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Way Too Early Predictions: The No. 1 Pick in the 2016 NBA Draft

By Scott Rafferty

Mar 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All American athlete Diamond Stone (33) poses for pictures during portrait day at the Westin Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All American athlete Diamond Stone (33) poses for pictures during portrait day at the Westin Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Seeing as basketball is still in the doldrums, it’s a little early to be making predictions about the 2016 NBA Draft. Frontrunners like Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, both of whom (we think) are talented beyond their years, are yet to suit up for their new teams. Who knows if they’re ready to dominate college basketball, mind alone be the prized possession of the upcoming NBA Draft?

Nevertheless, there’s no better time to make predictions than when there’s a lot of unknown in the air — usually, that’s when the fun and regrettable stuff happens. So here we are, counting down the days until basketball is back in our lives to discuss who’ll likely be the No. 1 pick in June.

Tom Fehr (@TJFsports): The truth is I have no idea, but I’m going to go with Jaylen Brown. The safe choice is probably LSU forward Ben Simmons, but I just like everything I’ve seen from Brown so far. He seems like an incredibly versatile player with a lot of upside, and he’s going to be incredibly appealing to scouts and GMs.

JZ Mazlish (@jzmazlish): Earlier this summer I wrote about why I currently think Dragan Bender should be No. 1 in this year’s upcoming draft. However, it’s unlikely NBA teams will share the same opinion come draft night. Ben Simmons and Skal Labissiere are the two frontrunners at this stage, and Simmons seems like the safer choice. His combination of physical athleticism and feel for the game should allow him to dominate the college game, and his blend of skill and physical tools gives him a good shot of usurping Bender on my personal board.

Austin Peters (@apete1993): This is such a tough question. The consensus opinion is that the draft pool this year is weaker than the last two years, even though to me it is way too early to tell if it is or not. There are so many good candidates for the top pick right now; international sensation Dragan Bender is a sleeper, and then the popular names floating around are Skal Labissiere from Kentucky, Ben Simmons from LSU, Jaylen Brown from Cal, and Brandon Ingram from Duke. I’m sure there will be one or two other guys that emerge out of nowhere, much the same that D’Angelo Russell did this past season.

Right now, though, I’m taking Ben Simmons. He is the more polished of any of the other prospects and while he might not have as much upside or growth potential, he is a matchup nightmare. I think that success will even translate to the next level as well. When I watch him, I think poor man’s Blake Griffin with his ability to dominate the boards, push the break, facilitate in the half court, and finish well around the rim.

John Bauman (@bauman_john): Brandon Ingram has as much talent as anyone in the Class of 2016, and will be in the Top 5 based on that talent alone. However, I think Coach K and Duke’s excellent program will be the difference for Ingram and why he will separate himself from the rest of the pack to become the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Coach K has tutored many top talents over the past few years, from Jabari Parker to Justise Winslow to Jahlil Okafor, and turned them into excellent NBA prospects. Coach K will do the same with the 6-9 small forward from Kinston, NC, taking Ingram’s talent and teaching him how to use it while playing within an NBA-level offensive and defensive system. 

Andrew Ford (@AndrewFord22): Ben Simmons is tailormade for the modern NBA game. His versatile skillset and excellent size allow him to slide between multiple positions on both ends of the floor, which will enable him to be implemented into numerous specialty lineups by whichever team lands the Australian starlet. He’s currently at his best in the open court, as he glides down the floor like a gazelle. His array of moves he utilizes to create space for himself with the ball in his hands is impressive, and he uses those moves to score the ball in every way imaginable. He’s not a great half court offensive player, and he needs more reps playing off the ball to become better in that facet before leaping to the NBA. But he’s developed so much over the last couple years that there is no reason to doubt he will continue to flourish in what will presumably be his only season at LSU and for many years to come at the highest level. Even LSU head coach Johnny Jones’ often directionless offense won’t be able to slow down Simmons.  

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