Oklahoma's Buddy Hield drives to the basket against Oregon's Elgin Cook. (Photo : Getty Images/Harry How)
The NBA draft is fast approaching and teams will finally know their standing in the upcoming event as the NBA draft lottery is happening on May 17. Duke's Brandon Ingram and LSU's Ben Simmons are expected to go in the top two and here are the rest of the projections of the first round.
Excluding Simmons and Ingram, the Celtics are projected to draft third thanks to their acquisition of Brooklyn's 2016 draft pick. Among the top prospects, Croatia's Dragan Bender will be the perfect fit for the team, Bleacher Report reported. His skillset is similar to those of Knicks' rookie Kristaps Porzingis, a very versatile seven-footer with a touch from three-point range.
Teams from the preceding draft are regretting not picking up Porzingis. This can be their second chance to get a talent with the same potential as the Latvian forward.
Next up is Mississippi's Jaylen Brown being drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Although the forward dropped outside the top five in other mock drafts, NBA teams are always looking at players with freakish athleticism as gauge for their upside.
"In terms of a prospect, Jaylen kind of is what he is at this point," an NBA scout told San Francisco Chronicle. "He is such a gifted athlete that you can kind of overlook some of his shortcomings."
Meanwhile, NCAA College player of the year Buddy Hield is expected to go fourth and be picked by the Phoenix Suns. The Oklahoma Sooner star is praised for his work ethic and it showed in his tremendous improvement from his freshman year to his senior year. He became one of the best three-point shooters in the league which is expected to translate in the NBA.
Also, teams should look out for Kentucky's Jamal Murray and Providence's Kris Dunn, who are projected to be the top two point guards of this year's draft. They are expected to go fifth and sixth in NBA Draft mock boards by the T-Wolves and the New Orleans Pelicans, respectively. Arvydas Sabonis' son, Domantas Sabonis expected to go in the top 10 and it is possible that he will be picked by the Kings who are lacking in the PF position as of the moment.
Here is another NBA mock draft 2016 analysis:
