The Philadelphia 76ers took in Australian Ben Simmons of LSU as expected Thursday night, making him the first of a record 14 international players chosen in the first round.
Philadelphia grabbed the versatile 6-foot-10 forward from LSU who averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists to become the only player in Southeastern Conference history to finish in the top five in all three categories.
He comes with some questions — he made only one 3-pointer — but too much potential for the 76ers to pass up with their first No. 1 pick since taking Allen Iverson 20 years ago.
The last No. 1 pick from LSU was Shaquille O’Neal — who will be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame along with Iverson in September.
Brandon Ingram to the Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers, picking second for the second consecutive year, took Duke’s Brandon Ingram, who averaged 17.3 points as the ACC freshman of the year. He is the latest young player on a team that will begin life without the retired Kobe Bryant next season.
Jaylen Brown headed to Boston
The Boston Celtics then began a busy night by picking California forward Jaylen Brown. Boston has eight picks in the two-round draft, starting with one it acquired from Brooklyn in 2013 in the deal that sent Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets.
Bender ended the run of three straight freshmen when the Suns selected the 7-1 forward who has been playing professionally for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Milwaukee rounded out the top 10 with Thon Maker, originally from South Sudan, and Orlando followed with Domantas Sabonis, whose rights were quickly dealt to Oklahoma City along with Victor Oladipo and Ersan Ilyasova for forward Serge Ibaka.
The Minnesota Timberwolves used the No. 5 pick on Providence junior Kris Dunn, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year in the Big East who should fit nicely for new coach Tom Thibodeau.
A couple of the draft’s best shooters went next, with New Orleans grabbing All-American Hield from Oklahoma, and Denver picking Kentucky freshman Jamal Murray at No. 7. (AP)
Below is the summary of the 2016 NBA Draft:
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