NBA Draft 2016: Mock Draft and Fringe 1st-Round Prospects to Watch

We all know about LSU’s Ben Simmons and have wondered whether Duke’s Brandon Ingram could unseat him as the 2016 NBA draft’s top pick.

Dragan Bender, Buddy Hield, Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray—these are the names you already know. The NBA draft is generally the most top-heavy of the four major sports. Stars are mostly found in the lottery, and teams (cough, Philadelphia 76ers, cough) have mortgaged entire seasons just to get close to the high lottery.

What about the players who are hanging near the end of the first round? It would be a lie to say for every Tim Duncan (No. 1 pick, 1997) there is a Manu Ginobili (No. 57 pick, 1999), but teams can find stars anywhere in the first round. At the very least, a few guys drafted after No. 20 will be vital role players for contenders in the years to come.

Where would the Cleveland Cavaliers be without Matthew Dellavedova or the Oklahoma City Thunder without Andre Roberson? OK, probably the same place. But those guys and others are sources of cheap labor and valuable cogs in the rotation.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some fringe first-rounders for June 23’s draft.

Mock Draft

Notable Fringe First-Rounders Thon Maker, PF/C, Australia

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Maker may be the most interesting player in the draft. After becoming a nationally known phenom via a series of viral mixtapes, Maker entered his name in the draft before playing a single minute of college basketball. He was able to do so by taking a fifth year of high school rather than entering college in 2015, making him technically one year removed from graduation.

Maker the mixtape star looks like a phenom. He’s a 7-footer who handles the ball like a guard, knocks down threes with ease and swats weak shots into the stands. Cutting together his best plays turns Maker into this generation’s can’t-miss superstar who looks like he’s from another planet.

Maker the basketball player is a different story. He’s three steps beyond raw. If we were giving him NBA 2K ratings, his basketball IQ would rank among the lowest for first-round prospects. It’s obvious Maker has spent most of his life skating on his size and athleticism. When …

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