustering a 33-49 record.
Denver now has its point guard of the future (Emmanuel Mudiay), a solid big-man combination (Nikola Jokic and Kenneth Faried), a lockdown defensive shooting guard (Gary Harris) and a versatile sixth-man extraordinaire (Will Barton); so what's the biggest draft target?
Taking into account the extensive injury histories of Chandler and Gallinari, it has to be small forward. And the choice among those small forwards has to be Jaylen Brown.
The 19-year-old freshman out of California is nowhere near a finished product, but the makeup of Denver's roster means he'll have plenty of teammates to grow and improve with. Brown has the potential to be a future All-Defensive Team member, and he can also be an awesome weapon in transition alongside Mudiay and Harris.
Down the line, he, Mudiay and Jokic could end up forming a championship-caliber Big Three.
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