After the lottery, it quickly turns into NBA Mock Draft season. There are mock drafts being released left and right and left and right…then right and left. They’re everywhere, but we conveniently want to bring you all of them in one place, aren’t we good people?
We are. Yes, we are. With the Sixers having the third and 10th picks in the draft, it’s pretty confusing. No one will really know what the Cavs will do with the first pick or what the Bucks will do after the Cavs selection. The Cavs had the No. 1 pick last year and screwed it up by taking Anthony Bennett as all of our jaws proceeded to drop when the name was announced. Let’s hope they screw it up again.
This mock draft from Fox Sports, has the Sixers selecting Joel Embiid with the third pick and Gary Harris with the 10th pick. Here are the explanations for the picks:
"Embiid: Raw offensively, but can change the course of a game with his defense. Imagine a frontline of Embiid and Nerlens Noel. Troublesome back is a bit of a concern.Harris: Can hit shots from anywhere and plays 100 percent at all times. Lockdown defender in college. A little small for the two-guard spot."
Note that this mock has Parker and Wiggins going No. 1 and No. 2, while Noah Vonleh, Aaron Gordon, and Doug McDermott are selected before No. 10.
Next, we have a mock draft from SB Nation. This mock draft is just glorious. If I could pick one draft to go the Sixers way, it’s this one. SB Nation has Andrew Wiggins falling to No. 3 to the Sixers and Nik Stauskas to the Sixers at No. 10. Wouldn’t that be beautiful? Here are the explanations for the selections:
"Wiggins: The 76ers and Andrew Wiggins are a perfect match. Philadelphia played the fastest pace in the NBA a year ago, which is a system Wiggins should thrive in. Additionally, he won’t have be counted on to have his hands on the ball at all times thanks to the presence of Michael Carter-Williams. While Wiggins might need time to develop a complete offensive arsenal, he’s ready immediately on defense. That will be a huge boost for a team that finished No. 27 in the league on defense a year ago.Stauskas: The 76ers will have options with their second top 10 pick. Do they want the upside of Zach LaVine? The NBA-ready defense of Gary Harris? There’s a lot of ways Philadelphia can go, but adding arguably the draft’s top shooter in Nik Stauskas would provide a big boost for an offense that ranked No. 30 this past season. Stauskas will be a below-average athlete as a starting shooting guard, but if there’s one way to hide a limited defender, it’s by putting Nerlens Noel behind him."
SB Nation has Embiid going No. 1 with Parker going No. 2, beautiful stuff. Again, Aaron Gordon and Noah Vonleh are gone by this point.
Batter up! Yahoo Sports is next. Yahoo has the Sixers taking Joel Embiid at No. 3 and James Young at No. 10. Young’s stock has taken quite the rise since the combine. Here are the explanations from a scout’s point of view, apparently:
"Embiid: Scout’s take: “Embiid is a game-changer, but [his] back is a concern. Improved in a short time. Has star and franchise player potential.”Young: Scout’s take: “No right hand. Owns a sweet stroke from NBA range that is beautiful, effortless and easy. Needs to learn how to come off screens.”"
Interesting, this mock has Julius Randle being taken at No. 11. If he’s there at 10, somehow, the Sixers will take him.
Finally, we have DraftExpress, who just had their third edition of their mock draft updated. DX has the Sixers taking Embiid at No. 3 and Aaron Gordon (!) at No. 10, holy front court action.
"Embiid: Although Philadelphia already drafted Nerlens Noel last year, it’s difficult to pass up what might be the best talent in the draft due to positional concerns, especially considering the stage of rebuilding the Sixers are at, and the fact that Noel has yet to play an NBA game yet. Gordon: With their second lottery pick, Philadelphia can afford to take a swing on a high upside player. Aaron Gordon is arguably the best athlete in this draft class, and would fit in very well into the up-tempo style of play Brett Brown has implemented. His scoring deficiencies might look a little more glaring next to a similarly limited shooter like Michael Carter-Williams, but Philadelphia is in talent-acquisition mode right now and can’t really afford to be all that picky if a talent like Gordon falls to them here."
The combination of Embiid and Gordon would make me happy, but I don’t see it happening. You can’t have Gordon, Noel, and Embiid on the court at the same time with Michael Carter-Williams. Not one of them can shoot, that would be egregious. But, these scenarios will change a million time until the actual draft happens.
How do you feel about these mock drafts?
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