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2016 NBA Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions and Biggest Boom-or-Bust Prospects
- Updated: May 23, 2016
In the age of the one-and-done superstar and the European influx into the NBA, the process of evaluating players has become more and more difficult. Every year it seems more boom-or-bust prospects hit the NBA, tantalizing with raw talent and infuriating with unpolished games and questionable skill sets.
Below, we’ll analyze the biggest boom-or-bust talents in the 2016 NBA draft, along with predicting how the first round will fall on June 23 in a mock draft.
Ben Simmons, SF, LSU
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Because Ben Simmons has arguably the highest ceiling in this draft, a tantalizing and unique skill set and was productive at LSU in his one season with the Tigers, it’s easy to forget he is still a boom-or-bust prospect in this year’s draft.
There are three main reasons for this:
His jump shot (or lack thereof) Mediocre defense Questions about his motivation and desire to be great
Simmons’ shoddy jumper has been dissected more times than Dikembe Mutombo’s Twitter prescience, so we’ll avoid a lengthy dissertation here. Let’s just leave it at this: Simmons only took three shots from beyond the arc this year, making one, and shot a woeful 31 percent on his jump shots, according to Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post.
Simmons isn’t a great defender either.
While he does anticipate well and has good enough hands to register a fair amount of steals, he doesn’t always seem interested in playing fundamental defense and often sacrifices positioning for steal attempts. He’ll need to prioritize improving on the defensive end in the NBA, or he’ll be a liability against the league’s more athletic small forwards and bigger and more physical power forwards.
That questionable effort leads to perhaps the biggest question Simmons will have to answer at the NBA level: Does he want to be great?
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com wrote, “There are concerns about an attitude that comes across as, in the words of one GM, prima donna, but there are concerns about anyone who …
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