Photo Credit: J Pat Carter/Getty Images
Tonight is the night that many NBA fans have been waiting for, the draft. This year’s draft has a lot of interesting storylines especially with rumors already swirling about who the number one overall pick will be. No matter how much speculation there is, there’s no doubt that teams will have some surprises up their sleeve.
The number one overall pick went to the Philadelphia 76ers and respectfully so. The team is coming off  one of their worst seasons ever and need a lot of help despite having some of the top picks in recent drafts. Sources have already pegged that Ben Simmons, forward out of LSU, will be joining the Sixers. Simmons moved from Australia to America in 2013 and only played one season with the Tigers, but at 6’10”, he’s exactly the player that the 76ers desperately need.
The second overall pick was awarded to the Los Angeles Lakers. With the end of the Kobe Bryant era, the team is now looking to cash in on young talent and get a fresh start with their new head coach, Luke Walton. Walton is coming off a winning season with the Golden State Warriors and will bring that mentality to a young Los Angeles team. Sources are saying that the Lakers are looking at drafting Brandon Ingram, a freshman forward out of Duke. Ingram is fresh off a year at Duke that included winning the ACC Rookie of the Year.
The next three picks aren’t as set in stone. Ingram and Simmons are definitely some of the bigger names, but who does that leave for the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and Minnesota Timberwolves? It has been speculated that the Celtics will try to trade the third overall pick and if they do, it could be an amazing payoff for them. If they don’t, they’re still poised to get a really great addition to a team that is starting to make some noise in the Eastern Conference once again. Some names that have been floating around for picks four and five are Providence’s Kris Dunn, Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, and Croatian Dragan Bender. The other 25 picks aren’t so concrete, so you’ll have definitely have to tune in to find out. The 2016 NBA Draft will air tonight on ESPN at 8:00 p.m EST.
The complete 2016 NBA Draft order: pic.twitter.com/HRmKUKcy1s
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) May 18, 2016
