The NBA playoffs are very close to getting underway, but teams that will not be in the playoffs have turned their attention to the draft. This year more players are declaring for the draft than ever before because of the new rules, but as draft day gets closer some of those players will drop out and head back to school.
There are some players that are declaring who you can be assured will not be heading back to school. Ben Simmons is the biggest name who has declared so far, but on Monday morning he was joined by a fellow potential number one overall pick.
Former Duke star Brandon Ingram penned a piece for The Players Tribune chronicling his journey to this point. It was seen as a foregone conclusion by many that Ingram would enter the draft considering how highly he is ranked on many mock drafts, and he made it official on Monday morning.
The general consensus is that Ingram will be one of the first two picks in the draft, but the debate between him and Simmons has gotten very interesting recently. Simmons was previously the guy everyone saw as the first overall pick, but now it seems like many people have shifted to Ingram being the guy, including some mock drafts.
Whichever team ultimately gets the first overall pick will have a choice between two extraordinary talents, but Ingram should be the first selection. There is an argument to be made for both sides obviously, and both players have the potential to be perennial All-Stars, but I would give Ingram the slight edge right now.
The biggest reason I lean toward Ingram is the fact that he is already a knockdown shooter. The ability to hit long-range jump shots has become maybe the most important thing a player can do in the NBA. Simmons is a lot of things, but one thing he is not is a knockdown shooter. Ingram, on the other hand, is, as he made 41 percent of his threes as a freshman at Duke.
While Ingram's jump shot is already silky smooth, that is far from the only thing he has in his game. Ingram is extremely long and has shown the ability to handle the ball very well, rebound and create offense out of the post. Shooting is extremely important in the NBA, but so is versatility, and Ingram has that in his game. He won't have to rely on his jump shot at the next level because he is big enough to finish among the trees and long enough to get shots up over defenders.
The concerns about Ingram at the next level mostly stem from his weight. Of course, Ingram will need to put on some muscle moving forward, but that can easily be done. Kevin Durant had the same concerns entering the NBA, and he has turned out alright so far. If you've seen Ingram play this season you likely have noticed he plays much stronger than he looks. That did come against college kids and not NBA men, but this concern isn't really all that big of a deal.
Overall, Ingram's negatives are far less concerning than Simmons', as the former LSU star has had his competitiveness come into question. We still don't know who will have the first overall pick in the draft, but whoever it is will face a difficult decision. In the end it will be hard to question the team's choice regardless of who they draft, but Ingram is the more complete package at this point.
