2016 NBA Mock Draft: Predictions and Prospects Who Can Help Contenders

It's almost a foregone conclusion that LSU's Ben Simmons and Duke's Brandon Ingram will be the top two selections of the 2016 NBA draft on June 23 in Brooklyn.

While the best talent goes to the worst teams in the league, contenders that are just a piece or two away from mounting a serious run at a championship could find a diamond in the rough toward the bottom of the board. 

Here's a look at my latest mock draft while focusing on which players can help put a contending team over the top next year:

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Philadelphia 76ers	Ben Simmons	F	LSU
2	Los Angeles Lakers	Brandon Ingram	SF	Duke
3	Boston Celtics	Dragan Bender	PF	Croatia
4	Phoenix Suns	Jaylen Brown	SF	California
5	Minnesota Timberwolves	Buddy Hield	SG	Oklahoma
6	New Orleans Pelicans	Kris Dunn	PG	Providence
7	Denver Nuggets	Jamal Murray	PG/SG	Kentucky
8	Sacramento Kings	Domantas Sabonis	PF/C	Gonzaga
9	Toronto Raptors	Jakob Poeltl	C	Utah
10	Milwaukee Bucks	Deyonta Davis	PF/C	Michigan State
11	Orlando Magic	Marquese Chriss	PF	Washington
12	Utah Jazz	Furkan Korkmaz	SG	Turkey
13	Phoenix Suns	Henry Ellenson	C	Marquette
14	Chicago Bulls	Denzel Valentine	SG	Michigan State
15	Denver Nuggets	Malik Beasley	SG	Florida State
16	Boston Celtics	Taurean Prince	SF	Baylor
17	Memphis Grizzlies	Skal Labissiere	PF/C	Kentucky
18	Detroit Pistons	Brice Johnson	PF	North Carolina
19	Denver Nuggets	Dejounte Murray	PG/SG	Washington
20	Indiana Pacers	Stephen Zimmerman	PF/C	UNLV
21	Atlanta Hawks	Diamond Stone	C	Maryland
22	Charlotte Hornets	Timothe Luwawu	SF	France
23	Boston Celtics	Damian Jones	C	Vanderbilt
24	Philadelphia 76ers	Tyler Ulis	PG	Kentucky
25	Los Angeles Clippers	Malachi Richardson	SG	Syracuse
26	Philadelphia 76ers	Wade Baldwin IV	G	Vanderbilt
27	Toronto Raptors	Ante Zizic	C	Croatia
28	Phoenix Suns	Ivica Zubac	C	Croatia
29	San Antonio Spurs	Petr Cornelie	PF	France
30	Golden State Warriors	Juan Hernangomez	PF	Spain

Outlook for Possible Selections by Contenders

Damian Jones, C, Vanderbilt

Where He'll Go: No. 23 Boston Celtics

With the No. 3 pick, the Boston Celtics could go with Dragan Bender, a 7-foot big man who plays a game similar to that of Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks. While he could one day stretch out the Celtics offense and frontcourt, he will likely need a few years to develop and won't address Boston's need of a true big man. 

With Amir Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger, Boston's size wasn't necessarily imposing, as the team lacked success when it came to attacking the rim. Boston also allowed a ton of rebounds:

Stat	Number	League Rank	League Average
Offensive Rebounds Allowed	932	24th	854
Defensive Rebounds Allowed	2,838	22nd	2,734
Blocks	348	22nd	406

This is where Vanderbilt's Damian Jones can come in and provide a big lift to the Boston frontcourt. Pushing 7 feet tall, Jones can move well on the floor and is physical enough to go up and attack the basket on the offensive end of the floor:

He'll have to work on bringing that physicality to the defensive end of the floor, but for someone who averaged 10.5 rebounds per 40 minutes, a player of his promise would be a welcome addition to the Celtics' group of big men. 

If he manages to improve his game to a more well-rounded level, it wouldn't be surprising if Jones earns some starting time if he does go to Boston. 

Ante Zizic, C, Croatia

Where He'll Go: No. 27 Toronto Raptors

While the Toronto Raptors battled back to tie the Eastern Conference Finals after four games behind Bismack Biyombo in place of the injured Jonas Valanciunas in the frontcourt, they could use some more help around the rim. 

After all, this was a team that went down 2-0 in embarrassing fashion while LeBron James simply drove to the hoop at will. ESPN's Tom Haberstroh showed the Cleveland Cavaliers star's shot chart from Game 1:

Ante Zizic is the kind of physical center who could be found near the bottom of the draft who can help fortify the Toronto defense. 

On top of that, he can run the floor well and contribute to a Raptors offense that might not look so good if Demar Derozan leaves in free agency this summer:

Given that he is only 19 years old, the Raptors would be able to give Zizic time to fill out and mature by putting him behind Valanciunas. If he's able to show the versatility needed to play the 4, then Zizic could slot into the spot that Luis Scola and Patrick Patterson, among others, fill at the moment. 

This would give the Raptors a larger lineup that wouldn't be as easy to score down low on while adding some athleticism. 

Petr Cornelie, PF, France

Where He'll Go: No. 28 San Antonio Spurs

If there is one team that an international player could star in, it's the San Antonio Spurs, given their history with the likes of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili:

Player	Country	Draft Year	Round	Selection
Manu Ginobili	Argentina	1999	2	57
Tony Parker	France	2001	1	28

Those two players have been the cornerstone of four titles, which are unrealistic expectations for a player such as Petr Cornelie. 

But with the possible retirement of Tim Duncan looming, the Spurs could use another big body to help add to the frontcourt rotation. 

Cornelie is another player who is pushing 7 feet tall who is athletic and defensively gifted enough to fit in well with the Spurs system:

And he would already have plenty of support upon his arrival in San Antonio. He has one of the best defensive players and budding stars in Kawhi Leonard at small forward to help work on his transition from defense to offense and LaMarcus Aldridge at the 4 to show him how a player of his size can succeed in the league. 

Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.