1. Philadelphia 76ers: Brandon Ingram, SF, Duke
Out of all the teams in the lottery, Philadelphia is the one team I could see taking Ingram over Ben Simmons. Over the last few years, the 76ers have used three high selections on big men: Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and most recently, Jahlil Okafor. Philadelphia has its four and five of the future. Ingram would possibly give the 6ers a formidable frontcourt of the future.
2. Los Angeles Lakers: Ben Simmons, SF/PF, LSU
Los Angeles is in the easiest position in the first round. All the Lakers need to do is take the one out of Simmons or Ingram who Philadelphia does not take. With 2014 first round pick Julius Randle still on the team, Los Angeles could either look to trade Randle or have Simmons play SF. The Lakers could also look to trade the pick if they can get a big time player.
3. Boston Celtics: Dragan Bender, PF, Croatia
The Celtics could go with Bender or one of the shooting guards here, but I have them going with the International power forward. Jared Sullinger is not the answer at the four and Bender has a lot of potential. He could help elevate the Celtics into the top tier of the Eastern Conference along with Cleveland.
4. Phoenix Suns: Jaylen Brown, SF, California
The three other top prospects are all guards (Hield, Murray, Dunn) and the Suns have their backcourt of the future set with Brandon Knight or Eric Bledsoe and last year's first round pick Devin Booker. He is a great fit for the Suns, as Phoenix has a major hole at SF.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma
Seven years ago, the Timberwolves drafted Jonny Flynn, one spot ahead of Golden State selecting some guy named Stephen Curry. After seeing Curry dominate the NBA with his incredible shooting, Minnesota won't make the same mistake this year. The Wolves desperately need a great shooter. Tom Thibodeau does not really want a really young player to come in, so this pick might be traded, but I will have them taking the 22-year-old Hield. He could come in right away and contribute in a big way.
6. New Orleans Pelicans: Kris Dunn, PG, Providence
New Orleans' guards struggled with injuries last year and Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans both played less than 50 games this past year. Those two and Jrue Holiday also are all not in contract past next season. Dunn could be taken a few picks before, but I have him going here. I could see New Orleans taking Jamal Murray to cover for the inevitable Gordon injury, but Dunn is the best point guard in the draft.
7. Denver Nuggets: Jamal Murray, SG, Kentucky
With a solid, young core, the Nuggets could use a great shooter and are lucky to have Murray sitting there at pick seven. Denver could use a great shooter to complement 2015 first round pick Emmanuel Mudiay. Gary Harris has not panned out like they would have liked, although he could be a solid backup. The Nuggets already have one of the youngest rosters in the league, so Murray could come in and fit in so Murray and the fellow young guns could grow together.
8. Sacramento Kings: Deyonta Davis, PF, Michigan State
The Kings have a gaping hole at power forward, so Davis makes a lot of sense. He would help give the Kings a nice duo of Davis and Demarcus Cousins. The former Michigan State big man is an athletic big who has a tremendous wingspan. He excels defensively as well, holding Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes to just five points on 1-13 shooting in their February contest in East Lansing. He will need to put on some weight for the NBA, but the talent and athleticism is certainly already there.
9. Toronto Raptors: Marquese Chriss, PF, Washington
If Demar DeRozan signs elsewhere this offseason, shooting guard becomes a higher priority. As of right now, though, Toronto is set at every position except for power forward. Patrick Patterson is decent, but he is probably better suited coming off the bench. Bismack Biyombo is also going to get a significant pay raise this offseason in the free agent market and the Raptors will not be able to keep both him and DeRozan. He is too skinny as of now, being just 235, so he will need to gain weight to be able to hold up at the net level, but he has a lot of potential.
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Jakob Poeltl, C, Utah
It still amazes me that the Bucks did not make the playoffs. Milwaukee has a number of talented, young players. He is the best center in the draft. If he were to declare last year, he would have been a first rounder, but returned to school and is now a probable lottery pick. He runs the floor extremely well for a big man. He will not be outworked. He needs to add weight and strength to be able to compete against other bigs in the NBA.
