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5 Predictions For NBA Draft Night

By Ryan Blackburn

Feb 20, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) dribbles the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) dribbles the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Thursday is the big day. The NBA Draft is upon us, and only two picks are set in stone. What is in store for the rest of the night’s proceedings?

Feb 20, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) dribbles the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) dribbles the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

In recent years, the draft has been reasonably easy to figure out.

In 2014, Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid were the consensus top three picks, followed by a second tier of players who were designated to be selected in a certain order.

In 2015, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor were a part of the top four prospects, but Kristaps Porzingis surprisingly joined him rather than Emmanuel Mudiay, who fell the Denver Nuggets at No. 7.

In 2016 though, only two prospects are seen as locks: Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram. Simmons is possibly the most talented prospect to be drafted since Anthony Davis in 2012, while Ingram is receiving Kevin Durant comparisons for very good reason.

Related Story: NBA Draft: Best Player Ever Selected in all 60 Spots

After them, utter chaos.

Trying to figure out what will happen during the rest of the draft has proven to be difficult, even for the experts.

Yeah, that’s a lot of picks. It looks daunting, but the majority of those teams are simply making calls and seeing what the value of their picks are worth.

It was originally thought that rookie contracts would be more valuable because of the meteoric rise of the salary cap, but most teams want to use the rise as an opportunity to add veterans.

Many of the teams, including the group selecting 3rd-8th overall, want to reach the playoffs quickly.

Related Story: NBA Draft Primer: Atlantic Division

The draft is definitely a buyer’s market, but that doesn’t mean the picks can’t be sold. There will be trades, and likely a fair few. I’m here to give my predictions on what some of those deals might be.

So sit down and buckle up. There’s about to be a ton of conjecture.

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