No. 1: Ben Simmons, power forward, LSU, 6-foot-10, 225 pounds, selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Comment: This is no surprise. Simmons was long projected to be the top pick. The 6-foot-10 power forward is versatile, but has a jump shot problem he will need to fix.
No. 2: Brandon Ingram, small forward, Duke, 6-9, 190, selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Comment: Ingram is gangly and versatile. He’s able to shoot from behind the 3-point line and make plays with the ball. The Lakers have a group of young players taking over for retired Kobe Bryant. They also have mounting questions with D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle, particularly Russell, who was selected second overall in last year’s draft.
No. 3: Jaylen Brown, forward, Cal, 6-7, 225, selected by the Boston Celtics
Comment: Everyone wondered what would happen in this pick. The Celtics came into the draft with eight total picks and trying to trade out of this spot. Many think they are on a path to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference. Though Brown was selected here, that doesn’t mean he is staying in the long run.
No. 4: Dragan Bender, power forward, 7-1, 225 pounds, selected by the Phoenix Suns
Comment: The Suns need help in a variety of spots. Bender gives them a young (18 years old), enormous player in the mold of Kristaps Porzingis, though, at 7-1, he’s smaller than Porzingis. The Croatian is the first international player selected on the night. He last played for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
No. 5: Kris Dunn, point guard, Providence, 6-3, 205, selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Comment: The Wolves become even more interesting after selecting Dunn. He’s a sturdy point guard added to their young group that includes Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine. Dunn also has a smart point guard to learn from in Ricky Rubio. They will all need to survive hard-driving coach Tom Thibodeau, who was hired in the offseason.
No. 6: Buddy Hield, shooting guard, Oklahoma, 6-4, 209, selected by the New Orleans Pelicans
Comment: Excellent shooting, bubbly personality. Hield should fit in well with the Pelicans. Hield shot 45.7 percent from behind the 3-point line last season while on his way to becoming a college star who won the Wooden Award. The 22-year-old is a native of the Bahamas.
No. 7: Jamal Murray, guard, Kentucky, 6-5, 207, selected by the Denver Nuggets
Comment: As far as lottery picks go, Murray is a more moderate athlete. But, he’s aggressive and skilled, making him attractive to the Nuggets. Murray averaged 20 points in his lone season with the Wildcats.
No. 8: Marquese Chriss, Washington, 6-9, 225, selected by the Sacramento Kings, but traded to the Phoenix Suns for the 13th pick, 28th pick and Bogdan Bogdanovic
Comments: Chriss is a superior athlete who already has a league-ready midrange jumpshot. Chriss’ issue is defense. He was prone to fouling out during his freshman season with the Huskies, while playing alongside several other young players.
No. 9: Jakob Poeltl, Utah, 7-0, 235, selected by the Toronto Raptors
Comment: Poeltl joins the Raptors with an established post scoring game. The Raptors made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season before losing to the eventual NBA champion, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Poeltl is an effective screener and finisher on the roll. The Austrian dominated in the Pac-12 last season, when he averaged 17.2 points and 9.1 rebounds.
No. 10: Thon Maker, 7-1, 216, selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Comment: Maker is one of the bigger questions in the draft. There is debate about his age — he’s supposedly 19 years old — and how good he actually is. Maker’s legend grew along with his body, but then leveled when he began to play in more high-profile events. The Bucks are taking a large risk with the pick.
No. 11: Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga, 6-11, 240, selected by the Orlando Magic. Reports have him, Victor Oladipo, and Ersan Ilyasova being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Serge Ibaka.
Comment: The son of Arvydas Sabonis, Domantas is a hyper-active left-handed post player. Sabonis the younger shot 61.1 percent from the field last season, his second in Spokane, Washington, and averaged 17.6 points and 11.8 rebounds. Sabonis can also likely extend his range as his career advances.
No. 12: Taurean Prince, Baylor, small forward, 6-8, 220, selected by the Atlanta Hawks.
Comment: The Hawks need help at small forward and pick up the versatile wing. He could be their answer to the previously departed DeMarre Carroll.
No. 13: Georgios Papagiannis, Greece, center, 7-2, 240 selected by the Phoenix Suns and traded to the Sacramento Kings
Comment: Papagiannis is huge, but an odd selection considering the direction the league as a whole is going. He’s also a curious pairing with DeMarcus Cousins. This is where the Wizards would have selected if they had not dealt the pick to Phoenix in the Markieff Morris trade.
