Fearless predictions for top of NBA draft

Point guards Fultz and Ball the prizes as teams choose from deep pool of talent

WASHINGTON The world learned the order of selections for next month’s NBA draft on Tuesday night, with the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers winning the top three picks.

Now it’s time to take a run at predicting the first 14 picks in the June 22 draft from a deep pool of talent.

1. Boston Celtics (from Brooklyn) Markelle Fultz | Point guard | Washington The Celtics are widely expected to take Fultz, a 6-foot-4 guard with oodles of potential.

2. Los Angeles Lakers Lonzo Ball | Point guard | UCLA The Lakers will almost certainly select Ball.

3. Philadelphia 76ers (from Sacramento) Jayson Tatum | Small forward | Duke Tatum, a long, rangy wing, likely will be the selection.

4. Phoenix Suns Josh Jackson | Small forward | Kansas The Suns were one of the big losers in the lottery, but getting a wing such as Jackson to pair with Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe is a nice consolation prize.

5. Sacramento Kings (from Philadelphia) De’Aaron Fox | Point guard | Kentucky The Kings can get a point guard of the future in Fox.

6. Orlando Magic Lauri Markkanen | Power forward | Arizona The talent drops off after the top five players. Markkanen is a shooter for a team that’s lacking in them.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves Jonathan Isaac | Power forward | Florida State Isaac — a high-upside, though high-risk, prospect — works here.

8. New York Knicks Frank Ntilikina | Point guard | France The 6-foot-5 Ntilikina gives Phil Jackson the big guard he wants.

9. Dallas Mavericks Dennis Smith | Point guard | North Carolina State Few landing spots would offer Smith a greater opportunity to blossom.

10. Sacramento Kings (from New Orleans) OG Anunoby | Small forward | Indiana Anunoby is a raw prospect coming off a knee injury last season.

11. Charlotte Hornets Justin Jackson | Small forward | North Carolina Coach Steve Clifford loves threepoint shooting, so Jackson makes sense here on the wings.

12. Detroit Pistons Donovan Mitchell | Shooting guard | Louisville The Pistons could use some depth in the backcourt behind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

13. Denver Nuggets Luke Kennard | Shooting guard | Duke Kennard — who had a strong sophomore season — can give Denver some more shooting.

14. Miami Heat Zach Collins | Center | Gonzaga Collins can play 15 minutes a game as a rookie and spell Hassan Whiteside off the bench.