NBA draft: Sixers take Simmons with top pick, Kitchener’s Murray goes seventh
NEW YORK— The Philadelphia 76ers selected LSU freshman Ben Simmons with the No. 1 pick Thursday night as the NBA draft opened with three straight freshmen.
The 76ers grabbed the versatile 6-foot-10 forward from Australia who averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists to become the only player in SEC 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.
“It feels amazing, honestly,” Simmons said. “I can’t even — my legs were shaking when I was on stage.”
Jamal Murray of Kitchener, Ont., was selected seventh overall by the Denver Nuggets.
The Toronto Raptors took Jakob Poeltl with the ninth pick, while Milwaukee provided one of the surprises of the first round, taking Thon Maker with the 10th choice.
The 7-foot-1 Australian played last year for the Athlete Institute in Orangeville, Ont. An NBA.com scouting report says the 19-year-old Maker has defensive upside and potential as a shooter.
The Bucks needed a big man who could defend, rebound and provide another physical presence. Maker, though, is expected to be a long-term project.
Sixers fans who made the trip to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center loudly cheered the No. 1 selection in hopes that Simmons can help them move forward after three straight dismal seasons, including a 10-72 finish in 2015-16 that was just a game better than the worst ever in the 82-game schedule.
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.
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 becomes the latest young player on a team that will begin life without the retired Kobe Bryant next season.
“I’m just going to be myself,” Ingram said. “Whatever I can do to impact the game, whatever the coach needs me to do, I’m going to do it.”
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.
Croatian Dragan Bender ended the run of freshmen when the Phoenix Suns selected the 7-1 forward who has been playing professionally for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
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 Buddy Hield from Oklahoma, and Denver picking Kentucky freshman Murray at No. 7.
The 19-year-old Murray is coming off a freshman season in which he averaged 20 points a game — the highest scoring average for a Wildcats player under coach John Calipari. The six-foot-four Murray also had 113 three-pointers, the second-most in NCAA history for a freshman. The only freshman who had more was Steph Curry (122).
The Nuggets are coming off a season in which they finished 33-49. They showed signs of improvement behind point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, the seventh overall selection a year ago. He may now be paired with Murray to form a prolific backcourt.
The Nuggets were searching for another scoring threat and certainly got it in Murray, the Canadian sharpshooter who can score buckets in bunches.