What Would Have Happened If The Sixers Drafted D’Angelo Russell
By Josh Wilson
![](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/f01f031e18d0c15c3a280c3e78cc47ec212718e9926fb4030539f8164a9d72be.jpg)
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Jahlil Okafor (Duke) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number three overall pick to the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Settling For Jah
This is all hypothetical, of course. Russell will be a Laker next season, and Okafor will be a Sixer. It’s weird to say that I’m disappointed Okafor is a Sixer, because I would trade him for Russell in a heartbeat. Although Okafor surely makes up for the loss of Embiid and his foot setback, and makes the Sixers one of the best front courts in the NBA, they’re lacking more in the back court.
Embiid will (hopefully) be on the court next season. One year without a dominant big man would have been fine, but a point guard is a clear cut need right now, and Russell could have filled that need to near-perfection.
That being said, things didn’t work out that well, and Jah was the next best guy for the Sixers, especially in the context of Embiid being put out for another entire year.
Like I said, I’m perfectly fine with having to “settle,” for one of the top prospects in the country.
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