Duke’s Brandon Ingram has supplanted LSU’s Ben Simmons as the projected No. 1 pick on the Draft Express Mock Draft for 2016 released Monday.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com wrote a piece for The Vertical detailing his explanation for the move, citing issues from his “lack of competitiveness” to questions about his defense, shooting and character.
“Ingram is 14 months younger than Simmons, has a longer wingspan by four inches and a standing reach six and a half inches higher. Ingram is a better shooter – which is perhaps the most important skill in today’s NBA – and has shown a much better trajectory throughout the college season,” Givony wrote. “The intel on Ingram as a teammate and competitor has been much stronger than Simmons’. Yes, Ingram has a much more frail frame now, but it’s easy to envision him filling out as he ages and matures.
“There is still plenty of time for Simmons to improve his approach to the game and reach his potential. Although he’s not the generational talent he’s been sold as by some, he’s a unique prospect who could emerge as an incredible asset to a team down the road if he’s willing to address his flaws.”
One NBA executive had this to say to SNY.tv on the matter: “If I had the No. 1 pick, Ingram would merit serious discussion. There is no third candidate. It’s Simmons or Ingram.” Simmons’ college career appears to be done, with The Vertical reporting he will sign with LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul. As SNY.tv reported, Simmons is in line for a $100 million sneaker deal. After the top 2 picks, the top 10 remained unchanged: No. 3 Jaylen Brown of Cal, No. 4 Dragan Bender of Maccabi Tel Aviv, No. 5 Kris Dunn of Providence, No. 6 Jakob Poeltl of Utah, No. 7 Murray, No. 8 Henry Ellenson of Marquette, No. 9 Buddy Hield of Oklahoma and No. 10 Labissiere. Five of the Top 10 projected picks are college freshmen. Kentucky sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis continued to move up and is now at No. 26 after spending much of the season in the second round. Ulis this week was named the SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. “For small guys, I think it translates even better in the NBA than college just because the floor’s more open,” Isaiah Thomas, the 5-9 guard from the Boston Celtics, recently told SNY.tv. “It gives you more space to create and if he could driblbe-drive and shoot the ball, l think he’s going to have a spot in this league.” Kentucky now has three players listed in the first round in No. 7 Jamal Murray, No. 10 Skal Labissiere and No. 26 Ulis. Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter And like ZAGS on Facebook