25 things to ponder about NBA draft

IT SEEMS such a foregone conclusion that Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram will go 1-2 in the draft that Thursday's intrigue won't begin until the Celtics are on the clock with pick No. 3.

This will be just the fourth time Boston has had a top-three in the last 50 years. They hit on two of those selections, but tragedy intervened before the other could start his career.

As trade talks heat up and rumors swirl like waterspouts during a hurricane, here are 25 things to know about Thursday's draft.

1 The players on this year's first-team All-NBA and where they were drafted: LeBron James (1st, 2003), Russell Westbrook (4th, 2008), Steph Curry (7th, 2009), Kawhi Leonard (15th, 2011), DeAndre Jordan (35th, 2008).

2 The Spurs haven't had a lottery pick since they drafted Tim Duncan with the first overall pick in 1997. They don't pick until No. 29 this year.

3 The Kings (pick No. 8) are in the lottery for the 10th consecutive year.

4 Virginia guard Malcolm Brogdon is pursuing his master's degree in public policy at UVa.

5 Oklahoma's Buddy Hield led the nation with 147 three-pointers last year, 22 more than Max Landis of IPFW. Hield shot 147-for-322 from three (45.7) on the season. Against Villanova in the Final Four, however, he was just 1-for-8.

6 Hield has the same agent (Rob Pelinka) as Kobe Bryant and recently worked out for two hours with the former superstar. "I learned a lot of footwork stuff," Hield told the Los Angeles Times. "It was a blessing. Not many kids can say they learned something from Kobe Bryant."

7 Center Jakob Poeltl's name is pronounced YA-kub PURR-tuhl. He won the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award as college basketball's top center last season at Utah.

8 North Carolina senior guard Marcus Paige offered the Charlotte Observer a glimpse into the nomadic life of a draft hopeful this time of the year: "I lose track of what day it is. All I know is the number - that this is the 17th day (of June); I couldn't tell you what day of the week it was. When you have back-to-back workouts, (sometimes) four in five days . . . (and) sometimes the flights don't work out. But it'll make it all worth it if you hear your name called next Thursday night."

9 Jamal Murray's 20.0 scoring average was the highest by any Kentucky player since John Calipari became head coach in 2009-10. Nerlens Noel averaged 10.5 ppg in 2012-13, his only season at UK.

10 Caris LeVert (Michigan) was a high school sophomore when his father, Darryl, died suddenly of a heart attack at age 46. Caris called his dad his best friend.

11 Saint Joseph's forward DeAndre' Bembry should be the first Big 5 player taken in the first round since Villanova's Randy Foye (7th), Kyle Lowry (24th) and Temple's Mardy Collins (29th) all went early in 2006.

12 Croatian professional Dragan Bender played about 14 minutes per game and shot 23-for-56 (41.1 percent) in 25 games in the Israeli Premier League. He's listed at 7-1, 225 and he's been playing professionally since he was 15. Bender turns 19 in November.

13 International players Ivica Zubac and Ante Zizic are projected late first-rounders in a few mock drafts. The all-time leading scorer in NBA history among players whose surname begins with Z is Max Zaslofsky, who tallied 7,990 points from 1946-56.

14 Kentucky's Tyler Ulis is listed at 5-9, 160 pounds, though he's recently weighed in closer to 150. He wore the No. 3 at Kentucky as a tribute to Allen Iverson, another diminutive guard who was lightning quick.

15 If BYU stat machine Kyle Collinsworth does not get drafted, it's probably because he needs to improve his outside shot. Collinsworth set the NCAA record with 12 career triple-doubles. His wife, Shea Martinez-Collinsworth, qualified for the Olympic Trials after finishing third in the 800 meters at the NCAA Championships earlier this month.

16 Brandon Ingram will be third player from Duke selected in the top three in the last three years. Jabari Parker went second to Milwaukee in 2014 and Jahlil Okafor went third to the Sixers last year. Ingram is expected to be selected by the Lakers with the second pick on Thursday night.

17 The Celtics have the third pick, just their fourth top-three in 61 years. Their previous selections were Kevin McHale (1980, third), Len Bias (1986, second) and Chauncey Billups (1997, third).

18 Cleveland, Miami, New York, Portland, Oklahoma City and Washington do not have first-round picks. The Sixers, Boston, Denver and Phoenix have three first-rounders. Toronto has two.

19 Providence guard Kris Dunn and Georgetown all-timer Patrick Ewing are the only players to win Big East player of the year and defensive player of the year twice.

20 Kansas forward Cheick Diallo and Kentucky center Skal Labissiere are projected first-rounders despite coming off disappointing freshman seasons. Diallo averaged 3.0 points in 7.5 minutes per game and Labissiere 6.6 points in 15.8 minutes.

