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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
DJ Gallo

NBA draft 2016: Ben Simmons picked No1 by Philadelphia 76ers – as it happened

Ben Simmons greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the first overall pick
Ben Simmons greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the first overall pick. Photograph: Jerry Lai/USA Today Sports

So ends the 1st Round of the NBA Draft ... and the liveblog of the same.

The 2nd Round will be completed tonight, but you are on your own for that. Thanks for following along. Congratulations to the Sixers, Celtics and all the international players selected tonight. There were also probably a few picks who weren’t covered by one of those categories.

Draft night is almost over, but the NBA offseason is only getting started. Free agency begins in eight days. Kevin Durant! Kevin Durant! Kevin Durant! And also probably false rumors about how LeBron will spurn Cleveland and go to the Lakers. (Stop spreading those rumors, Lakers.)

Finally, the Sixers have actual basketball players now. You did it, Sam Hinkie. Philadelphia should bring you back to town and build you a statue. And then trade it for future statue picks.

No. 30 - Warriors, Damian Jones, C, Vanderbilt

The NBA Western Conference champs take a 7-footer. Could that mean they’re moving on from Bogut to open up cap room for Kevin Durant? I have no idea, but advancing baseless rumors is how the NBA offseason sausage is made.

No. 29 - Spurs, Dejounte Murray, PG, Washington

In a night full of international selections ... the Spurs, of all teams, go with an American-born players.

Murray shot 29% from three as a freshman. Gregg Popovich will glare through him if he shoots a single three before his shot improves.

Updated

In fairness, if you watched the NBA Finals, Curry didn’t do anything that a point guard is supposed to do.

Updated

No. 28 - Suns, Skal Labissiere, PF, Kentucky

Labissiere’s fall ends. The Haiti product is still another international player. His family was displaced by the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and now he’ll get paid millions. A very happy ending.

Note: This pick will go to the Kings in a trade.

Updated

All these players better sign their big money contracts fast in case the world economy implodes and they get offered $20/year by next week, huh?

No. 27 - Raptors, Pascal Siakam, PF, New Mexico State

Pascal Siakam is from Cameroon, and we have a new NBA record for international players taken in the 1st Round of the NBA Draft. This guarantees the U.S. will keep sending NBA players to the Olympics. If not, they’ll get crushed.

Updated

It’s not necessarily anything against Furkan Korkmaz. It’s just that Philadelphia fans have to boo everything to maintain their reputation.

No. 26 - Sixers select Furkan Korkmaz, SG, Turkey

The Sixers take a 19 year-old member of the Turkish national team with a nice shot. Korkmaz is a “draft-and-stash” player, meaning he won’t join the Sixers this year. Therefore, Sam Hinkie would approve of this pick.

Updated

It goes without saying that there have been a lot of great international players taken in NBA Drafts, but the Celtics most definitely don’t want to be mentioned in the company of Darko and Delfino.

No. 25 - Clippers select Brice Johnson, PF, North Carolina

The Clippers get a very good rebounder out of UNC. So in case DeAndre Jordan doesn’t want to grab every rebound, Johnson can get a few.

No. 24 - Sixers select Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, F, France

The Sixers add another athletic small forward to Ben Simmons. The new regime is stacking the rosters with 3s like Sam Hinkie stacked it with big men.

Maybe Allen Iverson can come out of retirement and play guard.

Chances are not a single one of these guys have ever seen Ante Zizic play, but they are OUTRAGED.

Two American icons.

No. 23 - Celtics select Ante Zizic, C, Croatia

More booing from Celtics fans. I’m pretty sure the Boston faithful think they just re-drafted Dino Radja.

This Celtics fan is not happy.

You should listen to this guy, Celtics. He clearly makes great decisions and would pick all the best players.

It seems the Bulls believe Jimmy Butler is Michael Jordan. And if they do, why were they trying to trade Michael Jordan?

No. 22 - Hornets select Malachi Richardson, SG, Syracuse

Note: Richardson will go to the Sacramento Kings are part of an earlier trade.

Let’s see if DeMarcus Cousins tweets out approval of this pick.

Malik Beasley is a very good shooter. But he can also do some damage close to the rim.

No. 21 - Hawks select DeAndre Bembry, SF, Saint Joseph’s

Bembry’s three-point percentage from his freshman to junior years went from 34% to 32% to 26%. Maybe the Hawks think threes are going out of style since the Warriors lost?

DeMarcus Cousins not loving Sacramento’s night so far.

Or maybe he’s trying to hype himself up to lift weights. Yeah, it’s the former.

