NBA Mock Draft 2016: 1st-Round Projections for Top Prospects’ Landing Spots

The NBA playoffs may be rocking and rolling, but draft season is in full swing with the lottery on the horizon and the annual selection process nearly a month away.  

Here’s a brief procedural note before we get started: The projected draft order below is a pre-lottery look and will be subject to change once the pingpong balls bounce on Tuesday, May 17. 

So as teams mull over interviews and workouts from the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago and hunker down before individual workouts kick into high gear, here’s an early mock draft featuring this year’s most coveted prospects:

Top Prospects to Watch Ben Simmons, F, LSU Tigers

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Ben Simmons is a terror in transition and as gifted of a passer as you’ll find in the 2016 NBA draft, so the Los Angeles Lakers are undoubtedly crossing their fingers for the LSU Tigers forward to fall into their laps June 23.

While the Lakers have accrued plenty of fine young assets in recent years, such as D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and soon-to-be restricted free-agent Jordan Clarkson, Simmons resides in another tier of stardom at just 19 years old.

“His playmaking ability is similar to Magic Johnson’s,” a scout told Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman in December. “He’s a franchise guy; he’s going to be special. Whoever gets him is going to be very happy. There won’t be any regret on that pick.”

The question with Simmons is how his jump shot develops at the next level. During his lone season at LSU, Simmons shot 57-of-173 on two-point jumpers, good for a conversion rate of just 32.9 percent, according to Hoop-Math.com.

Simmons was also reluctant to take threes. The 6’10” physical freak attempted just three shots from beyond the arc all season as he repeatedly bullied his way into the paint and made 75.2 percent of his shots at the rim, per Hoop-Math.com.

But in the NBA, the Australian …

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