11. Orlando Magic: Skal Labissiere, PF/C, Kentucky
Orlando needs another big man to help rotate with Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucvic. Labissiere did not play as well as people thought he would, coming to Kentucky as one of the top high school prospects in the country. He could have used another year at Kentucky, but he does have what scouts look for. He has a very nice jump shot and is a good defender with the potential to be a great one with his length and quickness.
12. Utah Jazz: Furkan Korkmaz, SG, Turkey
The Jazz have seven players 25 and under, so it would not be the worst thing to draft a player they can stash overseas until he is ready to play. Utah is a young, up-and-coming team that can afford to do that. He could come in and play behind Alec Burks when he comes over.
13. Phoenix Suns: Henry Ellenson, PF, Marquette
After drafting Jaylen Brown at No. 4, the Suns need a big man to play with Alex Len. And with Phoenix already being set at guard, Ellenson is the choice here. They also need another big after the trade of Markieff Morris this season. He can score inside and outside and he is a solid rebounder as well.
14. Chicago Bulls: Denzel Valentine, SG, Michigan State
Chicago may very well look to trade Jimmy Butler this offseason, and so they might need to look to the draft to find a potential replacement. Valentine was one of the most productive players in the country last season. He is a tremendous passer and shooter. He is ready to play right now and would be an immediate contributor for a team that is likely going to start rebuilding.
15. Denver Nuggets: Domantas Sabonis, PF/C, Gonzaga
Denver has three first round picks, so it would not shock me if Denver tries to move up in the first round with its last two picks. But here they take the Gonzaga big man. He is the son of former Portland TrailBlazers big man Arvydas Sabonis, so he is blessed with great size. He is a great rebounder and a great passer as well as a terrific low post scorer. He runs the floor really well for a big as well. It would not shock me to see him go higher.
16. Boston Celtics: Timothe Luwawu, SG/SF, France
With Evan Turner set to hit free agency, the Celtics will look to the draft to try to find a replacement. He has terrific athleticism and is a solid scorer. He also is a solid passer as well. He has a long wingspan, so with that and his athleticism, he has the chance to be a very good defender at the next level.
17. Memphis Grizzlies: Demetrius Jackson, PG, Notre Dame
Mike Conley is an unrestricted free agent and people think that he will leave, especially since there will be a new coach in Memphis. If they want to keep the other parts around him, drafting Jackson would be a good idea, having been at Notre Dame for three years. He can impact the game with both his scoring and passing and his athleticism helps him get to the rim at will.
18. Detroit Pistons: Cheick Diallo, PF/C, Kansas
After losing Greg Monroe to free agency last offseason, they have been looking for a power forward to have next to Andre Drummond, especially after their trade for Donatas Moteijunas fell apart at the trading deadline this year. He is still incredibly raw and would better off staying at Kansas another year, but he does have a lot of potential. His scoring needs work, but he is a solid defender and rebounder.
19. Denver Nuggets: Taurean Prince, SF, Baylor
This is the last of Denver's three first rounders and with the Nuggets having such a young roster, drafting a senior might be the way to go. And as evidenced by his press conference in the NCAA Tournament, he knows what a rebound is. He has the quickness to be able to guard both shooting guards and small forwards in the NBA. He also is a solid shooter and is ready to contribute in the NBA immediately.
20. Indiana Pacers: Brice Johnson, PF, North Carolina
After drafting Myles Turner a year ago, the Pacers will try to get one more big man in this draft. Johnson was one of the best players in college basketball last year and helped lead the Tar Heels to the National Championship game. He has terrific athleticism and a solid jump shot and is a good finisher around the basket. He could turn out out to be a solid starter or a terrific backup at the next level.
