Sixer Sense Mailbag: Is the NBA Draft Here Yet?

With the NBA Draft season upon us, a lot of the questions today will be focused on the draft and what not. There are a lot of interested minds about what the Sixers will do with the No. 3 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. I received a lot of questions for this mailbag, so this will be the first part and I’ll most likely put up another mailbag this week with the rest of the questions.

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions through Twitter. As a reminder, you can follow me on Twitter @Dcorrigan50 and the Sixer Sense Twitter at @SixerSense.

Let’s get to the questions:

No. If all we’re getting back is No. 7 and the rights to swap first-round picks with the Knicks next year. Tbh, the Sixers have a chance to be a lot worse than the Knicks next year depending on how their offseason goes, so the right to swap picks doesn’t do much for me. At No. 3, the Sixers have a lot of options and I’m not willing to move down four spots and lose out on the point guards, Winslow, and Porzingis/Hezonja.

Elite wing, without a doubt. The NBA is in the point guard age right now. There are good-to-great point guards everywhere and in today’s NBA, elite wing’s seem to have to do everything. The real elite wings are asked to defend, score, be decent from three, rebound, facilitate, etc. I look at players I consider elite wings when responding to this question like: Paul George, Jimmy Butler, LeBron James, Kevin Durant.

Also, I think about the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have an elite wing in Kevin Durant and elite guard in Russell Westbrook. Without Durant, they’re barely a playoff team in the West. But, without Westbrook, I’d still put money on them being a 5-8 seed in the West. I put more value in an elite wing than point guard.

I don’t think the Sixers are desperate for a three-point threat. They already have a decent one in Robert Covington (37 percent from three) and another in Hollis Thompson (40 percent). They’ll be fine with those until the team really starts to move forward. Though, I wouldn’t be averse to packaging some second-round picks to get back into the first-round and grab a prospect like Kentucky’s Devin Booker or Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter. But, to answer your question, I’d say the odds are low that they “go hard” after a three-point threat.

Hinkie doesn’t have to use the hype for anything. Also, consider that all of the hype about D’Angelo Russell is from Sixers fans mostly and some mock drafts. NBA GM’s aren’t considering these at all when making decisions.

Regardless, Hinkie is doing his due diligence on every prospect. He was reportedly the only GM to see Emmanuel Mudiay in China, so Porzingis isn’t the only person he’s spending a lot of time scouting. I’m sure he’s high on Kristaps Porzingis, but we won’t know until June 25. If someone really wants Emmanuel Mudiay or D’Angelo Russell, Hinkie will listen to every call and make a decision.

Hinkie would have to use a combination of players + the Miami Heat or Los Angeles Lakers pick to move back in the lottery on draft night. You’d have to assume there would be a team that would be willing to do that for a future first-rounder.

Last time I talked to Pierre Jackson, which was a few months ago, he was flying into Philadelphia for a physical. As far as I know, he was given a clean bill of health at this physical. He’s not under contract with any team right now, but he’s going to play in Summer League. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was with the Sixers for Summer League. But, the Sixers have six picks in the 2015 NBA Draft could really hurt his chances of making the team.

It’s difficult to talk fit with a team that won 18 games last season. It comes down to who Sam Hinkie believes is the better player. Mario Hezonja is the guard/wing that can shoot the three at a good percentage, while still being a high-level athlete. D’Angelo Russell is a point guard that can facilitate and shoot from three, but his athleticism and finish ability is questionable.

I have Russell and Hezonja at the second and third slots on my big board, respectively. But, I’m close to moving Hezonja infront of Russell. There will also be point guards, but I’m not sure prospects like Hezonja will come around every year. Still a difficult toss up and not a decision I’d want to be faced with.

Personally? Karl Towns. But that’s unlikely to happen. Realistically, I’m torn between Mudiay, Russell and Hezonja. I’ll pick Hezonja, because I’m going full #TeamMario until the NBA Draft.

Next: Don't Crown D'Angelo Russell as the King of Philadelphia Yet