Here is CBS Sports Analyst Doug Gottlieb's "Big Board" ranking of top prospects for the 2016 NBA Draft.
1. Ben Simmons | SF | LSU
Pro potential: Starter/future All-Star
It isn't as close as some may lead you to believe. No, he didn't display his jumper in college and yes, there are some question marks in terms of leadership and if he can be an alpha with the men of the NBA when he has not been beloved by some at LSU and with the older Aussies. But the game is kind of easy to him. He has very good vision, can pass with either hand and though a lefty, he finishes almost solely with his right hand. He can post up, is a tenacious rebounder, is a very good athlete both laterally and straight line and he is tough. His game is a lot more Lamar Odom than Lebron at this point, but he does have some LeBron and Magic to how he does what he does.
2. Kris Dunn | PG | Providence
Pro potential: Starter/potential All-Star
Freak athlete, long limbed and tough, Dunn is not a shooter, but has improved his shooting substantially since recovering from multiple shoulder injuries. Super competitive at both ends and on the boards as a guard. Snaps every pass and has a crispness to his chest passes for jump shots that few young guards show. Can score in the post on smaller defenders. A John Wall type of blur in transition. Has never made it through an entire season without missing a game (shoulder injuries,flu,ankles). Can be an erratic shooter and he will be dared to shoot.
3. Brandon Ingram | SF | Duke
Pro potential: Future starter/potential All-Star
To say "It isn't that close," might mean to some that I don't like Ingram. That is just not true. Ingram is very young and very skilled for being tall and very young. What he is not to this point, is Kevin Durant. Durant was 20 lbs heavier and a much better rebounder at this juncture. Ingram is also a cunning off ball defender reading the next pass, but a below average on ball or post defender, and while he did switch ball screens at Duke, he isn't laterally athletic enough at this point, to do it in the pros. His upside will be directly proportioned to his gaining strength, work on his agility and overall maturation as he is very young. Well worth the risk, but he is a 2 on offense and a man without a home on defense, who exploded in college being guarded by 4s and 5s.
4. Dragan Bender | PF | Israel
Pro potential: Future starter
Huge, athletic and skilled for his size, Bender isn't Kristaps Porzingis, but he also is not Nikoloz Tskitishvili. Bender is a good face up 3-point shooter and the team that drafts him will have to determine whether to use him at the 4 or the 5. Bender is not strong at this stage in his development, but is tougher than some others by comparison. I like his fluidity and rim protecting skills better than Henry Ellenson (more of a 4 man) or Jakob Poeltl. Very young, very skilled and has some toughness about him, worth the risk, and his skill should continue to develop.
5. Henry Ellenson | PF-C | Marquette
Pro potential: Starter/potential All-Star
At close to 7-feet, Ellenson's game is in the mold of Dirk Nowitzki as a stretch 4 . He should eventually be a very skilled deep face up threat as his 3-point shooting numbers weren't as impressive as his shot is in person. Lateral quickness is going to be an issue as is his tenacity at times on the boards, but he can shoot, dribble and pass.
6. Jakob Poeltl | PF | Utah
Pro potential: Starter/rotation player
A 7-foot-1 modern starting center who got significantly better the past two seasons under Larry Krystkowiak, a former NBA head coach. Poeltl has good feet and hands, is tough and can shoot. While he may not be a center, he is long enough to protect the rim. Unlike some rim protectors, Poeltl can score and defend the post. His face up game is improved, though far from a go-to part of his arsenal and he will likely shoot 15-foot jumpers on short rolls to start. Big, strong, agile, no injury red flags and tough, Poeltl should be a starting NBA center.
7. Jamal Murray | SG | Kentucky
Pro potential: Starter
NBA basketball is becoming more and more about skill over athletic ability and that is good news for Murray. Murray is a tremendous basketball player, although his insistence that he is a point guard at the NBA level seems to scream that he may not know who he is. Murray has a high basketball IQ and became a remarkably efficient player during the second half of the season. He reads screens off the ball exceptionally well and has a quick release with very good range for catch and shoot jumpers. Off the dribble he is sound, yet not spectacular. Murray is a guard, but not a point guard by my estimation and while position-less basketball is en vogue, his Brandon Roy type game needs some help getting his own shot. One pause over Murray's game is this: he kind of had a bad body for a freshman. Murray wore long sleeves this year and up close he didn't have a "bad body" but it definitely wasn't shredded, what his body becomes as he rounds into his twenties might well decide his level of success in the NBA.
