2016 NBA Mock Draft: 5th Edition

Here is my fifth edition of my 2016 NBA Mock Draft.

1. Philadelphia 76ers- Ben Simmons, Power Forward, LSU: With their hodge podge of big men and Simmons with star potential with his ball handling and passing, he’s an obvious choice even as some executives favor Ingram for his shooting. Simmons isn’t a good shooter.

2. Los Angeles Lakers- Brandon Ingram, Small Forward, Duke: The Lakers needed a little bit of luck, and got it here. Not only were they able to keep the selection (it was top-three protected) and end up with the No. 2 pick in a two-player draft, but they're also in line to grab a guy whose skills perfectly complement the other pieces they already have. LA is still a long way away from competing for titles, but Ingram and D'Angelo Russell are good pieces to build around.

3. Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets)- Jamal Murray, Point Guard/Shooting Guard, Kentucky: Look, the Celtics don't need Murray. I think that Danny Ainge finds a way to move this pick before it's selected. The Celtics just have too many assets, and if they really want to move it they should have no problem getting the right compensation for the pick. I've gone with Murray here, as I think he'd be the most likely candidate someone would trade up to acquire.

4. Phoenix Suns- Dragan Bender, Power Forward/Center, Croatia: The Suns will likely get to pick up a stretch-four here to help their floor spacing. Bender is the top guy on my board, and the clear selection for them. Marquese Chriss will also be in play though, and his upside may prove too much for the Suns to pass on. The team should also consider Jaylen Brown as an athletic wing next to Devin Booker.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves- Kris Dunn, Point Guard, Providence: With Tom Thibodeau in town, it's relatively easy to see why he would like a player like Kris Dunn. Dunn is about as good a defensive player as you'll find, plus is quite good offensively with great vision and athleticism. Yeah, he does overlap a bit with Ricky Rubio. But you need more than two guards in the rotation, and right now there's just not another trustworthy guy on the roster. Also, the Wolves could theoretically look to extract value for an excellent piece in Rubio.

6. New Orleans Pelicans- Buddy Hield, Shooting Guard, Oklahoma: Eric Gordon is a free agent, however little he played, anyway, and they could use space shooting to open the floor for Anthony Davis. He’s one of the biggest names in college ball, and they can use the star attention.

7. Denver Nuggets (via New York Knicks)- Jaylen Brown, Small Forward, California: Brown has the skill to go as high as No. 3, but an attitude that could cause him to fall well beyond this No. 7 spot in the draft. Still, if Brown can put together his immense gifts, he could team with Emmanuel Mudiay on one of the most exciting young rosters in the league.

8. Sacramento Kings- Marquese Chriss, Power Forward, Washington: Chriss is a fast riser and he would be an interesting fit with Sacramento. It would be interesting to see if they would start him ohave him come off the bench.

9. Toronto Raptors (via Denver Nuggets)- Jakob Poeltl, Power Forward/Center, Utah: The Raptors will likely lose Bismack Biyombo to free agency this offseason, meaning Poeltl makes sense as a backup to start with for Jonas Valanciunas. They would probably like to take a stretch-four or potentially a wing in order to brace for if DeMar DeRozan leaves, but Poeltl is the best player remaining on the board and definitely fills a spot of need as the Raptors look to likely rebound next year back into the conference finals.

10. Milwaukee Bucks- Deyonta Davis, Power Forward, Michigan State: The Bucks tend to like long athletic players with a high upside, and Davis fits that billing. The 6-10 big man is a good defensive player already due to his ability to move his feet and protect the rim, plus he has potential shooting the ball out to around 15 to 18 feet at some point in his career. Davis still has a way's to go, but at the very least he'd give their frontcourt a bit of a different look, especially if they're seriously going to try the Point Giannis experiment.

11. Orlando Magic- Skal Labissiere, Power Forward/Center, Kentucky: Despite Labissiere's disappointing freshman season at Kentucky, his two skill sets – shot blocking and perimeter shooting – would be a nice fit next to Nikola Vucevic, even if he might be a bit risky.

12. Utah Jazz- Wade Baldwin, Point Guard, Vanderbilt: Baldwin's size, defensive versatility, and improvement as a catch-and-shoot player gives him the positional versatility that could make him an interesting fit in Utah’s backcourt rotation.

13. Phoenix Suns (via Washington Wizards)- Furkan Korkmaz, Shooting Guard, Turkey: Korkmaz is a pretty highly skilled player that is also one of the youngest players in the draft. He's a good athlete that particularly can get up and throw down, but isn't the best in terms of creating offense for himself at this stage due to a rudimentary dribble. Still, he'd be big enough to pair with Devin Booker on the wing, and would really continue to combine with Bender to provide floor-spacing for their guards. This is a really interesting call here, as none of the players in this area of the draft fully fit the Suns.

14. Chicago Bulls- Henry Ellenson, Power Forward/Center, Marquette: Coach Fred Holberg has always had a terrific, playmaking big man on his Iowa State teams. First, it was Royce White. Then, it was Georges Niang. Now, the Bulls can take Ellenson and see if he can recreate some of the magic with his superb basketball sense, potential to shoot the basketball, and solid passing ability out of both the low and high posts

15. Denver Nuggets (via Houston Rockets)- Timothe Luwawu, Shooting Guard, France: The Nuggets seem like the perfect fit for Luwawu. The team needs length on the wing badly, and he can provide that in spades to pair with solid athleticism. The key will be whether or not he can develop as a shooter. If he can do that, he has potential to really be an elite role player in his NBA future.

