Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; General view of the full first round draft board at the conclusion of the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia 76ers Feeling A Sixer Draft
Covering the Sixer plan, as best we know it, is not a one article endeavor. We’ve committed three articles so far to the subject. The first covered the reluctance of the team to round out it’s roster. We know that Sam Hinkie has irons in the fire, but has yet to execute transactions as we approach the season. We’ve talked about the players stashed internationally in part two. Along with Dario Saric, we have Vasilija Micic and Arsalan Kazemie. Two more prospects, Jordan McRae and J.P Tokoto are up in the air and may end up playing overseas as well. In part three, we discussed the tree top view of current players, which we now project will be bolstered immensely by the NBA, international players, and even a healthy Joel Embiid. We’ve talked about the plan, the process, the players, and even the proclivity of the Philadelphia 76ers’ general manager to make moves upon moves to place the team into a position to succeed someday. Someday may never come if the stockpile of picks currently hoarded by Sam Hinkie do not someday translate into players who can take the team to the next level, or levels, going forward.
In this article, part IV, we can isolate the 2016 NBA draft, which will be a rainbow of opportunity for the Philadelphia 76ers team. If all the dominoes fall the correct way, the team will have a bevy of new prospects to add to the roster. If no dominoes fall the right way, the team will have a normal draft, but will have a future to look forward to.
Win/Win? I think so.
The Philadelphia 76ers will get their own 1st round draft pick in the 2016 draft. If record projections are correct, the team will likely end up with a pick in the range of Charlotte Hornets this season, or nine. If they do not play well, they could land another top three pick. While it may sound counter productive, I hope the former is correct, as the team has other draft options to make this work out nicely. In either case, they will have the opportunity to draft a good prospect.
But they have more. With a Lakers pick protected in the first three, the 76ers could very likely end up with a four pick in the 2016 NBA draft. At four, the Sixers will definitely look to shore up the back court.
The Sixers also have a first round draft pick from the Miami Heat, which is protected through ten. So that could land a Sixer first round pick from 11 through 30 in round one.
The Sixers also have a first round draft pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is protected through 15. So that could land a Sixer first round pick from 16 through 30 in round one.
More? Of course. The Sixers have rights to swap draft picks with either Golden State or Sacramento Kings. So if the Philadelphia 76ers do well, they can still look to improve their draft position with the Sacramento pick, or improve the position of either their or Miami pick with Golden State.
While the Sixers traded their own second round draft pick, they do have one coming from the Denver Nuggets.
Got all that? Okay… now lets move on… we have a lot of ground to cover.
Next: From Where?