The Sixer Sense
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5 Reasons to not be Worried About the Philadelphia 76ers

By Josh Wilson

Mar 9, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) high fives forward Robert Covington (33) from the court against the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) high fives forward Robert Covington (33) from the court against the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks at the conclusion of the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks at the conclusion of the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The Sixers have the best odds to have a great night on draft night

The biggest part of the rebuild so far has been the NBA Draft, and this year’s draft could be the biggest one yet, if the ping-pong balls fall in the Sixers favor. Philly has acquired several great players over the last few years. Some are still here, and a few are gone. Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams, and Jahlil Okafor are the biggest names, and all players that currently are, or hopefully will be making big names for themselves in the NBA.

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This year could be even bigger though, with Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram slated to go first and second in this season’s draft. The Sixers were content with a top 5 draft pick last year, but this year, they really need that first or second pick. It was looking like they would have a possible 4 first round draft picks this year, but the Los Angeles Lakers were worse than expected this season, which may lead to the Sixers not being able to claim their protected pick.

Luckily, the Sixers have lost enough to keep the Lakers out of dead last, and have out-tanked everyone around them. The Lakers were making threatening moves at taking those best overall chances at the top pick, but as of right now the Lakers are 5.5 games behind the Sixers for the best chances, and the Sixers show no signs of letting up.

It doesn’t help the Lakers that they pulled out a win over the league’s best team, the Golden State Warriors, a game that should have been a sure loss.

The Sixers currently have the best odds at the number one overall pick with a 25 percent (or 1 in 4 if you like looking at it that way) chance of getting the top pick. They also have a 64.3 percent chance (or 1 in 1.6) of getting in the highly  coveted top 3.

The Lakers have to give the Sixers their pick if it falls out of the top 3 due to last year’s Michael Carter-Williams trade, and although the odds aren’t in the Sixers’ favor here, they aren’t completely out-of-this world odds. There is a 44.2 percent chance that the Sixers will get the Lakers’ pick this year at 4 or worse, or 2 in 2.26 odds.

We won’t know for sure how the draft night will shape up as far as order until the lottery in May, but the numbers definitely are shaping up to be in the Sixers’ favor.

Next: Player Development