June 8, 2016
Ahead of the 2016 NBA Draft, Sam Chadwick breaks who he sees going where including some interesting landing spots for Europe’s top youngsters
For the purposes of this mock draft we go deep on the fit for the lottery rounds. Given how scattered we expect the subsequent breakdown of picks to be, we have essentially assigned picks 15-30 based on ranking rather than fit.
| No | Team | Player | Pos | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Ben Simmons | SF/PF | LSU - 6ft 10 Despite not filling a specific 'need' on the Sixers (they need a PG not a 6ft 10 Forward), the Sixers should take the best player available, especially a player that has been compared with Lebron and provides scoring, passing & rebounding. Comparison: Lebron James |
| 2 |  | Brandon Ingram | SF | Duke - 6ft 9 Lucky day to be a Laker. Possibly the best scorer in the draft, a player often compared with KD for length and scoring. A great fit on a young Lakers team giving them Russell, Clarkson & Randle to move forward with coach Walton. Comparison: Kevin Durant |
| 3 |  | Buddy Hield | SG | Oklahoma - 6ft 5 One of the nations favourite college players and Naismith Player of The Year. Hield would give the Celtics a good option for beyond the arch which they have been missing this season. Comparison: James Harden |
| 4 |  | Dragan Bender | PF/C | Macabbi Tel Aviv - 7ft Not the next Porzingis but a solid big man who is talented in different areas, a better passer/ball handler then Porzingis, masses of potential. Comparisons range from Toni Kukoc to Nikola Mirotic (I dont agree with either) Comparison: N/A |
| 5 |  | Jamal Murray | SG/PG | Kentucky - 6ft 4 Lacking for size to match up with NBA SG's but a definite scorer (solid from 3 and slashing to the hoop). Not a PG in terms of passing/turnovers, but fills a need on the T'Wolves alongside Rubio/LaVine, Wiggins, KAT & Dieng. Comparison: Jeff Hornacek |
| 6 |  | Kris Dunn | PG | Providence - 6ft 4 Rumours are that the Sixers would love to take Dunn, him dropping to 6 is a bit of a steal for the Pel's and a perfect replacement for Jrue Holiday who played just 65 games & whos contract ends in 2017. Comparison: Jordan Clarkson |
| 7 |  | Jaylen Brown | SG | California - 6ft 7 Despite being a pretty busy position on the Denver team (Gary Harris & Will Barton) taking Brown gives the Nuggets a top 5 talent. Someone who can play both Sg and SF when playing small and gives good shooting & scoring ability. Comparison: Jason Richardson |
| 8 |  | Malik Beasley | SG | Florida State - 6ft 5 Malik provides Sacramento with another Athletic wing so add to their collection. A solid defender but lacks size for his position. Malik has good an NBA ready jump shot which should help with Cousins inside & Rondo driving & dishing to Beasley when open. NBA Comparison: Wesley Matthews |
| 9 |  | Domantas Sabonis | PF | Gonzaga - 6ft 10 I pray this happens, partnering Sabonis next to Valaciunas gives the Raptors the Lithuanian punch in the front court and provides yet another double-double threat on what is already a strong playoff team. Comparison: Luis Scola/Marc Gasol |
| 10 |  | Jakob Poeltl | C | Utah - 7ft 1 Why would Jacob go below Sabonis some of you may ask? Well the Raps need a PF not a C and Poeltl doesnt match up with Valaciunas. He does however provide an alternative at C for the Bucks when they potentially move Monroe. NBA Comparison: Andrew Bogut |
| 11 |  | Skal Labissiere | C/PF | Kentucky - 6ft 11 Orlando had a good season, will this draft pick take them to great? no. But will it provide them with a player who fills a need who they can be patient with to develop? yes. Skal is that player. Skal had a similar collage season to Myles Turner who did well under new coach Frank Vogel to finish the year. Comparison: Channing Frye |
| 12 |  | Furkan Korkmaz | SG | Anadolu Efes - 6ft 7 Utah have a strong side and narrowly missed out on the playoffs this season despite losing some key players to injury through the year. I know Utah recently invested a lot of money in Burks but he has played 57 games over the past 2 seasons. Rodney Hood can slide into the SG position as well but Korkman gives them another option at both SG or SF. NBA Comparison: Gordon Hayward |
| 13 | | Marquese Chriss | PF | Washington - 6ft 10 Phoenix are guard heavy and despite picking up Bender 4th overall could still do with another big. Marquese was solid at Washington this year posting 13.7 points and 5.4 rebounds which is impressive for a freshman competing in a competitive Pac-12. NBA Comparison: Markieff Morris |
| 14 |  | Dejounte Murray | PG | Washington - 6ft 5 2 Huskies in a row in the lottery. The Bulls need a back up PG no matter what Rose's status is next season and as a Freshman Dejounte averaged 16.1 points, 6 rebounds and 4.4 assists including a 34 points, 11 rebound, 6 assist outing vs Arizona State. NBA Comparison: Shaun Livingston/Jamal Crawford |
| 15 | | Henry Ellenson | PF/C | Marquette - 6ft 11 |
| 16 | | Denzel Valentine | SG/SF | Michigan State - 6ft 5 |
| 17 |  | Malachi Richardson | SG | Syracuse - 6ft 6 |
| 18 |  | Dayonta Davis | PF | Michigan State - 6ft 10 |
| 19 | | Timothe Luwawu | SG | Mega Leks - 6ft 7 |
| 20 |  | Stephen Zimmerman | C/PF | UNLV - 6ft 11 |
| 21 |  | Tyler Ulis | PG | Kentucky - 5ft 10 |
| 22 |  | Ante Zizic | C | Cibona Zagreb - 6ft 11 |
| 23 | | Brice Johnson | PF | North Carolina - 6ft 10 |
| 24 | | Wade Baldwin | PG | Vanderbilt - 6ft 4 |
| 25 |  | Thon Maker | C | Orangeville Prep - 7ft 1 |
| 26 | | Damian Jones | C | Vanderbilt - 7ft |
| 27 | | Rade Zegorac | SF | Mega Leks - 6ft 9 |
| 28 | | Diamond Stone | PF | Maryland - 6ft 10 |
| 29 |  | Guerschon Yabusele | PF | Rouen - 6ft 8 |
| 30 |  | Zhou Qi | C | Xianjiang - 7ft 2 |
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This post was published on June 8, 2016
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