September 02, 2015
When it comes to keeping tabs on the NBA Draft as only part of following the league as a whole, things go from 0 to 100 just like that. At this time last year, I’ll cop to having precisely zero idea who D’Angelo Russell was. About four months later, the guy became all I could think about. The previous year, the same could be said for Joel Embiid.
If you are following the Sam Hinkie-era Sixers (as all of the losses and protected first-round picks pile up around you like the cups in Bellatrix Lestrange’s vault), this orientation period ends up taking on added meaning. Unless something completely unexpected happens, you know that the Sixers will be picking right back near the top next year.
So while NBA mock drafts in August are way too early — Chad Ford literally titles his the “Way Too Early Mock Draft” — they do allow us to get a handle on the prospects expected to be in play early when the actual draft rolls around next June. Sure, there might be another Russell or Embiid that vaults up draft boards and into our hearts, but these are most of the players who will be worth watching when college hoops season starts up.
Since we already mentioned him, let’s start with Ford’s mock draft. Using the ESPN Summer Forecast as a guide, he projects the Sixers to be the worst team in the NBA next season (something that hasn’t happened the last two years, bee tee dubs). With the first overall selection, Ford has Hinkie taking 6’10” Ben Simmons, an Aussie who will play his college ball at LSU. He is a point forward type with advanced ball skills, but I have read that the jumper needs a little work:
The Sixers have two potentially dominant big men in Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel and possibly a third in Joel Embiid if he ever gets healthy -- but they still need plenty of help in the backcourt and on the wing. Simmons is really a positionless player. He's 6-10, 240, and plays like a point guard. The comparisons to a young LeBron James or Magic Johnson show how highly regarded he is by scouts. Simmons, as a versatile playmaker, could be a great fit in Philly. In fact, he has more upside and potential than any of the four lottery picks the Sixers have selected in the past three drafts. So tank away, Sixers. Maybe 2016 will be your year.
In what would be a dream scenario for the Sixers, ESPN Summer Forecast projects the Lakers to finish with the fourth-worst record. The top-three protection on their pick obviously wouldn’t cover that, so Ford has the Sixers selecting 6’5” point guard Jamal Murray. The Canadian, who played well for his home country in the recent Pan Am Games, is headed to play for John Calipari at Kentucky:
If the Sixers get this, then you can expect them to fill another major gap at point guard. Murray might not be the most explosive athlete, but he's big, poised beyond his years and shows a terrific balance between scoring and getting others involved. He's a big-time talent, and with the addition of Murray and Simmons to a core of Noel, Okafor and possibly Embiid, Dario Saric and Nik Stauskas, the Sixers could become a very dangerous team in a couple of years.
Over at Bleacher Report, Jonathan Wasserman is using last year’s order of finish to guide his early mock draft. That means the Sixers pick third overall, and Wasserman has them selecting 6’8” wing Brandon Ingram in that spot. A fluid athlete with a smooth game, he is slated to play at Duke for Coach K this upcoming season:
He'll need to put some meat on his bones, but Brandon Ingram's perimeter ball skills and overall fluidity are just too pretty. At 6'8" with a handle, shooting range and the ability to create and make shots off the dribble, Ingram's offensive game screams mismatch once his body eventually fills out.
As you can tell, the rich are continuing to get richer at the collegiate level. Cal and K are basically Scrooge McDuck at this point. One team that isn’t a perennial power who is receiving an influx of NBA-caliber talent is California. One of Cuonzo Martin’s impact recruits is 6’7” wing Jaylen Brown. Slotting by last year’s records, that also means the Lakers would hand over the fourth pick to the Sixers. In this case, Wasserman has Brown ticketed for Philly:
With textbook physical tools consisting of 6'7" size, a 222-pound frame and 7'0½" wingspan, Brown puts pressure on the defense in a variety of ways. He plays through contact attacking the rim and blows right by it in transition. And though not yet known as a shooter, Brown remains capable of knocking down threes and improving his accuracy over time. A strong defender who guards multiple positions, Brown projects as a two-way wing with Jimmy Butler-type potential.
Over at Draft Express, they don’t have a team-specific mock draft just yet. They are very well informed, though, and athletic 6’11” forward/center Skal Labissière tops their mock draft. He’s going to play at, wait for it, Kentucky. Here is part of what DX had to say about the Haitian big man’s performance at the recent Nike Hoop Summit:
Labissiere was much more than just a defensive presence, however. The 7-footer knocked down a couple of mid-range jumpers, finished several jump hooks in the lane, some with great range, and finished over length at the rim due to his excellent leaping ability. The bouncy big man also flashed his quick second jump on the offensive glass. Labissiere's physical tools, versatility on defense, and offensive skill-set him up for a monster season at Kentucky and should make it tough for whatever team ends up with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft to pass him up.
Labissière's jumper looks like it has a ton of potential to be pretty darn good. For now, that seems like a pretty good intro to the top of the draft. Come January, we’ll know a lot more about these guys. We’ll surely talk about them a lot more, as well.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
