NBA Draft 2016: TV Schedule, Live Stream and Latest Mock Draft Predictions
Hot on the heels of a thrilling Finals that went the full seven games and saw the Cleveland Cavaliers capture their maiden championship, the 2016 NBA draft is already almost here.
Thursday marks the start of the draft, with the Philadelphia 76ers going on the clock in search of a superstar to bolster their eventual title hopes. They have yet to reveal their intentions, but according to Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding, the team is leaning toward taking LSU phenom Ben Simmons No. 1 overall.
Whether Philadelphia takes Simmons or Duke's Brandon Ingram, those two are generally viewed as the clear-cut best prospects, so the Sixers can't go wrong. After that duo is off the board, it's anyone's guess as to who goes next.
Below is a mock draft of the first round, followed by a breakdown of the projected selections immediately after the draft's headlining duo.
| Thursday, June 23 | 7 p.m. | Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York | ESPN | WatchESPN |
*Follow the link for WatchESPN live-stream listings.
| 1 | Philadelphia 76ers | Ben Simmons, F, LSU |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | Brandon Ingram, SF, Duke |
| 3 | Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn) | Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma |
| 4 | Phoenix Suns | Dragan Bender, PF, Croatia |
| 5 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Jamal Murray, SG/PG, Kentucky |
| 6 | New Orleans Pelicans | Kris Dunn, PG, Providence |
| 7 | Denver Nuggets (via New York) | Jaylen Brown, SF, California |
| 8 | Sacramento Kings | Marquese Chriss, F, Washington |
| 9 | Toronto Raptors (via Denver) | Malachi Richardson, G, Syracuse |
| 10 | Milwaukee Bucks | Jakob Poeltl, C, Utah |
| 11 | Orlando Magic | Deyonta Davis, PF/C, Michigan State |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | Timothe Luwawu, G/F, France |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns (via Washington) | Denzel Valentine, SG/SF, Michigan State |
| 14 | Chicago Bulls | Skal Labissiere, PF/C, Kentucky |
| 15 | Denver Nuggets (via Houston) | Domantas Sabonis, F, Gonzaga |
| 16 | Boston Celtics (via Dallas) | Henry Ellenson, F, Marquette |
| 17 | Memphis Grizzlies | Dejounte Murray, G, Washington |
| 18 | Detroit Pistons | Furkan Korkmaz, SG, Turkey |
| 19 | Denver Nuggets (via Portland) | Taurean Prince, F, Baylor |
| 20 | Indiana Pacers | Ivica Zubac, C, Croatia |
| 21 | Atlanta Hawks | Wade Baldwin IV, PG, Vanderbilt |
| 22 | Charlotte Hornets | Malik Beasley, G, Florida State |
| 23 | Boston Celtics | Thon Maker, PF/C, Australia |
| 24 | Philadelphia 76ers (via Miami) | Demetrius Jackson, PG, Notre Dame |
| 25 | Los Angeles Clippers | Cheick Diallo, PF/C, Kansas |
| 26 | Philadelphia 76ers (via Oklahoma City) | Tyler Ulis, PG, Kentucky |
| 27 | Toronto Raptors | Ante Zizic, C, Croatia |
| 28 | Phoenix Suns (via Cleveland) | Malcolm Brogdon, SG, Virginia |
| 29 | San Antonio Spurs | Brice Johnson, PF, North Carolina |
| 30 | Golden State Warriors | DeAndre' Bembry, SG/SF, St. Joseph's |
Analysis of Featured Picks
3. Boston Celtics: Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma
Hield made a big leap as a senior in guiding the Sooners to the Final Four while being a paragon of offensive efficiency.
An across-the-board improvement as a shooter saw Hield average 25.0 points, shoot 50.1 percent from the floor and drain 45.7 percent of his three-pointers on 8.7 attempts per game.
CBS Sports' Zach Harper added further context to Hield's greatness:
The 22-year-old boasts more life experience than the other one-year wonders contending for the No. 3 overall pick, which is something Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has to like. Stevens built a mid-major juggernaut at Butler contingent upon player development and upperclassmen leadership.
A high-energy, high-effort star like Hield seems as cut out as anyone to handle Boston's big market, passionate fanbase, Stevens' uptempo system and a considerable scoring load.
ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman passed along a bit of information that had to leave an impression on Stevens, Boston general manager Danny Ainge and others in the organization:
The Celtics' best offensive catalyst at the moment is Isaiah Thomas, who doesn't have much of a supporting cast around him.
Plugging someone like Hield into the backcourt would alleviate the burden on Marcus Smart, who's more of a defensive stopper, and free up trade options involving Avery Bradley.
Alternatively, Boston can hang on to Bradley for now and bring Hield off the bench as a super-sub for his rookie season. Based on his current trajectory, though, Hield may wind up in an NBA starting five as soon as the 2016-17 campaign.
4. Phoenix Suns: Dragan Bender, PF, Croatia
The Suns have a glaring hole on their roster at small forward, but between a late-lottery pick, an additional first-round choice thereafter and room to spend in free agency, they have plenty of capital to invest there.
The Suns need a stretch 4 like Bender, especially with Mirza Teletovic hitting free agency and uncertain to return. Listed in the video above at 7'1", the 18-year-old phenom already has shooting range that extends beyond the three-point arc.
Bender's Maccabi Tel Aviv teammate, Ike Ofoegbu, spoke to the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach about what makes the Croatian sensation so special:
"It's unbelievable, the stuff he can do at his size. It shocks people all the time. He's basically like a stretched-out 6-2 guy. He could be something special. He's more agile than Dirk [Nowitzki], I think. Maybe he won’t be a player of that magnitude, but I see him being something like that. To me, he's a poor man's Kevin Durant. When you see him, his length will be shocking. It's going to really be shocking, just his length and the way he moves.
"
Being mentioned in the same breath as Nowitzki and Durant brings to mind the hype surrounding Kristaps Porzingis prior to last year's draft. Teams that let Porzingis slide to fourth overall may be regretting it based on his stellar rookie season; the same could be the case for Bender's nonbelievers.
In addition to boasting incredible offensive upside, Bender's length and natural instincts create problems for opponents when he's playing defense. He is quick and athletic enough to guard the 3, 4 or 5 positions—all areas Phoenix could stand to improve.
Former lottery pick Alex Len hasn't developed into a franchise-changing force in the frontcourt. He'll be a restricted free agent after the 2016-17 campaign, potentially leaving the Suns' big-man rotation in an even more precarious state.
Bender has the tools to thrive in the more perimeter-oriented modern NBA, affording new Phoenix coach Earl Watson a lot of flexibility in the rotation.
Although he only averaged 14.5 minutes per game for Maccabi Tel Aviv, look for Bender to see a lot more action when he moves stateside.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Jamal Murray, SG, Kentucky
Teaming with Tyler Ulis to form arguably one of the better backcourts in college basketball this past season, Murray would have two intriguing floor generals to play off of in Minnesota.
Zach LaVine is more of a combo guard, whereas Ricky Rubio is a pure pass-first point guard. Either one of them teamed with Murray would create a devastating perimeter duo to join with swingman Andrew Wiggins.
Murray shot 40.8 percent from downtown for Kentucky on 7.7 attempts per game and averaged 20.0 points. He is the type of dead-eye shooter the Timberwolves need, especially with a defensive-minded head coach in Tom Thibodeau taking over this coming season.
If the public perception gauged by ESPN draft expert Chad Ford is any indication, Minnesota fans should be excited to nab Murray in the event he falls to No. 5:
Any defensive shortcomings Murray might have can be mitigated by the presence of Wiggins on the wing and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns in the paint.
Wiggins and Towns will both prove to be elite-level defenders, and the former would benefit greatly from Murray's presence since he wouldn't have to create so much offense on his own. Murray could become the go-to scoring option, allowing Wiggins to be a more natural complementary scorer.
The latest one-and-done Kentucky product is also a fully capable ball-handler, which could mean he and LaVine emerge as the backcourt of the future and afford Minnesota flexibility to sell high on Rubio in a trade.
All signs point to Murray if he's on the board when the Wolves choose. He'd be an excellent maiden choice in the Thibodeau era—and it's hard to imagine a coach better suited to get Murray to buy in on the defensive end.
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