No. 14: Denzel Valentine, guard, Michigan State, 6-5, 220 selected by the Chicago Bulls
Comment: Valentine is another hard-nosed product from Michigan State who is an adept passer, natural leader and quality scorer. He fits in with the idea of the Bulls under Thibodeau, though he will be working for Fred Hoiberg now.
No. 15: Juan Hernangomez, center, Spain, 6-9, 225, selected by the Denver Nuggets
Comment: Hernangomez has range and will fit in with the new NBA world centered on stretch fours.
No. 16: Guerschon Yabusele, power forward, France, 6-8, 270, selected by the Boston Celtics
Comment: You don’t know him. Admit it. But, note the weight: 270 pounds. That’s a body type not often seen in the league anymore. Scouts look at Yabusele as a banger who also has range. Interesting pick by Boston.
No. 17: Wade Baldwin, shooting guard, Vanderbilt, 6-3, 194, selected by the Memphis Grizzlies
Comment: Baldwin is insurance in case point guard Mike Conley Jr. departs. Baldwin is a skilled shooter who could also play along with Conley.
No. 18: Henry Ellenson, power forward, Marquette, 6-11, 245, selected by the Detroit Pistons
Comment: Ellenson averaged 17 points and 9.7 rebounds in his only season with Marquette. He can play behind or with Andre Drummond in Detroit.
No. 19: Malik Beasley, shooting guard, Florida State, 6-5, 196, selected by the Denver Nuggets
Comment: The 19-year-old shooter joins a Nuggets team that is continuing to rebuild in the top-heavy Western Conference. Beasley had surgery three weeks ago for a stress fracture in his right leg.
No. 20: Caris LeVert, shooting guard, Michigan, 6-7, 205, selected by the Brooklyn Nets
Comment: Some projected LeVert to be in the lottery before a lower left leg injury ended his season. He was also injured the prior season. If healthy, LeVert could be a sleeper in the draft. But the recent injuries make the pick a risk.
No. 21: DeAndre Bembry, small forward, St. Joseph’s, 6-6, 210, selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Comment: Bembry is a slasher/scorer who will blend right in with the Hawks ball/player movement style. Bembry spent three years in college, so he’s less of a developmental project and should be in the Hawks’ rotation next season.
No. 22: Malachi Richardson, shooting guard, Syracuse, 6-6, 195, selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Comments: Richardson made a huge splash in the NCAA tournament, notably scoring 21 points in the second half during Syracuse’s unlikely comeback against Virginia in the Elite Eight, to launch himself from a little-known freshman to a first-round pick. Richardson has handles, range and good length.
No. 23: Ante Zizic, center, Croatia, 7-0, 249, selected by the Boston Celtics
Comment: Again, you don’t know him. That’s OK. But, according to Fran Fraschilla, an ESPN expert on foreign players, the Celtics have a “steal” down the line with Zizic. In Europe, Zizic was lauded as a basketball prospect since an early age. His older brother, Andrija, played professionally in Europe.
No. 24: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, small forward, France, 6-7, 205, selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Comment: Fraschilla explained Luwawu-Cabarrot is one of the better athletes in the draft. The 21-year-old wing heads to the wide open 76ers roster with a chance to play.
No. 25: Brice Johnson, power forward, North Carolina, 6-9, 228, selected by the Los Angeles Clippers
Comment: Johnson was expected to be in the draft long before his time at North Carolina was over, but it took him four years before coming out. His senior season (17 points, 10.4 rebounds) vaulted him into the first round. He can be an energy guy off the bench for a Clippers team that expects to contend for the Western Conference title.
No. 26: Furkan Korkmaz, shooting guard, Turkey, 6-7, 185, selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Comment: Back to Fraschilla. He said the expectation for Korkmaz, who is just 19, is to stay in Turkey for the next couple years. This is a down-the-line play (again) for the 76ers.
No. 27: Pascal Siakam, power forward, New Mexico State, 6-9, 220, selected by the Toronto Raptors
Comment: Siakam averaged 20.3 points and 11.6 rebounds for the Aggies in his sophomore season.