No. 20 - Pacers select Caris LeVert, SG, Michigan

Note: This pick will go to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Thaddeus Young trade from earlier today. LeVert has been injured for much of his college career with foot injuries, but the Nets obviously think he is healthy now.

As for the Pacers, they now look very different with Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Paul George, Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner as their top five. The East may have a new favorite (to lose to the Cavs in the East Finals).

No. 19 - Nuggets select Malik Beasley, SG, Florida State

That’s Denver’s third addition in the first 19 spots of the night, with Beasley joining Jamal Murray and Juan Hernangomez. As a freshman guard, Beasley shot 51% from the floor. Not bad to get at No. 19.

Sounds like the Thunder will not be cursed by a Twitter famous rapper.

This high school is better than your high school.

No. 18 - Pistons select Henry Ellenson, PF, Marquette

Detroit gets another big man to pair with Andre Drummond. Ellenson played college ball in Milwaukee, so he’ll enjoy the warm Detroit winters.

That antagonist also probably went to Vanderbilt.

No. 17 - Grizzlies select Wade Baldwin IV, PG, Vanderbilt

The Grizzlies take a point guard, which makes sense since Mike Conley is a free agent. What makes even more sense is that Baldwin is healthy. The Grizzlies had maybe two of those players last year.

No. 16 - Celtics select Guerschon Yabusele, PF, France

Yabusele of France goes to Boston ... which is not at all like France. While many of these picks so far will need to put on weight, Yabusele is 6-9, 240 at 20 years of age. He also has a solid outside shot. The absolute upside for him is Draymond Green, but hopefully without the crotch violence.

We are now at the Boston portion of the evening. They have No. 16, No. 23, No. 31, No. 35 ... and then No. 45 and No. 51 and No. 58.

Is this good? The Celtics were a contender in the East last year. Do seven late 1st Round and 2nd Round picks help them get any closer to the Cavs?

Nope.

Reader Thomas Jenkins e-mails on Buddy Hield being “old” ...

Outside of the truly special talents, the draft’s basically a crapshoot. Everyone knows it, even if we’re not all willing to admit it. I therefore find it strange that more people don’t see the value in taking improving multi-year college players like Hield; you know what you’re getting. If you’re a GM picking outside of the sure/surer things, would you rather bet on four years of evidence and hope that all of that college work makes for a smooth transition to the NBA, as it did with Lillard, or would you rather go all-in on the one-and-done crapshoot along with all the other GMs and bet on what amounts to far more of a hunch? I’d rather go the former way if the talent level’s broadly the same, not least because relying on a 22 year-old to learn and be responsible is typically a better idea in any walk of life than is the case with a 19 year-old, and that’s no doubt many times more the case when you’re paying them millions.

No. 15 - Nuggets select Juan Hernangomez, PF, Spain

Hernangomez is a 6-9 power forward with solid skill. He’s not a European player who will stay overseas. He’ll be in uniform with Denver this year and forms a nice inside-outside rookie duo with No. 7 pick Jamal Murray.

If you have an awesome name like “Dragan,” how do you not include it in your signature?

With 14 picks in the books, the lottery portion of the draft is over. You will now hear draft analysts overuse the word “value.”

No. 14 - Bulls select Denzel Valentine, SF, Michigan State

On the day after the Bulls trade Derrick Rose, they take Denzel Valentine - a player who has some knee concerns. Perhaps they want to make sure their team physician keeps earning his pay.

Utah pick Taurean Prince might have some weak spots in his game, but he is the best quote in the draft:

I’m not sure if this would be considered high-level scouting, but it is still concerning.

No. 13 - Suns select Georgios Papagiannis, C, Greece

Another international player goes, the biggest player taken in the draft so far. Papagiannis is 7-foot-2 and he can shoot from the outside. That seems unfair and should be illegal.

Reminder: Papagiannis will be sent to the Kings in the Chriss deal.

No. 12 - Jazz select Taurean Prince, SF, Baylor

Interesting pick by Utah since Gordon Hayward is a small forward. But this pick is rumored to be going to Atlanta in a trade, so ... Taurean’s Utah Jazz hat will probably just become a weird souvenir.

Thunder trade Serge Ibaka to Magic for rights to Sabonis, Victor Oladipo and Ersan Ilyasova

So OKC has traded Ibaka while they are trying to re-sign Kevin Durant. That is ... bold?

Thunder management is obviously sold on Steven Adams. Now they better hope Durant and Westbrook (who is a free agent after this season) are, too.

Updated

No. 11 - Magic select Domantas Sabonis, PF, Gonzaga

Yes, that’s the son of Arvydas Sabonis, the hall of famer. He’s a big body like his dad. He doesn’t have the same skill, but can bang and get rebounds. At worst, he has to be better than Gonzaga legend Adam Morrison, right?

