76ers win draft lottery; Lakers, Celtics round out top 3
Sam Hinkie may be long gone, but The Process has finally produced fruit for the Philadelphia 76ers, who were awarded the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft at Tuesday's draft lottery.
The Los Angeles Lakers were awarded the second pick, with the Boston Celtics rounding out the top three, thanks to a pick owed to them by the Nets as a result of Brooklyn's 2013 trade for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
For the first time in lottery history, the 14 selections played out exactly as their odds projected they would.
| Pick | Team |
|---|---|
| 4 | Suns |
| 5 | Timberwolves |
| 6 | Pelicans |
| 7 | Nuggets |
| 8 | Kings |
| 9 | Raptors (from New York) |
| 10 | Bucks |
| 11 | Magic |
| 12 | Jazz |
| 13 | Suns |
| 14 | Bulls |
The remainder of the draft's first-round was set at the conclusion of the regular season, in reverse order of the standings.
| Pick | Team |
|---|---|
| 15 | Nuggets (from Houston) |
| 16 | Celtics (from Dallas) |
| 17 | Grizzlies |
| 18 | Pistons |
| 19 | Nuggets (from Portland) |
| 20 | Pacers |
| 21 | Hawks |
| 22 | Hornets |
| 23 | Celtics |
| 24 | 76ers (from Miami via Cleveland) |
| 25 | Clippers |
| 26 | 76ers (from OKC via Cleveland & Denver) |
| 27 | Raptors |
| 28 | Suns (from Cleveland via Boston) |
| 29 | Spurs |
| 30 | Warriors |
While there is no consensus No. 1 selection in this June's draft, most agree the pick will come down to forwards Ben Simmons of LSU and Brandon Ingram of Duke.
Australian native Simmons may appear to be a logical fit for the Sixers given his ability to play both forward positions. Philadelphia coach Brett Brown has an extensive history with the land Down Under, coaching the national team in the 2012 Olympics.