No. 28: Skal Labissiere, power forward, Kentucky, 6-11, 225, selected by the Phoenix Suns
Comment: A big man with excellent touch, Labissiere is an intriguing prospect this late in the first round. The knock on him is that he is soft and a poor rebounder.
No. 29: Dejounte Murray, point guard, Washington, 6-5, 170, selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Comment: Murray is a herky-jerky point guard with great length. He’s also a good athlete, but poor shooter. At one point, Murray was expected to be close to a lottery pick. Instead, he slid to the Spurs.
No. 30: Damian Jones, power forward, Vanderbilt, 7-0, 245, selected by the Golden State Warriors
Comment: Jones gives the Warriors some size to backup an aging Andrew Bogut and provide some insurance if Festus Ezeli departs in free agency.
Second round
No. 31: Deyonta Davis, power forward, Michigan State, 6-10, 245, selected by the Boston Celtics and traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for a 2019 first-round pick.
No. 32: Ivica Zubac, center, Croatia, 7-0, 240, selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
No. 33: Cheick Diallo, power forward, Kansas, 6-9, 218, selected by the Los Angeles Clippers (but traded to the New Orleans Pelicans)
No. 34: Tyler Ulis, point guard, Kentucky, 5-9, 160, selected by the Phoenix Suns
No. 35: Rade Zagorac, small forward, Serbia, 6-8, 205, selected by the Boston Celtics
No. 36: Malcolm Brogdon, point guard, Virginia, 6-5, 223, selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
No. 37: Chinanu Onuaku, center, Lousiville, 6-10, 245, selected by the Houston Rockets
No. 38: Patrick McCaw, shooting guard, UNLV, 6-7, 181, selected by the Golden State Warriors after a trade
No. 39: David Michineau, point guard, France, 6-4, 180, selected by the New Orleans Pelicans (but traded to the Los Angeles Clippers)
No. 40: Diamond Stone, power forward, Maryland, 6-10, 245, selected by the New Orleans Pelicans (but traded to the Los Angeles Clippers)
No. 41: Stephen Zimmerman, UNLV, center, 7-0, 240, selected by the Orlando Magic
No. 42: Isaiah Whitehead, shooting guard, Seton Hall, 6-4, 210, selected by the Brooklyn Nets
No. 43: Zhou Qi, center, China, 7-2, 215, selected by the Houston Rockets
No. 44: Isaia Cordinier, shooting guard, France, 6-5, 177, selected by the Atlanta Hawks
No. 45: Demetrius Jackson, point guard, Notre Dame, 6-2, 194, selected by the Boston Celtics
No. 46: A.J. Hammons, center, Purdue, 7-0, 261, selected by the Dallas Mavericks
No. 47: Jake Layman, small forward, Maryland, 6-9, 209, selected by the Orlando Magic (traded to the Portland Trail Blazers)
No. 48: Paul Zipser, small forward, Germany, 6-8, 210, selected by the Chicago Bulls
No. 49: Michael Gbinje, small forward, Syracuse, 6-7, 200, selected by the Detroit Pistons
No. 50: Georges Niang, power forward, Iowa State, 6-8, 230, selected by the Indiana Pacers
No. 51: Ben Bentil, power forward, Providence, 6-8, 229, selected by the Boston Celtics
No. 52: Joel Bolomboy, power forward, Weber State 6-9, 225, selected by the Utah Jazz
No. 53: Petr Cornelie, power forward, France, 6-11, 220, selected by the Denver Nuggets
No. 54: Kay Felder, point guard, Oakland, 5-9, 176, selected by the Atlanta Hawks
No. 55: Marcus Paige, point guard, North Carolina, 6-2, 175, selected by the Brooklyn Nets
No. 56: Daniel Hamilton, shooting guard, Connecticut, 6-7, 195, selected by the Denver Nuggets
No. 57: Wang Zhelin, power forward, China, 7-0, 251, selected by the Memphis Grizzlies
No. 58: Abdel Nader, small forward, Iowa State, 6-6, 225, selected by the Boston Celtics
No. 59: Isaiah Cousins, shooting guard, Oklahoma, 6-4, 200, selected by the Sacramento Kings
No. 60: Tyrone Wallace, small forward, Cal, 6-5, 205, selected by the Utah Jazz
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