No. 10 - Bucks select Thon Maker, PF, Australia

Milwaukee takes Maker, who grew up in Australia after escaping war in Sudan as a child. Maker has absurd length, is quick and can shoot. And now he’s being added to a team that has Giannis Antetokounmpo. If Maker turns out as good as the Greek Freak? Yikes. The Bucks will practically playing a different sport.

Poeltl was the Pac-12 Player of the Year last season. Here is his highlight reel. Yes, he plays that old-timey big man style with his back to the basket. So peculiar!

No. 9 - Raptors select Jakob Poeltl, PF, Utah

The big man from Austria goes to The North. Poeltl might not become a superstar, but he has the skills to be a solid player who can contribute immediately to a playoff team.

“Shout out to JCPenney” will be the quote of the draft.

Kings trade Marquese Chriss to Phoenix Suns

Here are the trade details:

No. 8 - Kings select Marquese Chriss, PF, Washington

Congratulations to Chriss on getting drafted into the NBA! And condolences on getting thrown into whatever it is that’s going on in Sacramento.

Update: ESPN just reported that the Kings drafted Chriss in order to trade him to the Suns. The Sun will not give up Dragan Bender in the deal. Things are looking bright for the Suns! (Sorry.)

See? Everyone is trying rip-off deals. Don’t take it personally, Celtics!

No. 7 - Nuggets select Jamal Murray, G, Kentucky

The first Kentucky player of the night! After Buddy Hield of the Bahamas goes No. 6, Canada’s Murray goes No. 7. Three for the first seven picks were born outside the U.S.

Murray is a scorer and will team with Emmanuel Mudiay to form a young, solid duo in the backcourt.

If you’re not trying to rip-off a team in a trade, you’re not trying. Here’s a very angry Celtics owner.

No. 6 - Pelicans select Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma

Buddy Hield lit up college basketball last season as a senior at Oklahoma, the college game’s version of Golden State. The biggest knock against him is that he’s 22 years-old and turning 23 in December.

Really.

I know that sounds young for anyone under age 23, but if you think about it ... Kyrie Irving is 24 and is already a five-year NBA veteran.

Oh, Danny Ainge.

No. 5 - Timberwolves select Kris Dunn, PG, Providence

The Timberwolves get another point guard. It’s been a very bad 2016 for people named Rubio.

A very important Twitter feed to follow for those who are big fans of both the NBA and our feline friends.

Here are Bender’s highlights playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv this year. You can see where the Porzingis comparisons come from.

It almost feels wrong that he hasn’t been welcomed into the league by booing Knicks fans.

No. 4 - Suns select Dragan Bender, PF, Croatia

The Suns take Dragan Bender, a 7-foot-1 big man from Croatia liked by many scouts. Kristaps Porzingis is only 20, but he kind of paved the way for Bender with his good rookie year. There’s no reason Suns fans should be upset with this pick.

Jaylen Brown shot 29% from three and 65% from the free throw line in his one season at Cal. Barring massive improvement by Brown, Larry Bird will likely keep his status as the greatest shooter in Celtics history.

No. 3 - Celtics select Jaylen Brown, SF, Cal

Confirming the below, the Celtics surprise and take Jaylen Brown. At least for now. This still could be part of a trade. But as of now, Brad Stevens has another versatile, athletic player on the roster.

Updated

Huh? So much for the big trade.

Brandon Ingram is a very good 3-point shooter, especially for being only 18 years of age. It’s almost disappointing that Byron Scott, who hated 3s, isn’t still coaching the Lakers just to see what he’d do with Ingram.

It’s also somewhat disappointing that Ingram won’t play with Kobe. He’s good enough that Kobe would have passed to him.

In other Lakers news ...

No. 2 - Lakers select Brandon Ingram, SF, Duke

Everything has gone as expected so far. Ingram gets to play for the Lakers. The Kobe-less Lakers.

Ben Simmons’ father, David Simmons, played for Sixers head coach Brett Brown in Australia for the Melbourne Tigers. Brett Brown probably feels pretty old about now. Add that to how much the Sixers must have aged him in recent years and he’s a million years old.

No. 1 - Sixers select Ben Simmons, F, LSU

It’s official! Now Ben Simmons will be tasked with winning his team a championship, just like fellow Australian Matthew Dellavedova just did for the Cavaliers. (Maybe that’s slightly generous to Delly.)

Somewhere Sam Hinkie is crying.

If there’s a big drop-off at No. 3, giving up a lot to get the pick doesn’t make a ton of sense. But the Celtics appear to have built a market.

