NBA Draft 2016: 1st-Round Mock Draft, Prospects' Pre-Lottery Landing Spots
May 16, 2016
One gigantic milestone out of the way, another on the horizon as the march to the 2016 NBA draft continues.
The NBA Draft Combine from Chicago is the milestone now in the rearview mirror, where China's Zhou Qi stole the spotlight and captured the imaginations of fans.
Next is the lottery, where many teams will win and help dictate the future landscape of the Association while at least one will cry foul and walk away from the event heartbroken.
Before the lottery gets underway, let's take a look at an updated mock reflecting everything known about the 2016 class after the spectacle in the Windy City.
2016 NBA Mock Draft
Pick | Team | Player |
1. | Philadelphia 76ers | F Ben Simmons, LSU |
2. | Los Angeles Lakers | SF Brandon Ingram, Duke |
3. | Boston Celtics (via BKN) | PF Dragan Bender, Croatia |
4. | Phoenix Suns | SG Buddy Hield, Oklahoma |
5. | Minnesota Timberwolves | SF Jaylen Brown, California |
6. | New Orleans Pelicans | SG Jamal Murray, Kentucky |
7. | Denver Nuggets (via NYK) | C Jakob Poeltl, Utah |
8. | Sacramento Kings | PG Kris Dunn, Providence |
9. | Toronto Raptors | PF Henry Ellenson, Marquette |
10. | Milwaukee Bucks | C Thon Maker, Orangeville Prep |
11. | Orlando Magic | PF/C Deyonta Davis, Michigan State |
12. | Utah Jazz | F Marquese Chriss, Washington |
13. | Phoenix Suns (via WAS) | C Damian Jones, Vanderbilt |
14. | Chicago Bulls | SG Furkan Korkmaz, Turkey |
15. | Denver Nuggets (via HOU) | G Tyler Ulis, Kentucky |
16. | Boston Celtics (via DAL) | SG Timothe Luwawu, France |
17. | Memphis Grizzlies | PG Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame |
18. | Detroit Pistons | SG Denzel Valentine, Michigan State |
19. | Denver Nuggets (via POR) | G Caris LeVert, Michigan |
20. | Indiana Pacers | PF Brice Johnson, North Carolina |
21. | Atlanta Hawks | C Diamond Stone, Maryland |
22. | Charlotte Hornets | PF Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga |
23. | Boston Celtics | F Paul Zipser, Germany |
24. | Philadelphia 76ers (via MIA) | SG Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia |
25. | Los Angeles Clippers | C Skal Labissiere, Kentucky |
26. | Philadelphia 76ers (via OKC) | F Dorian Finney-Smith, Florida |
27. | Toronto Raptors | F Taurean Prince, Baylor |
28. | Phoenix Suns (via CLE) | C Cheick Diallo, Kansas |
29. | San Antonio Spurs | PG Wade Baldwin IV, Vanderbilt |
30. | Golden State Warriors | C Zhou Qi, China |
Author's projections |
5. Minnesota Timberwolves: SF Jaylen Brown, California
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Things have been rather quiet around California's Jaylen Brown as of late, which makes sense when one looks at some of the names headlining the 2016 class—Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, Buddy Hield, others.
Brown isn't far behind, though.
A natural NBA guard at 6'7" and 223 pounds, Brown is just 19 years old and entering the NBA after a season in which he posted averages of 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 43 percent from the field
As NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper pointed out, Brown is very much in top-five contention:
Think about Brown joining an upstart team like the Minnesota Timberwolves.
There, Minnesota already has a point in Ricky Rubio and a guy in Andrew Wiggins who can play all over the place, not to mention a force underneath the basket by the name of Karl-Anthony Towns.
Add Brown, and one has perhaps the most intriguing young team in the league with unlimited upside. Barring a fall by a major name such as Simmons, Minnesota will have a hard to ignoring the allure of the scenario.
9. Toronto Raptors: PF Henry Ellenson, Marquette

Unlike Brown, Marquette's Henry Ellenson has been on a major upswing as of late thanks to a strong combine process.
One only has to see a note by Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for reference:
What's the big deal?
For starters, Ellenson is big, coming in at 7'0" and 242 pounds. He's coming off a freshman outburst in which he averaged north of 33 minutes per game and tallied 17.0 points and 9.7 rebounds on average.
More importantly, he shot 45 percent from the floor and 29 percent from deep, a major caveat, as ESPN.com's scouting report detailed: "Ellenson is another guy with mixed reviews from scouts. Some love him. Some aren't sure. But most agree that regardless, he's a top-10 pick. Mobile big men who can stretch the floor and score in the paint don't come along every day."
The Toronto Raptors won't be able to pass on Ellenson. Things are fine underneath the basket with Jonas Valanciunas, but the Raptors could do better by clearing the paint with a stretch complement who can knock down shots from range.
Ellenson doesn't have to start right away, but he provides a wrinkle Luis Scola and Patrick Patterson can't while also providing some insurance for the future.
11. Orlando Magic: PF/C Deyonta Davis, Michigan State

Michigan State's Deyonta Davis is one of the more interesting projects in the 2016 class and one a team like the Orlando Magic won't be able to pass on.
Davis spent just one season with the Spartans and only received 18.6 minutes per game, which he turned into paltry averages of 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds.
But a team drafting Davis won't do it for his superb numbers and ability to contribute now. It's thinking about the long term and what a monster of a player the 19-year-old could become with proper development.
Jonathan Givony of The Vertical explained this well while mocking Davis to the Magic:
Orlando desperately needs to find a big man who can play alongside Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon in different lineups, and Davis is a strong candidate. He's one of the best rim protectors in this draft and may be able to develop his shooting range enough to play on the perimeter at times.
At the least, Davis provides some interesting defensive wrinkles out of the gates after he averaged almost two blocks per game last year.
With Orlando presumably pursuing notable free agents this summer while also undergoing a change at head coach, Davis is a nice forward-looking balance who can play in certain roles if asked, but represents an important piece of the puzzle down the road.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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