16. Boston Celtics (via Dallas Mavericks)- Domantas Sabonis, Power Forward/Center, Gonzaga: The Celtics here select Sabonis, who is the kind of smart forward that Brad Stevens has had success with thus far in his career. The 6-10 son of Hall of Famer Arvydas, Domantas is a terrific talent who can really rebound the heck out of the ball, has terrific touch around the rim, and plays with fire seen by few in the NBA.

17. Memphis Grizzlies- Demeatrius Jackson, Point Guard, Notre Dame: Memphis needs depth at point guard even if Mike Conley re-signs. Jackson has speed to play in the open court, leaping ability to play above the rim and a quick first step to create an opening. The physical advantages are especially important because he does have great size. He gives Notre Dame the chance to send a point guard into the first round for the second year in a row (after Jerian Grant went 19th last June).

18. Detroit Pistons- Denzel Valentine, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Michigan State: Valentine could experience a bit of a fall on draft day. But it would still be a surprise if the Pistons -- who could use a player off the bench to score, distribute and make plays offensively -- passed on the kid from right up the road at Michigan State. He was just so tremendous this season that he'd fit perfectly.

19. Denver Nuggets (via Portland Trail Blazers)- Brice Johnson, Power Forward, North Carolina: Sure, Jaylen Brown and Timothe Luwawu are fun, long-term upside guys, but at some point, you need some adults in the locker room to balance out all the youth. After four years at North Carolina, Johnson is definitely an adult, and a guy who will do all the little things (defend, rebound and score when needed) to help the team win.

20. Indiana Pacers- Tyler Ulis, Point Guard, Kentucky: They sure need a point guard. You don’t get great ones this far down in the draft, though the pros agree he’s the best pure point guard in the draft. But the 5-10 measurement is with shoes. With lifts? His height scares teams away, but it did with Isaiah Thomas, too.

21. Atlanta Hawks- Damian Jones, Power Forward/Center, Vanderbilt: The Hawks could really use a solid center just in case Al Horford leaves in the offseason. Jones represents a bit of an upside pick despite his age, as the 7-footer can really move for his size. Scouts around the league do not believe he was utilized in the best possible manner at Vanderbilt, and that he could easily turn into a solid player in the NBA.

22. Charlotte Hornets- Malik Beasley, Shooting Guard, Florida State: With Courtney Lee and Nic Batum potentially gone on the wing, and Al Jefferson also hitting free agency, Charlotte sure does have a lot of needs for a team which nearly made the second round of the playoffs. In the paint, the Hornets should be able to address those needs internally (hey, Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky), but on the wing it's another story altogether. Because of that, Beasley could be a great fit in Charlotte, after averaging 15 points in his sole season in Tallahassee.

23. Boston Celtics- Taurean Prince, Small Forward, Baylor: It only makes sense that the Celtics actually use their third first-round pick in the one place that's actually a position of need: the wing. Prince should be their guy, after averaging 16 points last year at Baylor, and showing the necessary size (6-8, 220) and skill set (36 percent shooting beyond the arc) to be a starter in this league for years to come.

24. Philadelphia 76ers (from Miami Heat via Cleveland Cavaliers)- Dejounte Murray, Point Guard, Washington: Do I think there's any situation on planet Earth where I would select Murray over Kentucky point guard Tyler Ulis? No, I don't. But it's a pretty distinct possibility in the draft where Murray is seen as a solid potential guard who can really score it and pass well. However, he's still inefficient, can't shoot, can't finish around the rim, and makes poor decisions. There would be upside, but he has a ways to go to reach it.

25. Los Angeles Clippers- DeAndre' Bembry, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Saint Joseph's: Bembry would be the kind of wing that would really help a team that's contending early in his career. He's tough, he's smart, he competes, and he plays well within an offensive scheme. He needs to do a lot still in terms of proving himself as a shooter, but Bembry could easily become an excellent fit in between J.J. Redick and Blake Griffin if the team decides to not make any moves this offseason in terms of its core.

26. Philadelphia 76ers (from Oklahoma City Thunder via Cleveland Cavaliers/Denver Nuggets)- Cheick Diallo, Center, Kansas: It would seem the Sixers are going to trade at least one of Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel. Regardless, Diallo makes sense to draft here, as the center is a high-upside player as a rim-runner in transition, offensive rebounder, and potentially highly versatile defender due to his athleticism. He'd be a nice option to pair with Ben Simmons in the frontcourt.

27. Toronto Raptors- Diamond Stone, Power Forward/Center, Maryland: Again, size and athleticism are the Raptors' need and calling card, respectively, and Stone has both in spades. While he didn't have the season many expected at Maryland, the Raptors have the team and infrastructure in place to let Stone take his time, and hopefully develop into the player he's capable of becoming.

28. Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland Cavaliers via Boston Celtics)- Thon Maker, Center, Austrailia: I don't know that I'd take Maker in the first round, but I do think that's where he ends up in this draft. The 7-footer who has tremendous skills but also quite a few questions settles to Phoenix here, a situation that could use something of a stretch-four or five. Yeah, this would be a lot of projects and youth in a single draft for Phoenix, But there's a lot of upside too if they can make everything work.

29. San Antonio Spurs- Ivica Zubac, Center, Croatia: Zubac is a 7-foot-1 big man that many believe could have terrific potential in the pick-and-roll offensively and as a traditional paint defender defensively. He may or may not come over immediately.

30. Golden State Warriors- Juan Hernangomez, Power Forward, Spain: The Warriors get a bit richer here as they pick up the ACB league's young player of the year in Hernangomez. With the team set to lose Marreese Speights in the offseason, they could stand to pick up a shooting forward who can stretch the floor and play smart on the glass.