It would be interesting if the Sixers dealt Jahlil Okafor to Boston, the city where he honed his street-fighting skills last season.

A full 20% of the league doesn’t have a pick tonight.

Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Miami, Washington, Portland and the New York Knicks all enter the draft without any selections.

Cleveland, OKC and Miami have been in win-now mode, so it makes sense they’re short on picks. The Wizards, Blazers and Knicks? Whoops.

In addition to the Australia-born Ben Simmons, there is a big international flavor to the draft tonight -- as has been the case for most every modern draft.

Other players to look for in the 1st Round are:

  • French forward Timothe Luwawu
  • Spanish forward Juan Hernangomez
  • Turkish guard Furkan Korkmaz
  • Ivica Zubac, a center from Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Ante Zizic, a center from Croatia

Maybe the Spurs will try to draft them all.

We’ll be live-blogging the entire 1st Round. You’ll have to handle Round 2 on your own.

Here’s the entire order of Round 1. For now, at least, pre-trades.

First Round

1. Philadelphia 76ers

2. Los Angeles Lakers

3. Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets)

4. Phoenix Suns

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

6. New Orleans Pelicans

7. Denver Nuggets

8. Sacramento Kings

9. Toronto Raptors (via New York Knicks)

10. Milwaukee Bucks

11. Orlando Magic

12. Atlanta Hawks (via Utah Jazz)

13. Phoenix Suns (via Washington Wizards)

14. Chicago Bulls

15. Denver Nuggets (via Houston Rockets)

16. Boston Celtics (via Dallas Mavericks)

17. Memphis Grizzlies

18. Detroit Pistons

19. Denver Nuggets (via Portland Trail Blazers)

20. Brooklyn Nets (via Indiana Pacers)

21. Atlanta Hawks

22. Charlotte Hornets

23. Boston Celtics

24. Philadelphia 76ers (via Miami Heat/Cleveland Cavaliers)

25. Los Angeles Clippers

26. Philadelphia 76ers (via Oklahoma City Thunder/Nuggets/Cavaliers)

27. Toronto Raptors

28. Phoenix Suns (via Cavaliers/Celtics)

29. San Antonio Spurs

30. Golden State Warriors

I don’t know if that’s Ben Simmons’ grandfather, but I love how much he is annoyed by the cameras invading his table space.

There is a lot of talk about this draft being “weak” after Simmons at No. 1 and (presumably) Brandon Ingram at No. 2, but no one really knows. The NBA Draft is famously hit and miss and that’s what makes it fun. Well, fun for those of us who aren’t employed as NBA general managers.

This draft could be weak and full of NBA role players. Or it could be like 2011 when Klay Thompson went No. 11, Kawhi Leonard No. 15 and Jimmy Butler at No. 30. Who’s to say? Not me. If I knew, I’d be running an NBA team.

Here is Ben Simmons’ highlight reel.

He’s 6-foot-10, but can handle the ball and pass like a point guard. So, yeah, you can understand the draw there.

Simmons will immediately become the best player on the Sixers. The question might be who is on his team this season. Philly is looking to deal Jahlil Okafor, who underwhelmed as a rookie, and the one-dimensional Nerlens Noel for more early picks. We’ll see what happens. It’s all a Process(tm).

Welcome to The Guardian liveblog of the 2016 NBA Draft!

It’s a big night for the Sixers, who hold the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since taking Allen Iverson first in 1996. The Sixers will take LSU forward Ben Simmons, an Australia native, barring something massive happening to mess it all up in the final minutes. (A leaked gas mask photo might do it, but this isn’t the NFL.)

Philadelphia will lead the way at the top of the draft ... and much of the night. They also hold picks No. 24 and No. 26. But it’s the Celtics that have the most selections tonight: eight overall, starting with No. 3 overall.

Please feel free to participate in the liveblog via the e-mail above or by tweeting me at @DJGalloEtc. If your questions have high upside, they will be taken early in the night.

DJ will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s a report from AP on how the potential top two picks are feeling:

Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram say they haven’t been told who Philadelphia will take with the No. 1 pick, so all they can go on is what they’ve heard.

And Ingram was told not to do that.

“When I left the Sixers workout they told me not to listen to everybody, so I’m just listening to them and I don’t really read the reports that come out about anything else,” the Duke forward said.

The answer will come Thursday.

The freshmen are expected to be the top two selections in the NBA draft, and Simmons can’t wait to hear his name called.

“It’s surreal, but you know I’m looking forward to it,” the LSU forward said. “I feel like I’ve put in enough work to get to this point and I think everything else will take care of itself.”

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