NBA: 5 Teams That Desperately Need The No. 1 Pick

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Jan 16, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) drives against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first half of a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Each year in the NBA Draft, teams hope for the No. 1 pick in order to select a franchise-changing player. Who desperately needs the selection this year?

This year’s No. 1 pick is pretty set in stone barring any terrible injury or monumental collapse. Ben Simmons of LSU has been at the top of ESPN Chad Ford’s Big Board since the collegiate season began.

Simmons has drawn comparisons to the next LeBron James, and although that is an unfair correlation to put on a 19-year-old, his physical measurement and abilities are quite similar. At 6’10” and 240 pounds, Simmons is always one of the biggest players on the floor, but what separates him from every other player his size is his ability to handle the ball and create scoring opportunities for others.

The LSU Tigers depend on Simmons to facilitate the offense as the point-forward, which is the same type of role James plays on the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s very rare to see Simmons ever settle for a three-pointer and in fact, he has only attempted three (making one of them) through 17 games. You can’t blame him for it. While he doesn’t have the greatest stroke from outside, his overwhelming size is almost impossible for any collegiate player to handle.

Simmons averages look like this: 20.0 PPG, 12.9 RPG and 5.1 APG, with a 34.9 Player Efficiency Rating.

There is no question to whether or not NBA commissioner Adam Silver will be saying his name on Jun. 23 when the No. 1 pick is announced. Any team in the league would love to get their hands on Simmons, but the lottery process is set up to help struggling teams improve.

Let’s look at five teams that desperately need the ping pong balls bounce their way to the No. 1 selection of this year’s draft.

Note: Teams such as Brooklyn and New York will not be on this list since they do not have a first-round pick in the upcoming draft.