Sam Hinkie’s History Of Second Round Selections In The NBA Draft

Without a second round pick in the 2016 NBA draft, its a good time to see what the Philadelphia 76ers have accomplished in that round. The NBA draft will be much plainer without Sam Hinkie’s magic in that second round

The second round of the NBA draft has been overlooked by many NBA teams in their team building strategy, often used in a “feel good” capacity to enhance and balance two sides of a potential NBA trade. Seldom given serious consideration of generating any impact players to an NBA roster, it had taken on the value of coins in the modern day NBA dealings focused on paper currency.

Except for one man, Philadelphia 76ers president and general manager Sam Hinkie. Much like coins that get dropped into a piggy bank, Sam Hinkie actually began to seek and accumulate second round draft picks from the NBA draft. In his previous three seasons of managing the team’s draft, Hinkie has selected in the second round a whopping twelve times. That also considers his first season with the Sixers, where his may arrival could do little to change the team’s draft position, and the team selected merely twice in second round in that season.

However, that first year became something of a circus.  As national coverage nodded off in an almost automated coverage of a vanilla second round NBA draft, Sam Hinkie went to work.  Performing in a manner that completely took the NBA and sport coverage by surprise, he added a rainbow of color and special effects to the monochrome events of that evening.  He converted just two second round draft picks in 2013 into multiple selections  and future draft picks.  The reputation of general manager Sam Hinkie was born, and in one fell night he turned the status quo of the NBA into “I wonder what the Philadelphia 76ers general manager will do next?”.

Whereas the team started with just two draft picks, they certainly had more to show up with in the second round of the NBA draft on the following year, when Hinkie had amassed and exercised five selections in round two. The following year, the team repeated the process, once more selecting five prospects in the later round.

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So how did the team do? Well to arrive at that, we need to set the time machine back to the NBA draft nights of 2013, 2014, and 2015.   We have the added insight of seeing how those draft picks turned out, which gives us a chance to decide for ourselves how effective the Sixers were in that second round.

Next: 2013

2013

Pierre Jackson (42)

If you are not familiar with point guard Pierre “Pappy Gawd” Jackson, you are one of the sleeping multitude who missed one of the most popular guys never to play for the Philadelphia 76ers in the regular season.    Drafted in 2013, he was a 5’10” 180 pound point guard who had a good eye for moving the ball, and a deceptive burst that would launch him towards the hoop before larger bodies could converge and defend.  But he was not a Sixer for long, as he was packaged with Jrue Holiday to the New Orleans Pelicans for Nerlens Noel.

In fact, there was a hope that he might end up as the starting point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers; not once, but twice in his yet to get started professional career.  The first opportunity ended tragically when he ruptured his Achilles tendon while playing  in the Orlando Summer League. From that point, he was forced to rehab for an entire year, which he did publically by video taping his workouts in a series of #THEYSLEEP

He returned to the Philadelphia 76er discussion once more when he signed a four year deal and returned to the team.   Once more he had the hopes of the fans raised in the belief that he would make the roster.  Once more, the injury bug struck , this time in the pre-season as the Philadelphia 76ers were whittling six point guard prospects down to just two.  Isaiah Canaan and undrafted T.J. McConnell surived.  Pierre Jackson did not.  Jackson has since signed with the D-League team, the Idaho Stampede.

Glenn Rice Jr. (35)

Small forward Glenn Rice Jr. was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers and was immediately traded to the Washington Wizards for two second round picks – numbers 38  and 54.   Rice would play with the Washington Wizards in a backup role, playing in 11 games in the 2013-2014 season and just 5 games in the 2014-2015 season.  He was waived by the team on January 5, 2015.  He has since signed on with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

The actual draft by the Philadelphia 76ers was much more complicated than a simple “two players drafted” portrays.   With the Sixers trading Jrue Holiday (and 42nd pick Pierre Jackson) to New Orleans for Nerlens Noel, there were a cascading series of trades on that evening. Philadelphia used the 35th pick on Glen Rice Jr., and then immediately traded him to the Washington Wizards for the 38th and 54th overall picks.

