NBA Draft 2016 Rumors: Brandon Ingram to Work Out with 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers have been doing their due diligence on the 2016 NBA draft's top prospects since they won the lottery on May 17 and secured the rights to the No. 1 overall pick, and the evaluation process is beginning to pick up steam.   

According to The Vertical's Shams Charania, Duke Blue Devils swingman Brandon Ingram will work out for the Sixers and meet with team brass Monday. 

Ingram and LSU's Ben Simmons have long been the two players in contention for the draft's top pick on June 23, but Simmons has reportedly emerged as Philadelphia's player of choice over the past few days. 

On Wednesday, ESPN.com's Chad Ford cited sources who said that "the Sixers are strongly leaning toward taking Simmons No. 1." Furthermore, Tom Moore of the Courier Times (via NJ Advance Media's Matt Lombardo) cited a source Tuesday who said Simmons' agent, Rich Paul, "has been preparing for his client to go to Philadelphia from the moment the Sixers got the" No. 1 pick.

Even if the team's mind is close to made up, the Sixers would be negligent not to give Ingram a long look. 

Although he isn't an elite transition playmaker with stellar vision like Simmons, Ingram has a complete arsenal of scoring tools that should allow him to make a seamless transition to the NBA. And at 6'9 ½" with a 7'3'' wingspan, Ingram should fit perfectly in a modern NBA that values positional versatility.

Player	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	FG%	3P%	PER
Brandon Ingram	17.3	6.8	2.0	1.1	44.2%	41.0%	22.5
Ben Simmons	19.2	11.8	4.8	2.0	56.0%	33.3%	29.0

The 18-year-old already has the quickness necessary to defend opposing 3s and the length to disrupt 4s as well as a lethal stroke that will allow him to eventually morph into a stretch big on the wing if he can add some muscle to his 196-pound frame. 

"I’m trying to get stronger," Ingram said Thursday after his workout with the Los Angeles Lakers, per the Orange County Register's Mark Medina. "I know it’s coming naturally. But I’m trying to build everything I can before I get to the next level."

Should the Sixers stick to the script and select Simmons, it would be a shock if Ingram's floor was anything lower than the Lakers at No. 2 overall.