The 4 Most Likely NBA Draft Lottery Scenarios
If the Suns Win
In a nutshell, this would do wonders for Phoenix!
We know that, with Knight, Bledsoe and Devin Booker, they have the guard play -- and they even have some talent down low with Mirza Teletovic and Alex Len -- but the Suns could use an upgrade at the small or power forward position.
At the three, T.J. Warren hasn't been all that reliable defensively, with a Defensive Rating of 110 and a mere 0.9 Defensive Win Shares over his first two seasons. Where Warren is deficient defensively P.J. Tucker lacks in production on the offensive end of the floor. At age 31, the veteran averaged just 8 points per game on 41.1% shooting, accounting for an Offensive Box Plus/Minus of -0.7.
Appropriately, Ingram is the ideal fit, but Simmons is an option as well. If the Suns win the sweepstakes for the number-one pick, they really can't go wrong here.
In following the odds, the Sixers would find themselves in the two spot again with the option to select whomever is left over from the Simmons/Ingram duo. As you can see, it's hard for the Sixers to lose here as they possess odds of 25%, 21.5%, 17.8% and 35.7% of obtaining picks 1 through 4, respectively (according to Tankathon).
The Lakers would again be on the outside looking in and would be forced to take the best talent they think can contribute right away, in order to get the franchise back on track. If Simmons and Ingram are gone, as expected, the Lakers will have to go with Jaylen Brown at forward or otherwise embrace small ball in a big way.
If Brown's lack of shooting and rawness prevent him from being the ideal fit, Jamal Murray or Buddy Hield, both 6'5" guards, could be next in line. A lineup of Murray/Hield, D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and a big could spark a fire in Los Angeles, a la this season's Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Celtics, who own three first-round picks in 2016, still couldn't be all that mad with the fourth overall pick. They won't get the star power of an Ingram or Simmons, but there are still some viable options out there. I expect them to look long and hard at Bender, Brown, and even Jakob Poeltl, the big center out of Utah, as Boston ranked 26th in total rebounds this season.
