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2016 NBA Mock Draft: Latest Top Prospects’ Stock Watch and 1st-Round Predictions
- Updated: June 5, 2016
The 2016 NBA draft is starting to come into focus with less than a month until teams make their selections on June 23. Although pinning down where each prospect will land is still a tricky task, the range where players could fall is beginning to become clearer.
What makes this year’s class particularly intriguing is the large group of prospects in the second wave behind LSU’s Ben Simmons and Duke’s Brandon Ingram. There isn’t a massive difference between the next handful of prospects, which should make for an entertaining draft night.
So let’s check out a complete mock draft of the opening round. That’s followed by a closer look at the stock watch, as top prospects look to solidify their status in the final weeks.
First-Round Mock Draft
Stock Watch
Rising: Marquese Chriss
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Chriss’ numbers didn’t jump off the page during his only season at the University of Washington. The power forward averaged 13.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Yet the more he’s been able to showcase his athleticism and skill set to stretch the floor, the more his stock has risen.
He possesses a terrific combination of tools that cover a lot of bases. His shooting ability is trending toward a stretch 4, but he has great defensive awareness that allows him to block shots. So it’s tough to pigeonhole him with any prototypical labels.
The forward told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that’s he focused on adding more muscle to his 6’10”, 233-pound frame, which would go a long way in helping him round out his game.
“If I get stronger, I feel like I can guard 4s and 5s, and I believe I’m quick enough to guard 3s and 2s,” Chriss said. “I think I have a good skill set to stretch the floor. I wouldn’t characterize myself as having one natural spot; I just feel that I can play.”
Those are the types of players who can thrive in today’s NBA because they create constant matchup problems. If an opponent puts a big body on him, he’ll have the edge at the offensive end. If …
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