NBA Draft: Ben Simmons picked 1st overall by Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers selected LSU freshman Ben Simmons with the No. 1 pick in Thursday's NBA entry draft.

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.

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 Toronto Raptors picked 7-foot-1 Austrian centre Jakob Poeltl with the ninth pick.

Canada's Jamal Murray picked 7th by Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets selected Kentucky shooting guard Jamal Murray of Kitchener, Ont., with the No. 7 as they try to turn around a franchise that's missed the playoffs the past three seasons.

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 6-foot-4 Murray also had 113 3-pointers, the second-most in NCAA history for a freshman. The only freshman who had more was Steph Curry (122).

Denver has two more selections in the first round with Houston's spot at No. 15 — courtesy of the Ty Lawson deal — and the No. 19 pick via Portland.

The Los Angeles Lakers selected Duke forward Brandon Ingram with the second pick, adding another talented teenager to the rebuilding club's young core.

The 6-foot-9 Ingram spent one season at Duke, averaging 17.3 points and 6.8 rebounds as an immediate star for the Blue Devils. Pro scouts were tantalized by his 41 percent shooting on 3-pointers, and his lanky frame only heightened the comparisons to Kevin Durant.

The Boston Celtics 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.

Also, Associated Press reported  the Charlotte Hornets have acquired shooting guard Marco Belinelli from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for the 22nd pick in the NBA draft.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because the trade won't become official until after the NBA's new salary cap season begins on July 7. That means Charlotte will pick for Sacramento at No. 22.

Thon Maker picked 10th

Australian Thon Maker was picked 10th by the Milwaukee Bucks. It was reported on the day of the draft that Maker, who claims to be 19, was older than previously believed, something which likely hurt his draft value.

Maker spent the previous season playing in Orangeville, Ont. The 7-foot-1 centre was born in what is now South Sudan and fled the war-torn country as a child.