Top-10 Mock Draft: Should Lakers take Simmons or Ingram at No. 1?

What should each team do with a top draft pick? It's time to take a deeper dive into that question with our first top-10 NBA mock draft.

Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton played ESPN's lottery mock draft generator to determine the draft order. The Lakers, Sixers and Pelicans landed in the top three, with the Celtics, Suns and Kings behind them.

Kevin won our coin toss so he's on the clock. Is he adding Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram to L.A.'s young core?

This mock draft is based on what Kevin and Chad think teams should do -- it's not a prediction.

1. Los Angeles Lakers

Ben Simmons
LSU
Freshman
Forward

Pelton: The Lakers are back, not only keeping their pick but landing the top prize in LSU forward Ben Simmons. I didn't really give much thought to taking Brandon Ingram instead. As we've discussed, Simmons' upside is simply too high.

The Lakers would take him and figure out where he fits alongside their pair of ball handlers (Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell) and incumbent power forward (Julius Randle) later.

2. New Orleans Pelicans

Brandon Ingram
Duke
Freshman
Forward

Ford: Ingram is a terrific consolation prize and a particularly valuable one to the Pelicans. They need a star to pair with Anthony Davis and a small forward who can really stretch the floor -- Ingram can be both.

Ingram's ability to handle, shoot and post up makes him an ideal frontcourt partner for Davis. And his 7-foot-3 wingspan and quickness allow him to guard three different positions. He needs to get stronger, but New Orleans is one of the very best fits for Ingram. I think he'd help propel them back into the playoffs next season.

3. Philadelphia 76ers (swap with SAC)

Jamal Murray
Kentucky
Freshman
Guard

Pelton: The Sixers got swap rights for 2016 and 2017 in their trade with the Kings last July. That pays off in this case, as it allows them to slide ahead of Sacramento in the lottery and get their choice of the second tier of prospects.

That's particularly important because it guarantees Philadelphia a shot at Murray, the best guard in the draft.

He would immediately be a huge upgrade on the 76ers' current backcourt options and provide an injection of needed playmaking with more upside than players like Ish Smith and Isaiah Canaan.

4. Sacramento Kings (swap with PHI)

Dragan Bender
Croatia
Age: 18
Forward/center

Ford: The Kings should regret allowing the Sixers to swap picks with them as part of the Carl Landry-Jason Thompson salary dump. But in this case, it's not a total loss. In this situation, despite falling one spot behind Philly, Sacramento would still get the guy I have rated as the third-best prospect in the draft.

Bender is young and a little raw, but he's a legit 7-footer who shoots the 3, protects the rim and plays with an excellent motor. He lacks experience and needs to get stronger, but a handful of scouts feel Bender could be the second coming of Kristaps Porzingis.

Given DeMarcus Cousins' very uncertain future in Sacramento, it might be wise to have his replacement waiting in the wings.

5. Phoenix Suns

Henry Ellenson
Marquette
Freshman
Forward/center

Pelton: Not only is Ellenson the highest-rated available player in my consensus projections, he's also an ideal fit for the Suns. After trading Markieff Morris, Phoenix doesn't have a good young player at power forward and has been starting centers Tyson Chandler and Alex Len together -- hardly a long-term solution as, around the league, power forwards are drifting out to the perimeter.

Ellenson brings the ability to stretch the floor, having made 30 3-pointers as a freshman (albeit at a disappointing 28.8 percent clip), but doesn't sacrifice rebounding like current power forward Mirza Teletovic.

6. Boston Celtics (via BKN)

Marquese Chriss
Washington
Freshman
Forward

Ford: Well, Kevin stole the guy I was hoping to get here and left me with a serious quandary -- production versus upside. Buddy Hield looks like an instant impact player at the next level. The Celtics could really use a player they can trust to get buckets at the end of games. Isaiah Thomas has shown signs of that, but at 5-9, he's too small.

Chriss has more size, length and potential. And it's not as if he had a shabby freshman season. He averaged better than 20 points over his last four games while shooting 50 percent from 3. Athletic 6-9 players who can shoot and block shots don't come along very often and I think Danny Ainge might be the type of GM willing to gamble on him.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves

Buddy Hield
Oklahoma
Senior
Guard

Pelton: Sorry, Chad, you're not getting a second chance at Buddy. Hield's shooting ability is almost tailor-made for a Timberwolves team sorely in need of floor spacing.

Since Zach LaVine has claimed the starting spot at shooting guard, Minnesota needs a backup at the position and Hield could eventually start alongside him if the Timberwolves decide LaVine is better suited at point guard and move on from Ricky Rubio.

8. Denver Nuggets

Kris Dunn
Providence
Junior
Guard

Ford: I was hoping to nab Hield here at No. 8, but of course Kevin broke his own rule about seniors and drafted him seventh. That leaves the Nuggets in an awkward spot.

The best two players left on my Big Board are Jaylen Brown and Kris Dunn. Both replicate the weaknesses of Emmanuel Mudiay. Neither is a great shooter, though Dunn in particular has shot it better lately.

So why take Dunn when you already have Mudiay? He's a better, more creative passer, for one thing. And at his size, Mudiay could play off the ball at the 2.

Most important, Dunn is the best prospect left on the board, and most GMs know better than to reach for need when a great prospect is still available.

9. Toronto Raptors

Furkan Korkmaz
Turkey
Age: 18
Forward

Pelton: The Raptors would ideally get an athletic power forward who can stretch the floor, which means they're hoping to see Chriss slide.

Otherwise, they could take a chance on Kentucky's Skal Labissiere, whom Chad and I discussed last weekend. Alas, it's too risky for me to take a player with a negative projection for wins above replacement player by my model in the top 10, which rules out Labissiere and Brown.

In reality, I'd probably look for a trade.

Short of that, I considered Denzel Valentine as another wing option but ultimately decided Toronto has enough young talent (with an additional first-round pick coming in the 20s) and should draft Korkmaz with an eye toward stashing him overseas for a year or two.

Though my initial draft board didn't include international prospects, Korkmaz's limited Euroleague experience would put him in the top 10.

10. Orlando Magic

Jaylen Brown
Cal
Freshman
Forward

Ford: On pure upside, Brown is a top-five pick. He already has a NBA body and he just looks the part. But his lack of jump shot has really hurt his draft stock, as have his out-of-control drives.

Brown isn't the best fit in Orlando, which has drafted three non-shooters in the last three years: Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton. But his upside is enormous. If he starts making shots? Brown's a superstar.

Pelton: I guess I get the last word here. What stands out to me is how few teams in the top 10 need point guards and centers. That could push wings and power forwards higher than they'd rank on pure merit, and it's bad news for Dunn and Utah center Jakob Poeltl.

Poeltl ranks fifth among NCAA prospects in my consensus projections, so he was my best player available each of my last two picks. But neither of those teams needed centers, so Poeltl slid all the way out of the top 10.