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NBA Draft 2016: 5 reasons Brandon Ingram won’t be No. 1 pick

By Cody Williams

PROVIDENCE, RI - MARCH 17: Brandon Ingram (L) of the Duke Blue Devils talks with referee David Hall during the game against the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Dunkin' Donuts Center on March 17, 2016 in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
PROVIDENCE, RI - MARCH 17: Brandon Ingram (L) of the Duke Blue Devils talks with referee David Hall during the game against the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Dunkin' Donuts Center on March 17, 2016 in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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FAYETTEVILLE, AR – FEBRUARY 23: Ben Simmons
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – FEBRUARY 23: Ben Simmons /

2. Ben Simmons is really, really good at basketball

In case you hadn’t noticed, Ben Simmons’ name has come up quite a bit in this conversation and obviously so. He’s going to be the No. 1 overall pick ahead of Brandon Ingram. And while you can find all of the flaws in Ingram’s game that you want to explain why he’s not going to be the top pick in the 2016 draft. However, one of the biggest reasons is simply because Simmons is that damn good at the game of basketball.

Simmons isn’t the second coming of LeBron James by any stretch of the imagination, but he already has so many skills that are NBA-ready in addition to having such a unique skill set for a player with his physical gifts. Players of his size and strength at his age aren’t also supposed to have the basketball IQ and overall playmaking ability that the Aussie does. Even for a player like Brandon Ingram who has mounds of potential, it’s not contested between him and Simmons in regard to what all they can do now.

Now make no mistake—Simmons isn’t without his own flaws that could be picked apart. That being said, he was the consensus top pick in the draft for a while for a reason and his mix of NBA-readiness and potential puts him ahead of Ingram by my estimation.

Next: No. 1 The Process

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