NBA Mock Draft 2016: Latest Projections for 1st-Round Prospects

While 16 teams are just getting started on their playoff runs, the rest of the league can now focus all of its energy on the NBA draft. 

For the teams picking at the top of the lottery, the event represents the opportunity to snag a franchise-altering player. This class might be short on surefire cornerstones, but players like Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram certainly have the potential to develop into those kinds of players. 

Even if there isn’t a superstar to be found in this class, there are still players in the lottery who could be key cogs in their franchises, and some will be ready to contribute sooner rather than later. 

Here’s a look at how the first round could shake out and a few team and player fits that stand out. 

Brandon Ingram to Philadelphia with the No. 1 Pick

For most of the season, Ben Simmons had been the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft. However, his play on the court at LSU didn’t necessarily back that up. 

The potential remains. He’s still a big man with a rare skill set that includes great court vision, ball distribution and effective down-low scoring. 

That last skill is the problem with Simmons in Philadelphia. 

Share Tweet Embed Jonathan Wasserman has a different take on Simmons vs. Ingram.

This is a franchise that already has Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel on the roster. Those three guys all have different games than Simmons, but all three do their scoring around the basket. Simmons is another player who needs to have the ball on the block to score. 

At some point, the Sixers have to stop simply collecting assets and start building a team. 

That’s where Ingram comes in. The 6’9″ forward shot 41.3 percent from three-point range in his freshman campaign at Duke while averaging 17.3 points per game. 

Ultimately, Ingram projects as a versatile weapon on both sides of the court. It’s why Sporting News’ Kevin …

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