BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Detroit Pistons selected power forward Henry Ellenson with the 18th pick in the 2016 NBA draft.
Ellenson averaged 17 points and 9.7 rebounds per game last year as a freshman at Marquette. The 7-footer from Rice Lake, Wisconsin blocked 1.5 shots per game and shot a solid 44.6 percent from the floor.
Ellenson fills a need for the Pistons at the forward position. They also selected Michael Gbinije, a senior shooting guard from Syracuse, with the 49th overall pick. Gbinije averaged 17.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in his senior season. He's a good shooter and passer, but his ball handling will need to improve if he backs up Reggie Jackson at point guard.
Michigan State senior guard Denzel Valentine was selected 14th overall by the Chicago Bulls. Valentine was one of the top players in the country last season, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 points and 7.8 assists per game. The versatile guard should be able to contribute this season.
Michigan senior guard Caris LeVert was drafted 20th overall by the Indiana Pacers for the Brooklyn Nets. LeVert was Michigan's best all-around player the last two seasons, but missed half of each season due to injury. He averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists during a shortened senior campaign. If LeVert can stay healthy, he has potential to be an excellent two-way player in the NBA.
MSU's Deyonta Davis, considered an early first-round prospect, was selected by the Boston Celtics with the first pick (31st overall) in the 2nd round of the draft. The Celtics traded Davis to the Memphis Grizzlies. The 6-foot-10 Muskegon native played only 18.6 minutes per game for Tom Izzo but has a high ceiling at 19 years old.
You can view all of the first-round selections below.
1. Philadelphia 76ers -- Ben Simmons: Freshman, LSU
2. Los Angeles Lakers -- Brandon Ingram: Freshman, Duke
3. Boston Celtics -- Jaylen Brown: Freshman, Cal
4. Phoenix Suns -- Dragan Bender: 18-year-old, Croatia
5. Minnesota Timberwolves -- Kris Dunn: Junior, Providence
6. New Orleans Pelicans -- Buddy Hield: Senior, Oklahoma
7. Denver Nuggets -- Jamal Murray: Freshman, Kentucky
8. Sacramento Kings -- Marquese Chriss: Freshman, Washington
*Chriss reportedly traded to Phoenix Suns
9. Toronto Raptors -- Jakob Poeltl: Sophomore, Utah
10. Milwaukee Bucks -- Thon Maker: 19-year-old, Australia
11. Orlando Magic -- Domantas Sabonis: Sophomore, Gonzaga
*Sabonis reportedly traded to Oklahoma City with Victor Oladipo and Ersan Ilyasova for Serge Ibaka
12. Atlanta Hawks -- Taurean Prince: Senior, Baylor
13. Phoenix Suns -- Georgios Papagiannis: 18-year-old, Greece
14. Chicago Bulls -- Denzel Valentine: Senior, Michigan State
15. Denver Nuggets -- Juan Hernangomez: 20-year-old, Spain
16. Boston Celtics -- Guerschon Yabusele: 20-year-old, France
17. Memphis Grizzlies -- Wade Baldwin IV: Sophomore, Vanderbilt
18. Detroit Pistons -- Henry Ellenson: Freshman, Marquette
19. Denver Nuggets -- Malik Beasley: Freshman, Florida State
20. Brooklyn Nets -- Caris LeVert: Senior, Michigan
21. Atlanta Hawks -- DeAndre Bembry: Junior, Saint Joseph's
22. Charlotte Hornets -- Malachi Richardson: Freshman, Syracuse
23. Boston Celtics -- Ante Zizic: 19-year-old, Croatia
24. Philadelphia 76ers -- Timothe Luwawu: 21-year-old, France
25. Los Angeles Clippers -- Brice Johnson: Senior, North Carolina
26. Philadelphia 76ers -- Furkan Korkmaz: 18-year-old, Turkey
27. Toronto Raptors -- Pascal Siakam: Sophomore, New Mexico State
28. Sacramento Kings -- Skal Labissiere: Freshman, Kentucky
29. San Antonio Spurs -- Dejounte Murray: Freshman, Washington
30. Golden State Warriors -- Damian Jones: Junior, Vanderbilt