Brandon Ingram (Photo : Twitter)
The NBA Draft talk continues to revolve around Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram in their battle to become the first overall pick.
In the latest edition of Draft Express 2016 mock draft, Brandon Ingram of Duke is now the no.1 pick overtaking Ben Simmons of LSU.
Draft Express does mention that their mock did not consider team needs, but if the lottery plays out and the Sixers continue to remain at no.1, they would pick Ingram.
It can be argued that the Sixers really need Ingram more than Simmons, but the mindset of the Sixers is to get the best available talent and determine the fit later (which is why they ended up with three centers). Will that mindset change with Jerry Colangelo on board?
Ingram brings shooting and athleticism at the wing position and he has the tools to become a great defender. Colangelo also worked with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski at Team USA, so there would be a vote of confidence.
In a separate mock draft by ESPN draft guru Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton, they had the hypothetical situation of the Lakers actually ending up at no.1. in that case, the Lakers would pick Simmons.
As a disclaimer, "this mock draft is based on what Kevin and Chad think teams should do -- it's not a prediction." Ford thinks the Lakers should still pick Simmons.
"The Lakers are back, not only keeping their pick but landing the top prize in LSU forward Ben Simmons," Ford declared. "I didn't really give much thought to taking Brandon Ingram instead. Simmons' upside is simply too high.
The Lakers would take him and figure out where he fits alongside their pair of ball handlers (Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell) and incumbent power forward (Julius Randle) later."
On another interesting note on the Draft Express mock, no Kentucky player made it to the top 5. Jamal Murray was penciled in at no.6, going to the New Orleans Pelicans.
International player Dragan Bender, probably the consensus third pick did end up at no.3. Freshman Jaylen Brown and Junior Kris Dunn round up the top 5.
Brown is probably the surprise in this. Some pundits including Bill Simmons thought he was "too raw" and should rather stay a year and be a candidate for the top 3 in 2017. Murray, on the other hand is ready to score and seems perfect for the NBA's current trend of combo guards with good shooting.
While this is not the first time this happened (2013 and 2014 were the precedents), it is quite rare in the John Calipari era as he has produced three first overall picks in John Wall, Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns.
