Sixer Sense Mock 2016 NBA Draft Board

As the 2015-2016 draws to a close, the NBA draft is beginning to peek above the horizon. With a potential four picks in the first round, the 2016 NBA draft board holds the answers to many questions for the Philadelphia 76ers.

With a 2016 NBA draft setting the starting line of the official climb to the top of the league for the Philadelphia 76ers, at what point is it appropriate to turn our attention away from a difficult season and towards the promise of tomorrow, and an NBA draft which has the potential to hold as many as four first round draft picks for the Philadelphia 76ers, a team desperate to reverse the course of flirting with the woes of the worst records for teams in the NBA.

It’s time to hype the hype, set the sights away from a win loss column and towards the calendar. The NBA Draft looms in the distance. The NBA lottery approaches. Unless you are counting on the Sixers getting the first pick and drafting Ben Simmons as the only success factor, the news is both positive and welcome.

First of all, let’s set some dates so we are all on the same page.   The NBA season will officially end on April 16, 2016.  On that date, the teams without post season aspirations, including our Philadelphia 76ers, will begin the arduous task of blueprinting how to build a successful team during the off-season.  In early May, from the 11th through the 15th, hopefuls from the NCAA and around the world will participate in the 2016 NBA combine.   After that first step, the NBA lottery will be conducted on May 17th to set the order for the NBA draft to be held on June 23rd.

As a result of that lottery, the front office of the Philadelphia 76ers will learn whether they do have the first pick of the NBA draft, and whether they will also benefit from the first pick of a struggling Los Angeles Lakers team.   Let’s discuss those odds.  While the Lakers are sitting with the second worst record in the league, they have a top three protected pick.  With the lottery, that gives the Sixers a probability of 44.2% to benefit from the Lakers pick this season.

Meanwhile, the team only has a 25% chance of getting the top pick in this NBA draft.  But the team has negotiated the rights to swap first round picks with the Sacramento Kings, a team which is also struggling in its own right.  Currently, the Kings sit as the 24th team in the league.  That gives them a 4.3% chance of earning the first pick of this draft, which will be added to the odds of the Sixers to give us a nearly 30% chance of picking first.   As the Kings struggle, the odds of their pick grow increasingly more favorable of netting the top pick, which will simply benefit the draft of the Sixers.

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In addition to the pick of the Lakers, the Sixers are also in line to benefit from the picks of the Miami Heat, currently projected to come at the 22 selection, as well as that of the Oklahoma City Thunder, projecting at the 26 selection.

So the Sixers, if all things end well on lottery night, could be selecting first, fourth, twenty-second, and twenty-sixth on draft night. Lets see how our board lines up for us with those picks?

Next: The Draft Board

The Draft Board

There will be many changes in the weeks leading up to the NBA draft. Stocks of players who perform exceedingly well in the NCAA tournament will impact the overall rankings of players tremendously, while the NBA combine will allow teams to differentiate between two or more players who are ranked too closely to tell apart.

But for now, we need a starting point. And with a projection of the Sixers picking at the one, four, twenty-two, and twenty-six selection, lets see who we might end up with? We’ll look at our board first, and then well discuss the players selected.  You will see that the draft board, while set up with the top sixty players, will show you the top 10 initially.  Simply select a larger population from the drop down to see as much, or as little, of the NBA draft board as you desire.   See you with the projected Sixers picks in the slides that follow afterwards.

Next: 1st Pick

The Results First Pick

Next: 4th Pick

The Results Fourth Pick

Next: 22nd Pick

The Results Twenty-Second Pick

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22

furkan korkmaz

SG, Anodulo Efes

With the twenty-second pick of the 2015 draft, the Philadelphia 76ers add to the back court depth by grabbing the teammate of soon-to-arrive Dario Saric in the form of shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz.

Korkmaz is an intriguing selection here, as he has almost everything in his offensive arsenal that a long term NBA veteran might possess.  He can even create scoring options for himself, a badly needed skill to augment the limited supply on the Sixers current roster. He brings that sharp shooter precision from long range, where he averaged almost 50% in recent competition. He never shies away from shooting the ball when he is open, regardless of the shot. He feasts on both slower and shorter opponents. His height is bigger than most shooting guards, but his athleticism gives him a distinct advantage. He averages 25.3 points per game, and will be a nightmare for his NBA opponent to defend. Much like Jahlil Okafor, he will need to strengthen his own defensive skills. But his athleticism and size should give him an advantage.

Next: 26th Pick

The Results Twenty-Sixth Pick

Next: Post Draft Grade

The Post Draft Grade

The Philadelphia 76ers enter the draft with back court needs as well as upgrading their long range shooting. By bringing in Ben Simmons, a player whose versatility will bless them for many years to come, the team can plug him into virtually any position on the court. However, the upside of positioning such a strong passer, selfless player, and high basketball IQ at the point guard position will be just too tempting for the team to resist. With point guard addressed, the team can then turn toward the other guard position with either Jammal Murray or Furkan Korkmaz. While the defense of Murray will likely get him more minutes, unless he develops a two way skill quickly, the team will begin to erode his court time to give Korkmaz some looks.

Initially, the role of Korkamz will likely emulate that of Isaiah Canaan, a sixth/seventh man role coming off the bench to spark the offense, particularly later in the game as the team seeks to improve frustrating late rallies by their opponents. In such occasions, flooding the floor with both Murray and Korkmaz will give the Sixers tremendous shooting from the perimeter, and coupled with a rim protector like Nerlens Noel pair up with Joel Embiid low, while either Simmons or T.J.McConnell set up the plays, could be quite a challenging lineup for any NBA team to handle.

While the team sorts through ranking Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and Joel Embiid in a center and power forward rotation, it’s unclear if the team will retain both Richaun Holmes and Carl Landry. Newcomer Dario Saric will most like by sent to the small forward position, which gives the team some vulnerability to a pure power forward. Sabonis can fill those minutes, while being groomed for an ever increasing workload or even for a possible trade if he becomes a valued player in a crowded front court.

Next: The Door Is Wide Opent For Nerlens Noel

In any case, even without the arrival of any free agents, the team will be well positioned to approach, if not outright threaten, a playoff appearance next season.  And with the team netting so many top NCAA prospects in one season, they will have every right to expect a sharp turn upward in their fortunes next season.  With the team ending with so many prominent draft prospects, plus the scheduled arrival of Dario Saric as well as a new-to-a-healthy-lineup Joel Embiid, the entire roster will have a new look, new feel, new outlook, and brand new positive energy.
Mock Draft grade: A