8. Jaylen Brown | SG | Cal
Pro potential: Future starter
Phenomenal talent athletically. Good body and could play as an undersized 4 in a small lineup as he did in college. Has a bionic leg and will jump over or through you at the hoop. Can make shots in stretches and shot isn't busted though percentage is low, took a lot of questionable shots. Teams dared him to shoot late in the season. Biggest concern is that Brown is too smart. From having other interests and many of them having nothing to do with basketball, to lacking the ability to get along with teammates who just want to play ball. Brown isn't an easy sale to some. Will he work? Sure, but does he love that game? TBD.
9. Buddy Hield | SG | Oklahoma
Pro potential: Rotation player/starter
As good and consistent a shooter as the college game can produce. Hield should work toward becoming what JJ Redick has grown into with the Clippers. Hield has an infectious personality which will only help in an NBA locker room. He is fearless in terms of when and where he will shoot the basketball. He is a subpar ball handler, an average defender and he is not a ball screen guard in any way shape or form. Hield is a tireless worker who will no doubt continue to stretch his range and improve some of the ball handling issues. However, his passing and decision making can be remedial and that can forever hinder his upside. His floor? An off the bench rotation sniper who has gravity. His ceiling? A guard in perpetual motion who takes a man and a half to cover.
10. Domantas Sabonis | PF | Gonzaga
Pro potential: Rotation player
Super agile 4/5 who is tough, smart and competitive. A very solid rebounder with excellent footwork, use of his strong base/core. While he is not a high flyer, he uses angles and the basket well to not get his shot blocked by better, leaner athletes. It doesn't hurt that his dad had great instincts and you can see some in his game. Downside is that he isn't more than a 15-foot shooter right now and has to score with angles as he isn't bouncy.
11. Deandre' Bembry | SF | Saint Joseph's
Pro potential: Rotation player
Bembry is an all-around basketball player. He is a little smaller than you might like at under 6'5" in socks, he isn't as good of a shooter, nor a great defender. However, he is a tremendous basketball player with an old school, well-rounded game. Bembry can post up and is an adept passer from the point, the wing and the post. Assuming his jumper improves, as it is not fundamentally flawed beyond repair, he should be a valuable Shaun Livingston-type pro for a long time.
12. Marquese Chriss | PF | Washington
Pro potential: Starter
Combo forward who has bounce to protect the rim, length for ball screen coverage and a nice face up game to boot. Absolute freak athlete who shows the ability to stretch the floor to the NBA-range 3-point line. Chriss is a non rebounder on the defensive boards, foul prone (fouled out of nearly half of UWs games) and doesn't have a great basketball database as a player as a late bloomer, which causes him to be a robotic passer. There is no doubt he's very talented and he can really move, shoot and finish at the rim. However, Chriss is still very much a work in progress who may have a super high upside, but when the game gets physical on the boards, he will have to learn to get competitive and physical.
13. Deyonta Davis | PF | Michigan State
Pro potential: Starter
Active rebounder who will be a solid traditional power forward with good shooting range in a couple of years. Davis runs hard in transition and attacks the glass. My main concern is that he never developed into a go-to guy as his senior heavy team didn't need him to win for most of the season. So is he not an alpha? Or just not capable yet. Hard to tell as MSU went more with their veterans at key spots in key games. Davis can shoot and will keep improving as all the skills are there to be refined.
14. Timothe Luwawu | SG | France
Pro potential: Rotation player
French wing who isn't a pure 2 nor is he a post up 3 man. Athletic and he can shoot when open, his lack of natural ball handling skills and feel for shot selection are apparent. But, he should be able to guard at least a few positions, and has steadily improved his stand still jumper. Boding well for Luwawu is that while skill is rising in value, athleticism and length have been established as important traits for years.
15. Juan Hernangomez | PF | Spain
Pro potential: Rotation player/starter
Face up 4 man who can shoot the ball consistently from deep range. Played at a very high level in Spain and held his own, especially for his age. He runs well, cuts well and shoots the ball well. Although he only shot mid-low 30s from 3-point range in ACB, keep in mind that the international 3 is deeper than the college 3. Seems to have toughness and a good motor as he will find offensive rebounds coming in from the 3-point line, more so than pushing and shoving to get one.