21 Arvydas Sabonis was 31 years old during his rookie season with Portland in 1995-96. His son, prospect Domantas Sabonis, just turned 20 in May. Domantas was born during an off-day of a 1996 playoff series in which Arvydas and the Trail Blazers lost to Utah.

22 University of Oakland guard Max Hooper has worked out for some teams, but probably won't get drafted despite having such a perfect name.

23 Spanish forward Juan Hernangomez figures to be picked in the middle of the first round. His brother, Willy, was taken by the Sixers in the second round last year and quickly dealt to the Knicks for future second-round picks.

24 Taurean Prince originally had committed to LIU-Brooklyn, but was released from his scholarship when the Blackbirds changed coaches. Prince instead went to Baylor, where he scored 1,321 points.

25 A broken collarbone ended Marquese Chriss' football career in eighth grade when mom insisted he take up basketball instead. "I miss (football), but I don't think it fits me anymore," Chriss, a 6-9 forward from the University of Washington, told the Seattle Times. "I think basketball is more for me and it's the thing that I should do."

ORDER OF DRAFT

Thursday, June 23

Brooklyn, N.Y. (7 p.m./ESPN)

FIRST ROUND

(5 minutes for pick)

1. Sixers

2. Los Angeles Lakers

3. Boston

4. Phoenix

5. Minnesota

6. New Orleans

7. Denver

8. Sacramento

9. Toronto

10. Milwaukee

11. Orlando

12. Utah

13. Phoenix

14. Chicago

15. Denver

16. Boston

17. Memphis

18. Detroit

19. Denver

20. Indiana

21. Atlanta

22. Charlotte

23. Boston

24. Sixers

25. Los Angeles Clippers

26. Sixers

27. Toronto

28. Phoenix

29. San Antonio

30. Golden State

SECOND ROUND

(2 minutes for pick)

31. Boston

32. Los Angeles Lakers

33. Los Angeles Clippers

34. Phoenix

35. Boston

36. Milwaukee

37. Houston

38. Milwaukee

39. New Orleans

40. New Orleans

41. Orlando

42. Utah

43. Houston

44. Atlanta

45. Boston

46. Dallas

47. Orlando

48. Chicago

49. Detroit

50. Indiana

51. Boston

52. Utah

53. Denver

54. Atlanta

55. Brooklyn

56. Denver

57. Memphis

58. Boston

59. Sacramento

60. Utah

Year: Player, Team, 2015-16 ppg

2015: Karl-Anthony Towns, Min., 18.3

2014: Andrew Wiggins, Cle., 20.7

2013: Anthony Bennett, Cle., 1.5

2012: Anthony Davis, NO, 24.3

2011: Kyrie Irving, Cle., 19.6

2010: John Wall, Was., 19.9

2009: Blake Griffin, LAC, 21.4

2008: Derrick Rose, Chi., 16.4

2007: Greg Oden, Por., DNP

2006: Andrea Bargnani, Tor., 6.6

Year: Player, Team, Career ppg.

2008: Serge Ibaka, Sea., 11.6

2006: Kyle Lowry, Tor., 13.5

1999: Andrei Kirilenko, Utah, 11.8

1996: Derek Fisher, LAL, 8.3

1993: Sam Cassell, Hou., 15.7

1992: Latrell Sprewell, GS, 18.3

1985: Terry Porter, Por., 12.2

Year: Player, 2015-16 ppg

2015: Tyus Jones, Cle., *4.2

2014: Shabazz Napier, Cha., *12.2

2013: Tim Hardaway Jr. , N.Y., *6.4

2012: Jared Cunningham, Cle., *2.7

2011: Reggie Jackson, OKC, *18.8

*Did not play for drafted team in 2015-16

Year: Player, Team, Career ppg.

2008: George Hill, S.A., 11.3

2004: Kevin Martin, Sac., 17.4

2002: John Salmons, S.A., 9.3

2001: Samuel Dalembert, Sixers, 7.7

1989: Vlade Divac, LAL, 11.8

Year: Player, 2015-16 ppg

2015: Nikola Milutinov, S.A., *-

2014: P.J. Hairston, Mia., *6.2

2013: Andre Roberson, Min., *4.8

2012: Miles Plumlee, Ind., *5.1

2011: Jordan Hamilton, Dal., *11.4

*Did not play for drafted team in 2015-16

Ben Simmons, the presumptive No. 1 pick out of LSU, was born in Melbourne, Australia - more than 10,000 miles from the Wells Fargo Center. He lived there until his sophomore year of high school. Simmons already has decided to skip this summer's Olympics to concentrate on the NBA.

@EdBarkowitz

For more draft coverage, visit the BoopStats blog and our Sixers homepage on philly.com.