21. Atlanta Hawks: Damian Jones, C, Vanderbilt
Atlanta needs another big man with Tiago Splitter battling injuries for much of last season and Al Horford is an unrestricted free agent. While Horford may be re-signed, Atlanta will still need a big man to come off the bench. Jones is a big man with great length and has tremendous size. He has solid potential to become a very good big man.
22. New Orleans Pelicans: Thon Maker, PF/C, Australia
Maker is the mystery man of this draft, much like Bismack Biyombo was in the 2011 draft. Al Jefferson is an unrestricted free agent and he battled injuries last season. Maker is a high upside player and he could improve his stock into the lottery. He is very skilled and is a major boom-or-bust pick, but at pick 22, it is not as much of a risk as most in the 20s don't amount to much. The risk could be well worth the reward.
23. Boston Celtics: Ante Zizic, C, Croatia
This is the third Celtics first round pick, so they could try to package the last two to move up or sell this one or draft a European to stash overseas. Since I don't predict trades, Zizic it is. He could use some seasoning, so being overseas for a year or two would really help him out. He is a solid athlete, though, and with him being a solid free throw shooter, he could establish a solid jump shot as well. He has potential to be a very good European big man in the NBA in a few years.
24. Philadelphia 76ers: Malik Beasley, SG, Florida State
Philadelphia does not have the luxury of being able to draft a European and wait for him to develop overseas. The 76ers need help now and Beasley is a shooting guard with a terrific jump shot and has good athleticism. He is only a 6-5 wing player, but he is a good prospect who could go several spots higher.
25. Los Angeles Clippers: DeAndre Bembry, SG/SF, St. Joseph's
Bembry is an athletic wing who almost helped St. Joe's to an upset of top seeded Oregon in the NCAA Tournament. He did not have a great shooting performance, but he still scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Paul Pierce is on his last legs and the Clippers will need a replacement. He is good passer and he had a good assist-to-turnover ratio. He can also finish at the rim very well.
26. Philadelphia 76ers: Wade Baldwin, PG, Vanderbilt
Philadelphia's third first round pick could be traded in an effort to move up, but also could be used on a high upside player who falls to them at 26. After taking a pair of wings with its first two picks, Philadelphia takes a point guard to maybe groom into being a starter later on. Two point guards, Ish Smith and Isaiah Canaan, are also free agents, with Smith being unrestricted.
27. Toronto Raptors: Malachi Richardson, SG, Syracuseo
Demar DeRozan is a free agent and may want to go back to the left coast and join the Lakers. Richardson would not be the lone man to try to fill the shoes of DeRozan, but he'll try to help. He would have been better off staying another year in school. He possibly would have been a lottery pick next year or in two years. Richardson has the ideal size for the position and is long and athletic. He is also a solid defender and a good shooter. He only shot 37 percent from the field last year, so he still has a ways to go before he is a solid contributor in the NBA.
28. Phoenix Suns: Zhou Qi, C, China
Phoenix already has a really young team, so they will probably draft a player to stash overseas for a few years. Qi has a lot of potential, so another year in China could do a lot of good. He is a solid defender and has a nice jump shot and should be able to expand his range to be able to make 3-pointers consistently in time.
29. San Antonio Spurs: Diamond Stone, C, Maryland
With Tim Duncan and David West set to hit free agency, the Spurs need to add new blood at the four and five position. Even if Duncan is brought back, the Spurs should still look to add youth at power forward and center. This team is clearly now in the hands of LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard. Stone could have used another season at Maryland to improve his draft stock. He could have been drafted in the lottery if he stuck around for another year in College Park. Stone has a nice jump shot and solid post skills. He runs the floor well for a big man and has a chance to be a good defender.
30. Golden State Warriors: Guerschon Yabusele, PF, France
Golden State does not need a bunch, as evidenced by its record 73-win season. My guess is that they'll take a European to stash overseas for a year or two until he is completely ready. He is really strong down in the low post and has a solid jump shot to go with it. He has tremendous potential, so Golden State could get a steal late in the first round.