16. Brice Johnson | PF | North Carolina
Pro potential: Rotation player
Steadily improving athletic 4 man who has some decent post moves and can face up and shoot up to 17-feet as well. Johnson is not truly comfortable defending on the perimeter, but his length and strength make up for it some. Every year he has added to his game, which seems like a good sign for the future. He should be a solid back up who can play both post positions, mainly power forward moving forward. Not likely to develop into a perimeter post up threat and at times has some awkwardness to his movement out on the floor, but his length, shot blocking and bouncy gate are strengths.
17. Stephen Zimmerman Jr | C | UNLV
Pro potential: Rotation player/starter
Has an elbow injury from childhood that may ultimately limit his upside, but a 7-foot face up 4/5 with untapped potential seems to be a steal in the mid to late first round of this draft. He isn't that far from Raef LaFrentz comparison after both of their freshman years in college, and Zimmerman should grow up some being out of Vegas.
18. Denzel Valentine | SG | Michigan State
Pro potential: Rotation player
Not performing well in workouts is as expected, not because Valentine isn't a very good prospect, but because workouts don't show what he does for a team. Below average athlete and maybe not great at any one thing, he is a Swiss Army Knife with his fearlessness, passing ability and shot-making capabilities. He is a good basketball player, even if he doesn't wow you in layup lines.
19. Wade Baldwin | PG | Vanderbilt
Pro potential: Backup point guard/starter
If you could create a point guard from scratch, in terms of a blueprint, this is your prototype. Long arms, big hands, very bright, hard working basketball player. He has the potential to be a starting NBA point guard. However, he is much more of a downhill player who struggles both containing and penetrating by elite quickness. Baldwin is a good shooter, not a great one and he does not as of yet, deal with great quickness very well. Baldwin is a good passer, not elite. A decent shooter, not elite. An average ball handler, not elite. But his measurements and personality are all elite and there is a high ceiling if he can improve.
20. Gary Payton II | PG | Oregon State
Pro potential: Backup point guard
He's 23 years old, leaving many to believe he is what he is. The problem with that assessment is his improvement has been leaps and bounds during his two seasons at Oregon State. Payton is a dynamic on and off ball defender, a tremendous shot maker and finisher at the rim, and he rebounds with the spring and energy of Russell Westbrook. He is below average shooter and his passing and ball handling are loose. Payton competes, but will he truly work? That is what NBA teams are trying to figure out as the raw tools are there to be a starting point guard, and his talent/competitveness appears in 50% of his games, but sticking in the NBA demands greater consistency. A potential starter who should make an excellent back-up, keeping in mind this could go either way. It isn't crazy to see Payton as a lifer in the league as an Avery Bradley meets Tony Allen type. The flip side is he could not buy into a backup role which would force him out of the league.
21. Caris LeVert | SG | Michigan
Pro potential: Rotation player
Skilled shooter who was a lottery pick heading into his injury plagued season. LeVert's body hasn't developed even while rehabbing to a point where strength may be a long term issue. On the other hand he can play two positions, will space the floor, provides length on defense and was seen as a lottery pick before the season. LeVert may be a little soft and there are injury concerns, but he has value even though Michigan's program has produced well-regarded draft picks that haven't panned out under John Beilein.
22. Taurean Prince | SF | Baylor
Pro potential: Rotation player/starter
Big and long, Prince can shoot and handle as well as defend a couple of positions. A 3 and D type of game that will fit on many rosters.
23. Malachi Richardson | SG | Syracuse
Pro potential: Rotation player
Super long-armed offensive minded talent who is still very much developing his game. Not a great athlete, and he is a shot nut, but when he gets it going like he did in the NCAA Tournament, he has an unstoppable quality to him.
24. Demetrius Jackson | PG | Notre Dame
Pro potential: Backup combo guard/rotation player
Explosive athlete who can change the tempo of the game at either end. Jackson has a football body, turns the corner on ball screens like (Celtics) Isaiah Thomas did in college and needs only a more consistent jumper and a little better decision making to be a starting point guard. I think he is a backup initially, who is tough enough to guard bigger guards (strong enough as well), and could possibly become a starter on a non-playoff team in a couple of years. Listed at 6'2" but is really 6'1" (measured 6' in socks, 6 1.75 in shoes? Did he have lifts in?), but in a guard centric offense he is probably better off the ball. Should be able to defend 94-feet as a backup as well. He's a winner, competitor, and is willing to take and make the big play. He's a below average passer off penetration, not creative, but not a turnover machine. However, he's so much of a freak athlete that he makes up for it often.
