Draft Prospects to Watch Sweet 16 Edition: Arizona vs Xavier
By Tyler King
Check out which potential Philadelphia 76ers draft prospects to watch in this weekend’s Sweet 16 matchup between second-seeded Arizona and eleventh-seeded Xavier.
With just sixteen teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament, time is running out for Sixers fans to get a live look at some potential draft prospects.
There are plenty of intriguing matchups this weekend, but Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup between one of the top teams left, Arizona, and the highest seed left in the tournament, eleventh-seeded Xavier, provides Sixers fans with a look at a few players to watch for that could be on the team’s radar come June.
Despite the game likely getting underway shortly after 10 p.m. eastern, there are a few players on each side worth staying up and getting a close look at.
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Let’s take a look at some of those players and see how they might fit with the Sixers.
Lauri Markkanen
Lauri Markkanen has been the player everyone immediately thinks of when referring to Arizona this season.
The sweet-shooting seven footer from Finland is the lone player in this game that has been projected as a first-round pick to this point.
This is mainly due to him already drawing early comparisons to New York Knicks budding star Kristaps Porzingis.
While some people, including myself, are hesitant to give him such high praise at this point, his game translates very well to the current NBA game.
Markkanen projects as a stretch-five at the next level and right now is being projected to be selected anywhere in the seven to nine range in current mock drafts.
The freshman’s efficient 3-point shooting, 43 percent, as well as his ability to get to the line and convert — 83 percent on five attempts per game — has NBA scouts drooling at his potential at the next level.
While the Sixers aren’t currently in a position to draft a big man, Markkanen’s scoring and rebounding ability will definitely translate to the next level.
Whichever team he ends up on, they will be hopeful he can become something similar to Porzingis.
Allonzo Trier
Allonzo Trier was a solid starter for Sean Miller’s Wildcats last season, but the sophomore has transformed into one of the best players in the Pac-12 this season.
Trier has been a dominant guard all season for the Wildcats, and it’s his playmaking ability that has caused NBA scouts to pay attention.
He plays as a two guard at Arizona, but also has the ability to bring the ball up.
The Seattle native has decent size for a guard, standing at 6-5, but he is a natural scorer with an ability to knock down long range jumpers, as well as get to the basket, where he has a nice touch around the rim.
Trier’s quick moves off the dribble as well as his over-40 percent 3-point shooting is what will allow him to play at the next level.
He currently projects as a second-round pick and he should definitely be one of the players the Sixers consider with one of their four second-round picks.
Trevon Blueitt
The lone Xavier player I’ll examine is junior guard Trevon Blueitt.
Blueitt has been the star player for Musketeers during the team’s improbable run to the Sweet 16 as an 11 seed.
Ever since his teammate Edmond Sumner suffered a season-ending ACL injury in late January, Bluiett has been the go-to scorer for his team.
The Indianapolis native has shown that his scoring potential more than a few times this season, specifically in his 40-point outburst against Cincinnati back in January.
Bluiett has been one of the stars of the tournament so far as he dropped 21 points in the team’s first-round victory over Maryland and 29 points in the team’s blowout victory over third-seeded Florida State in the second round.
He scores in a variety of ways, primarily by driving and finishing around the rim. But he also has a decent long-range jump shot, as he is shooting over 37 percent from beyond the arc on the season.
Bluiett wasn’t on anyone’s draft boards to start the season, but his play in his junior campaign has placed him in the second round of several mock drafts.
If his team has any chance of pulling off the upset against Arizona on Thursday night, it will likely be on him to lead the way.
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And if he and his team can keep their cinderella story going by advancing to the Elite 8 off of his scoring outbursts, then he might be a player the Sixers should look at it in the second round in June.