2016 NBA Mock Draft: Predictions, Storylines Surrounding 1st-Round Prospects

Once the NBA Finals are over after Sunday night's Game 7, the focus for most basketball fans will shift to the 2016 NBA draft Thursday in Brooklyn, New York.

Although the Finals have understandably overshadowed the draft to a large extent, that hasn't stopped many from discussing the best players available and the best picks for their favorite teams.

Below is a full mock for the first round of the draft, followed by three of the most interesting storylines to follow on draft night.

2016 NBA Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Player
1	Philadelphia 76ers	Ben Simmons, PF, LSU
2	Los Angeles Lakers	Brandon Ingram, SF, Duke
3	Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets)	Jamal Murray, SG, Kentucky
4	Phoenix Suns	Jaylen Brown, SF, California
5	Minnesota Timberwolves	Dragan Bender, PF, Croatia
6	New Orleans Pelicans	Kris Dunn, PG, Providence
7	Denver Nuggets (via New York Knicks)	Marquese Chriss, PF, Washington
8	Sacramento Kings	Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma
9	Toronto Raptors (via Denver Nuggets)	Jakob Poeltl, C, Utah
10	Milwaukee Bucks	Skal Labissiere, PF, Kentucky
11	Orlando Magic	Deyonta Davis, PF, Michigan State
12	Utah Jazz	Timothe Luwawu, SG, France
13	Phoenix Suns (via Washington Wizards)	Henry Ellenson, PF, Marquette
14	Chicago Bulls	Dejounte Murray, PG, Washington
15	Denver Nuggets (via Houston Rockets)	Domantas Sabonis, PF, Gonzaga
16	Boston Celtics (via Dallas Mavericks)	Furkan Korkmaz, SG, Turkey
17	Memphis Grizzlies	Wade Baldwin IV, SG, Vanderbilt
18	Detroit Pistons	Denzel Valentine, SG, Michigan State
19	Denver Nuggets (via Portland Trail Blazers)	Ante Zizic, C, Croatia
20	Indiana Pacers	Demetrius Jackson, PG, Notre Dame
21	Atlanta Hawks	Juan Hernangomez, PF, Spain
22	Charlotte Hornets	Malachi Richardson, SG, Syracuse
23	Boston Celtics	Ivica Zubac, C, Croatia
24	Philadelphia 76ers (via Miami Heat)	Taurean Prince, SF, Baylor
25	Los Angeles Clippers	Thon Maker, C, Australia
26	Philadelphia 76ers (via Oklahoma City Thunder)	Tyler Ulis, PG, Kentucky
27	Toronto Raptors	Cheick Diallo, PF, Kansas
28	Phoenix Suns (via Cleveland Cavaliers)	Brice Johnson, PF, North Carolina
29	San Antonio Spurs	Diamond Stone, C, Maryland
30	Golden State Warriors	Damian Jones, PF, Vanderbilt

Biggest First-Round Storylines

What Do the 76ers Do?

In some years, it's clear who the best player in the draft is. The chances the Minnesota Timberwolves would take anybody other than Karl Anthony-Towns with the No. 1 pick last year were less than zero. Anthony Davis was also head and shoulders above everybody else in the 2012 draft class.

The Philadelphia 76ers don't have that luxury this year. This isn't like 2013, when the Cleveland Cavaliers settled on Anthony Bennett in a thin talent pool. Both LSU's Ben Simmons and Duke's Brandon Ingram can lay claim to being the top talent available, and either player would be a nice addition for the Sixers.

Ingram is a better shooter, which is important for a team that ranked 24th in three-point percentage (33.9) this year. He would be a big improvement over Robert Covington and Jerami Grant at the 3 for Philadelphia as well.

In his most recent mock draft, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman argued Simmons would be the better of the two options: "The Sixers should select who they believe is the No. 1 talent on the board, regardless of position. And that will be Simmons, whose physical tools, versatility and basketball IQ fuel the greatest upside in the class. The unparalleled productivity at LSU just makes him more convincing."

The fact Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor are both the subject of trade rumors, per the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, would seemingly point to Simmons—a 6'10" power forward—being the 76ers' preferred pick.

Can the Celtics Fill the Talent Void on Their Roster?

The general consensus has Simmons and Ingram going first and second in some order. Far less clear is whom the Boston Celtics will take at No. 3.

One of the Celtics' biggest issues from a roster perspective is their lack of a true star. Boston has a number of very good players—Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Isaiah Thomas and Jared Sullinger—but it lacks that go-to scorer who can single-handedly win a game, such as Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Davis or Russell Westbrook.

And finding one won't be easy. CBSSports.com's Matt Moore is skeptical Boston can land this offseason's most prized asset, Durant:

"

I just cannot imagine KD coming off that run with the Thunder going “I know! I want to go join IT/Smart/Crowder/Sully/Olynyk!”

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 4, 2016"

He's also doubtful free agency alone holds the key to the Celtics becoming a title contender:

"

So they sign Horford and KD. Then what?

Is IT/Bradley/KD/Crowder/Horford better than GSW? https://t.co/1wE2kXKTTH

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 4, 2016"

That's why it's so important for Boston to identify the right player with the third overall pick. It's the first time the franchise is selecting in the top five since 2007, when it selected Jeff Green. This is an opportunity for the Celtics to grab a young star who can eventually grow into being one of the best at his position.

Maybe that doesn't make Boston a title contender overnight, but it will help lay the groundwork as general manager Danny Ainge and head coach Brad Stevens make the next step in the Celtics' overall development.

Boston already has a wealth of backcourt players, but Providence's Kris Dunn or Kentucky's Jamal Murray could be the way to go. Dunn would be a better point guard than anybody else on the roster, and Murray would provide the long-range shooting the Celtics desperately need.

Is Thon Maker's Gamble a Success?

Thon Maker is one of the draft's most interesting players. The NBA ruled him eligible for the 2016 draft despite the fact he didn't attend college, as he instead enrolled at Orangeville Prep in Canada for a year of postgraduate studies.

Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg explained how Maker's situation could have ramifications for college basketball and the NBA draft down the road:

"

If Maker were to perform well at the combine or in workouts or [Skal] Labissiere or [Cheick] Diallo fall further than expected in the upcoming draft, you could see future prospects and their advisers take notice. A player who is already a projected first-round pick by the time he graduates high school might prefer to spend a post-graduate year "hiding" at an off-the-radar prep school rather than risk being exposed against college competition.

"

In May, Derek Bodner wrote for USA Today that Maker looked good at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago despite his decision to skip the five-on-five drills:

"

The rest of his athletic testing, which included a 9-2 1/2 standing reach, the second highest at this year’s combine, and impressive marks in both the agility (11.15 seconds) and 3/4 court sprint (3.33 seconds), creates a very unique prospect, especially when you factor in his potential as a three-point shooter and ball handler.

Perhaps just as important as his athletic testing, Maker came off well in interviews, giving the impression that his journey through life has provided him a unique world view. Like Diallo, whoever selects Maker is likely going to have to wait a considerable amount of time until he pays dividends, but for a player who has spent so much time out of the conventional radar, being able to remind executives what makes him so intriguing certainly helped his stock.

"

The 19-year-old is a wild card in the draft. He could be a lottery selection or fall to the late stages of the first round—or even the second round.

Maker's height (7'1") will make him attractive to NBA teams. But he only weighs 216 pounds, so there's no question he'll need to add more weight in the future. There are also major doubts about his talent level since he has not tested himself against top-quality competition.

Maker will almost certainly be a first-round draft pick, and if he is an early lottery selection, as Eisenberg argued, more prep players could consider taking a similar route to the NBA.