NBA teams are always chasing the next big superstar and while a basketball player might not be ready to dominate at the professional level as a 19 or 20-year-old that won’t stop teams from making them a top pick if they feel they have the potential to shine at the highest level.
Here is a look at the top college basketball one-and-done candidates that could very well be selected in the top-10 in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Ben Simmons, LSU Tigers
Forward
Simmons has already done enough to be considered one of the favorites to go No. 1 in the 2016 NBA Draft. He’s heading into his first college basketball season as the 2015 Gatorade Player of the Year and is coming off back-to-back MVP’s in the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School Nationals.
Simmons is an incredible athlete with a unique blend of size, speed and ball skills for a forward that stands at 6’9’’. Simmons has the overall skillset to play all five positions at the NBA level and his combination of size and skill make him the most intriguing prospect on the board heading in to his first season at LSU.
Skal Labissiere, Kentucky Wildcats
Center
Labissiere is the next big thing in a long line of Kentucky big men that have graduated to the NBA as a 7’0’’ center that can create major mismatches for opponents with his versatility and shooting ability. Labissiere can dominate in the paint at both ends of the floor but he also has a decent mid-range shooting game and is very athletic for his size.
Labissiere will take over as the starting center at Kentucky after Karl-Anthony Towns went one-and-done as the first-overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and as long as he continues to improve for the Wildcats, he could follow in Towns’ footsteps as the 2016 first overall pick.
Brandon Ingram, Duke Blue Devils
Forward
Ingram is another example of an elite prospect with the unlikely combination of outstanding size and athleticism as a 6’9’’ wing that has a guard’s skillset and a power forward’s height. Ingram will have to add some bulk to his skinny 196-pound frame but he won’t turn 18 until September.
He will have a full year to work out and put on some added size. Ingram isn’t as close to being ready for the NBA as Simmons or Labissiere but he has all of the raw tools to eventually become a star. A strong season at Duke could lead to him becoming a top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
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Jamal Murray, Kentucky Wildcats
Guard
No college prospect has garnered more hype over the last couple of months than Murray, who won MVP at the Nike Hoops Summit and then starred for Canada at the Pan American Games. Murray is a terrific shooter that can also get to the rim.
He also has some decent size at 6’5’’ with exceptional ball skills. Murray also has a very high basketball IQ and he will have every opportunity to showcase his skills for a Kentucky team that’s expected to contend for a title. If they make a run in the tournament, Murray is going to be one of the main reasons why.
Jaylen Brown, California Golden Bears
Forward
Brown is a little taller than Murray at 6’7’’ and at 222 pounds he already looks like he is ready to start on the wing for an NBA team. Some scouts have compared Brown to Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler and while he still has to work on his shooting, his size, athleticism and ability to get to the rim make him an elite prospect heading into his first season at California. Brown projects as that classic two-way wing at the NBA level and while he’s fifth on our list among the top five one-and-done candidates but his stock can really climb higher with a strong freshman season.