But then here is where it gets very exciting.

Then at 38, they selected Nate Wolters from South Dakota State.
They then decided to trade him to the Milwaukee Bucks for the rights to guard Ricky Ledo from Providence, and a second round pick in 2014.
Sixers then traded Ledo to the Dallas Mavericks for a 2014 second round pick.
Philadelphia picked Arsalan Kazemi from Oregon at pick number 54. Kazemi is an interesting story, as he is the first Iranian to ever be drafted in the NBA. When the smoke cleared, the Sixers netted Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams, Arsalan Kazemi, a 2014 1st round pick from New Orleans, a 2014 2nd round pick from Milwaukee and possibly one more from Dallas. Of the group, only Arsalan Kazemi, chosed at 54 by the Washington Wizards pick, remained on the team from that round.

The Sam Hinkie Era had officially begun.  NBA draft news agencies were now officially placed on notice to ramp up their coverage.

Next: 2014

2014

K.J. McDaniels – (32)

If the 2013 NBA draft proved the magic president and general manager Sam Hinkie was capable of in a second round of an NBA draft, then the 2014 NBA draft displayed Hinkie’s acumen for finding diamonds in a coal mine.

His first gem was the selection of small forward K.J. McDaniels from Clemson.  McDaniels played in 52 games with the Philadelphia 76ers, and averaged an impressive 9.2 points per game.  However, he was given options of signing a one year contract with the Sixers, or a more lucrative multi-year deal.  He elected the short term option, and played his heart out.  He played so well, in fact, that other teams began to take notice.  One such team, the Houston Rockets, weighed in with a package that included both Isaiah Canaan and another second round pick.  With Hinkie believing that McDaniels play had inflated his NBA value above what the Sixers would likely pay him, he took that trade.

While McDaniels did not prosper with the Houston Rockets, his production made the Sixers efforts to maximize the NBA second round crystal clear to the NBA.  There are diamonds in that round, and Sam Hinkie can find them.

Jerami Grant – (39)

While the saga of K.J. McDaniels showed how quickly Hinkie can act from the business side of the street, the Jerami Grant story shows the softer, patient, paternal side of the odds-loving general manager.
Small Forward Jerami Grant was selected from the University of Syracuse Orangemen, and the upside of Jerami Grant may have precipitated the trade of K.J.McDaniels.  Playing off the bench, Grant averaged 6.3 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per game, .6 steals and 1.0 blocks per game in his rookie season.   In his sophomore year, his offensive production has improved to 9.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, .7 SPG and a team leading 1.6 BPG  .  Jerami Grant is a solid contributor on the team, and is evolving into the type of two-way player coveted by head coach Brett Brown.  The fact that he was uncovered with the 39th pick in the 2014 draft shows the skill of Hinkie in finding players with upside.  While other teams targetted free agents, Hinkie targeted the second round of the NBA draft.  Perhaps its his success there which has infuriated established NBA executives?

Russ Smith – (47)

With the 47th pick , the Philadelphia 76ers selected a 6’1″ point guard from Louisville named Russ Smith.  But once more, the magic of Sam Hinkie reared once more, as he converted the immediately into a trade for former Philadelphia 76ers point guard prospect Pierre Jackson.

Vasilije Micić -(52)

In addition to the first round selection of Dario Saric, the second round added a taste of Sam Hinkie’s flair for the international players, invoking his “pick and stash” to retain the rights to developing players in international leagues at no cost to either a roster slot or to salary cap.  Vasilije Micic, a Serbian point guard, plays for FC Bayern Munich of the German BBL.  He injured the collateral ligament in his right elbow in November 2014, and needed nearly two months to recover.  After injuring his ankle, he was relegated to the bench for BM, where his playing time dwindled.  He ended his time with Bayern Munich in December 2015, and signed up with KK Crvena Zvezda in Serbia.  He’s a rangy point guard on the large side at 6-foot-6, who can run the pick-and-roll quite effectively while taking the ball to the rack. While his name seldom is discussed in Sixer circles, he would be an intriguing play if the Sixers opt for Ben Simmons from the 2016 NBA draft. Micić would be the perfect peer to Simmons, whose height would give him the ability to effectively slide into whatever scheme the Sixers design for the very tall Simmons at a point guard role.