25. AJ Hammons | C | Purdue
Pro potential: Backup post player, rotation player
Hammons is nearly 24-years-old, and is a 7-footer weighing nearly 280 pounds. He is a low post bucket getter. Hammons has bad body language at times and has made a reputation for himself as a tease in terms of talent, but lacking consistency. However, he started to figure is out this season and while the league has gone small, there is always a place for the few giants with good hands who can score at the block, and that is AJ.
26. Skal Labissiere | PF | Kentucky
Pro potential: Rotation player
Has some talent as a face up big man who didn't play enough competitive basketball before playing at Kentucky. Yet, he struggles to remember plays, isn't nearly close to being strong enough to play in an NBA game and he needs game reps in order to get better feel for when to do what. With his size and dexterity he is worth drafting and working with, but I think top 20 is reaching based on how far behind he is in comparison to some other prospects.
27. Cheick Diallo | C | Kansas
Pro potential: Rotation player
He is not that big or strong yet, but he plays very hard and if allowed to develop, he should become what Bismack Biyombo was in the playoffs this year. Diallo was truly lost in the college game as he missed too much time and was just unable to get up to speed. But in two years, likely with a lot of D-League time, he will help someone's rotation as a rim protector/runner who can bring energy to the floor.
28. Dejounte Murray | PG | Washington
Pro potential: Developmental prospect
A two-guard who NBA people are imagining as a point guard. Very athletic and offensive minded. In positionless basketball, he is a good prospect to develop as a scoring guard who can bring the ball up and likes to pass. Though turnover prone, keep in mind, he was very young on a fairly young team that played too fast and he did as well. Comparable to Russell Westbrook in the sense that both didn't play the point as freshmen and were turnover prone.
29. Patrick McCaw | SG | UNLV
Pro potential: Developmental prospect
Positionless guard who should be an excellent defender/athlete. His upside will directly correlate to his ability to make shots constantly. Excellent in transition, competitive player who wants the ball in key situations and as NBA starter or rotation player as a ceiling.
30. Joel Bolomboy | PF | Weber State
Pro potential: Rotation player
Andre Roberson 2.0. Fantastic rebounder, competitor, long athletic defender who shows the ability at this point to be a fair enough shooter to be a 3 and D player early in his career and if his jumper continues to develop he will stick for a long time.
Why these players weren't in the top 30:
Thon Maker | C | Australia
Bad hands, no strength, total project, very possibly not an NBA player. Maker is very engaging socially and looks the part in layup lines, but it is hard to improve your hands, hand-eye and strength at the same time.
Diamond Stone | C | Maryland
Small hands, poor defender on the perimeter and kind of in between a center and a power forward. A good 2nd round pick to develop if he works on extending his range and improving his post game.
Malcolm Brogdon | SG | Virginia
Non-athlete, good solid player who will get a look, but no elite qualities, just does everything pretty well.
Ben Bentil | PF | Providence
Undersized 4/5, will be picked, all depends on system as he feasted on college centers as a face up big man.
Chinanu Onuaku | C | Louisville
Heart issue discovered at combine.
Second round guys that will stick:
Jake Layman | SF | Maryland
Elegant looking shooter, skilled at the 3 and the 4 in a small lineup. Has a reputation of not being the toughest kid in the world, will be tested, but should be up to the challenge. Layman is a low maintenance ball player who can be a 3-and-defense type spot up shooter.
Kyle Wiltjer | PF | Gonzaga
Sure he wasn't cut up or shredded at the combine and no, he doesn't guard anyone. But Wiltjer can really shoot the ball and stretch a defense. Think Steve Novak.
Tyler Ulis | PG | Kentucky
Great leader, competitor. But he is a back-up point guard in the NBA. While people will make a big deal about his lack of size, which is an issue, his shooting is also so-so and so is his passing ability in comparison to elite level shooters or passers at the point in the NBA. Ulis will help your culture and pick up 94-feet from the basket, but you can't play a switched defense with him and his best asset are his intangibles, not his tangibles.
Damian Jones | PF | Vanderbilt
Jones is pretty athletic laterally for a man his size, but there is nothing that he is great at doing. Solid NBA back-up.
Michael Gbinije | SG | Syracuse
24-year-old scoring lead guard. With the right team, he will make the league as a third point guard.
Ron Baker | PG | Wichita State
If he makes shots in the summer, teams like his strength, versatility and that he is a winner.
Tyrone Wallace | PG | Cal
An injury-prone first round potential pick, Wallace is a jumper away from being a lottery pick. My guess is he is taken in the second round and sticks. He can guard the 1/2/3 and has a Michael Carter Williams feel to him.
