NBA Mock Draft 2016: The Boston Celtics Hold Control At No. 3

1. Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons

*Adam Silver voice*

“With the 1st pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select…Ben Simmons of Louisiana State University!”

Every year as we near the draft it seems we hear analysts suddenly wavering in who they see as the top pick.

“Could it be Jabari Parker over Andrew Wiggins?” No.

“Jahlil Okafor before Karl-Anthony Towns?” Absolutely Not.

“Brandon Ingram ahead of Ben Simmons?” Still no.

The Philadelphia 76ers are in need of something they’ve lacked since the days of Allen Iverson, superstar-quality talent. Say what you will about the current abilities of Jahlil Okafor and his potential upside, he isn’t the kind of player who is going to put fans in your seats or trophies in your cases.

The biggest argument for taking Brandon Ingram at this spot is the Sixers desperately lacking any offensive firepower. Well here’s a heart breaking fact about the Sixers, they’re desperately lacking everything; the only statistics they finished top-10 in the league in this season was Steals (3rd) and Blocks (10th) which is an obvious product of their length and athleticism.

Bringing in a guy like Ben Simmons to facilitate the offense will definitely help a team that ranked 20th in assists and dead-last in total offense. He is the type of athlete who can play the 3 consistently due to his athleticism, and also slot in at the 4 due to his size.

Simmons is the most exciting prospect the league has seen in years because he’s just so unlike anyone else. His combination of size, athleticism, ball-handling, passing, rebounding, and potential make him the type of moldable future-star that Brett Brown and the City of Brotherly Love have been searching for through several years of lottery selections.

Next: Los Angeles Lakers