He’s the best player in the draft. The 76ers can’t afford to overthink and whiff on this one, even if he doesn’t fit in with their current roster.
Upside, length, shooting, these are a few of my favorite things—and are also what you’d describe Brandon Ingram with. The Lakers might be getting the best payer in the draft here and one who fits so well with their young core.
I would bet that the Celtics trade this pick before it’s all said and done, but for now I’ve got Chriss going here as they take a gamble on the guy with arguably the most upside in the draft class.
Youth, skill, and everything in between are what make Bender stand out. The Suns will take anything they can get, but could be getting a steal here.
Minnesota has long been an abysmal shooting team from the perimeter and Buddy Hield would immediately offer a solution to this predicament.
Dunn is my favorite player in this draft and I think he could wind up having the best career. For a team like the Pelicans that needs to revamp around Anthony Davis, he’s a player that could work wonders.
There are divided opinions on Murray, but the Kentucky product can flat out score the basketball and I like what he’d bring to the Nuggets in that regard.
Brown was once considered an easy top-5 prospect, but some have soured. As such, though, the Kings could get a highly versatile and dangerous talent with great upside.
Skal Labissiere definitely has to go to the right team and the Raptors are the type of team that could cultivate his talent properly and help him reach his potential.
The Bucks are a team with questionable offense and all of the defensive potential in the world. As such, Ellenson would bring a new dimension that could be welcomed.
Let me be clear; I think this is a mistake for the Magic as Poeltl isn’t all that special of a talent in my eyes. Yet, I think this is where they got with Orlando taking the big man.
A big guard that just knows how to make plays—that sounds like the type of backcourt presence that the Hawks would just love. Sign everyone up for this, especially in the wake of the Jeff Teague deal.
The French forward Timothe Luwawu is hyper athletic and has even more potential than many realize. He could be the steal of the draft and Phoenix has enough picks to take the risk.
Another pick I’d call a mistake, but Malachi Richardson has wooed everyone in the pre-draft process. He makes sense theoretically for Chicago, but I’m hardly a fan.
Not let’s finish out the first round of this 2016 NBA mock draft.
Next: Picks 15-30, Rest of First Round