NBA Draft 2016: 1st-Round Mock Draft, Landing Spots for Coveted Prospects

While the draft is one of the few sources of optimism for fans of losing teams, even the most talented college or international prospect can’t single-handedly turn a franchise around immediately. It will be important to keep that in mind ahead of the 2016 NBA draft on June 23.

This year’s class likely has one or more players who will become superstars in the league. That process takes time, though. As promising a future as the Minnesota Timberwolves have with Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Karl-Anthony Towns, they’ve posted the third-fewest wins (45) in the league the last two years.

Even the Cleveland Cavaliers needed two years after selecting LeBron James to make the playoffs.

Below is a full mock for the first round of the 2016 NBA draft, followed by deeper analysis for three of this year’s top stars. Those stars should help set their franchises on the path to the playoffs—if not right away, then at least for the years to come.

Note: First-round draft order is courtesy of Tankathon.com.

Most Coveted Prospects No. 1, Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons, PF, LSU

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The book on Ben Simmons is pretty well-known by now. The former LSU Tiger is a great ball-handler for his size (6’10”, 240 lbs), and he is athletic enough to play multiple positions. He also averaged an impressive 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 33 games.

Simmons’ biggest drawback is the fact he displayed limited range in college, attempting three three-pointers during the entirety of his freshman season.

Still, ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla is convinced Simmons should be …

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