2016 NBA Mock Draft: Latest Top Prospects' Stock Watch and 1st-Round Predictions
The 2016 NBA draft is starting to come into focus with less than a month until teams make their selections on June 23. Although pinning down where each prospect will land is still a tricky task, the range where players could fall is beginning to become clearer.
What makes this year's class particularly intriguing is the large group of prospects in the second wave behind LSU's Ben Simmons and Duke's Brandon Ingram. There isn't a massive difference between the next handful of prospects, which should make for an entertaining draft night.
So let's check out a complete mock draft of the opening round. That's followed by a closer look at the stock watch, as top prospects look to solidify their status in the final weeks.
First-Round Mock Draft
| 1 | Philadelphia 76ers | Ben Simmons, PF, LSU |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | Brandon Ingram, SF, Duke |
| 3 | Boston Celtics (from BKN) | Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma |
| 4 | Phoenix Suns | Dragan Bender, PF, Croatia |
| 5 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Jakob Poeltl, C, Utah |
| 6 | New Orleans Pelicans | Jamal Murray, PG, Kentucky |
| 7 | Denver Nuggets (from NYK) | Kris Dunn, PG, Providence |
| 8 | Sacramento Kings | Domantas Sabonis, PF, Gonzaga |
| 9 | Toronto Raptors (from DEN via NYK) | Marquese Chriss, PF, Washington |
| 10 | Milwaukee Bucks | Skal Labissiere, C, Kentucky |
| 11 | Orlando Magic | Jaylen Brown, SG, Cal |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | Denzel Valentine, SG, Michigan St. |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns (from WSH) | Taurean Prince, SF, Baylor |
| 14 | Chicago Bulls | Henry Ellenson, PF, Marquette |
| 15 | Denver Nuggets (from HOU) | Furkan Korkmaz, SG, Turkey |
| 16 | Boston Celtics (from DAL) | Deyonta Davis, PF, Michigan St. |
| 17 | Memphis Grizzlies | Dejounte Murray, SG, Washington |
| 18 | Detroit Pistons | Cheick Diallo, PF, Kansas |
| 19 | Denver Nuggets (from POR) | Ante Zizic, C, Croatia |
| 20 | Indiana Pacers | Damian Jones, C, Vanderbilt |
| 21 | Atlanta Hawks | Brice Johnson, PF, North Carolina |
| 22 | Charlotte Hornets | Malik Beasley, SG, Florida St. |
| 23 | Boston Celtics | Timothe Luwawu, SF, France |
| 24 | Philadelphia 76ers (from MIA via CLE) | Wade Baldwin IV, SG, Vanderbilt |
| 25 | Los Angeles Clippers | Stephen Zimmerman, PF, UNLV |
| 26 | Philadelphia 76ers (from OKC via CLE/DEN) | Demetrius Jackson, PG, Notre Dame |
| 27 | Toronto Raptors | Malachi Richardson, SG, Syracuse |
| 28 | Phoenix Suns (from CLE via BOS) | Tyler Ulis, PG, Kentucky |
| 29 | San Antonio Spurs | Thon Maker, C, Australia |
| 30 | Golden State Warriors | DeAndre' Bembry, SG, St. Joseph's |
Stock Watch
Rising: Marquese Chriss
Chriss' numbers didn't jump off the page during his only season at the University of Washington. The power forward averaged 13.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Yet the more he's been able to showcase his athleticism and skill set to stretch the floor, the more his stock has risen.
He possesses a terrific combination of tools that cover a lot of bases. His shooting ability is trending toward a stretch 4, but he has great defensive awareness that allows him to block shots. So it's tough to pigeonhole him with any prototypical labels.
The forward told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that's he focused on adding more muscle to his 6'10", 233-pound frame, which would go a long way in helping him round out his game.
"If I get stronger, I feel like I can guard 4s and 5s, and I believe I'm quick enough to guard 3s and 2s," Chriss said. "I think I have a good skill set to stretch the floor. I wouldn't characterize myself as having one natural spot; I just feel that I can play."
Those are the types of players who can thrive in today's NBA because they create constant matchup problems. If an opponent puts a big body on him, he'll have the edge at the offensive end. If he's up against a smaller, quicker forward, he'll hold the advantage defensively because of his length and explosiveness.
Chriss isn't a finished product by any means. Along with needing to add some muscle, he must still become a more consistent shooter and find an increased comfort level while finishing in the post. But all the traits are there for him to become a high-impact, all-around asset.
Falling: Caris LeVert
LeVert isn't watching his stock fade because of a lack of talent. He averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists while shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc during his senior campaign at Michigan. Those types of numbers at a Big Ten program usually warrant lottery consideration.
Instead, the lingering concern surrounds his health. After playing 70 games over his first two years with the Wolverines, he appeared in just 33 over his final two seasons. Brendan F. Quinn of MLive.com noted the guard underwent three surgeries in 22 months because of lower-leg problems.
Perhaps his draft stock would have solidified in the middle of Round 1 if he had received a clean bill of health after the series of procedures. Unfortunately, his status remains up in the air until he gets the boot off his leg around mid-June, per Chad Ford of ESPN:
So he becomes one of the biggest risk-versus-reward prospects in the class. He's on the first-round fringe, with a slight lean toward landing in Round 2 at this stage. Things could change if he's able to showcase progress before draft night.
If healthy, he's capable of being a starter—or if an already deep team takes a chance late in Round 1, he'd be a terrific bench asset. But there are no guarantees LeVert will stay on the court for extended stretches, which will scare some front offices away.
Steady: Ben Simmons
Projected top picks are subjected to a lot of scrutiny. In those cases, the time spent assessing a player's weaknesses tends to get out of control. That was the case for Simmons, who arrived at LSU with the hype train rolling at full stream.
Yes, his jump shot needs work, and it would have been nice to see him take charge more during a mediocre season for the Tigers. But we're still talking about a player who checked in with 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 56 percent from the field.
He's a power forward with the athleticism and court vision of a point guard. He understands how to generate looks for himself in the post, creates open shots for others by passing out of double-teams and is an effortless rebounder at 6'10", even when battling bigger post players.
Even though there was a steady flow of criticism based on the areas he still needs to improve, his draft outlook has stayed the same, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN:
That's not a slight against Ingram, who's a promising building block in his own right, but Simmons has the potential to become one of the league's top-tier players. He's not quite there yet, but he's an instant-impact player with the potential to become a franchise-changing star.
So, if for whatever reason the Philadelphia 76ers decide to pass on him at No. 1, it would probably take the Los Angeles Lakers mere seconds to grab him with the second pick.