Nemanja Dangubić – (54)

With the 54th pick, the Philadelphia 76ers selected 6’8.5″ small forward Nemanja Dangubic, . The Sixers then traded Dangubic to the San Antonio Spurs for the the rights to 58th overall pick Jordan McRae and the 60th overall pick, Cory Jefferson from the San Antonio Spurs. The Sixers then traded the rights to Jefferson to the Brooklyn Nets for cash considerations.

Next: 2015

2015

Guillermo Hernangómez-(35)

With the 35th pick in the 2015 NBA draft, Sam Hinkie selected the spanish center, Guillermo Hernangomez. Hernangomez was a former teammate of Kristaps Porzingis on Sevilla in the ACB. He averaged 10.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while averaging 21 minutes a night this season in ACB play. He is the prototype NBA center at 6-11, 255 pounds with a 7-1 wingspan. Hernangomez, as you may suspect, is a draft-and-stash player, with no immediate word as to when he’s expected to make his presence felt in the United States. But later that night, Hinkie traded Hernangomez to the Brooklyn Nets for two second round picks. The picks the Sixers will receive are the Knicks own second round picks in 2020 and 2021.

Richaun Holmes – (37)

After dealing the spanish center, the thought is that the Sixers would turn to the backcourt. But surprising many, the team elected to bring power forward Richaun Holmes at 37 instead. The 6’10” player from Bowling Green as a true senior. Holmes arrived to the team with a lofty reputation for blocks and defense, and with the team bringing offensive center Jahlil Okafor, the fit was too convenient to pass up.  Having only started one game in his rookie season, primarily due to the log jam of big bodies at both the center and power forward position, Holmes has carved out a niche for playing time on this team.

Averaging 13.9 minutes per game, he has scored 5.7 points and brought in 2.6 rebounds per game.  Even with low minutes, he has averaged .8 blocks and .4 steals per game as well, both good numbers for a rookie fighting for court time.

For the Sixers, Holmes performance must certainly be viewed as a huge success.  Despite a crowded front court and himself developing NBA skills in his rookie season, Holmes is earning playing time, while exercising extreme patience for a man of his youth in waiting for his opportunity to arrive.

"“I try not to concentrate on it and just try to focus or do what I can to help the team win, whether that’s cheering from the bench or doing something well at practice,” Holmes said. “I just try to focus on bringing a positive energy to the team and try to help us in any game any way I can. Development is extremely important. They invest a lot of time in the players here and try to get us better and make us longtime NBA players. I just have to continue to have the mindset of working hard every day in every situation and try to get better. We work on a lot of things, from shooting to putting the ball on the floor more and post moves. We work on every aspect of the game to make me a complete NBA player.” -Richaun Holmes"

While much has been made of Elton Brand‘s arrival to the team to mentor Jahlil Okafor, not much is being said of the said mentoring of Richaun Holmes by Carl Landry. Mentoring not just on the court, but developing the proper state of mind while not on the court.  While the team does look for upgrade the team quality next season, I don’t think it means Holmes’ farewell.  He has great upside, and has the type of shooting style and rebounding skills that become invaluable to a team as it becomes more competitive.

Artūras Gudaitis – (47)

With the 47th pick in the 2015 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected a Lithuanian center Arturas Gudaitis. While he was eventually traded to the Sacramento Kings in the trade that brought both Nik Stauskas and Carl Landry to the Sixers, he was a component in a trade that allowed the Sixers to stockpile another first round draft pick, the right to swap first round picks in two successive years, and to add serviceable, if not players with good upsides.

J. P. Tokoto -(58)

Shooting guard/small forward J.P. Tokoto became the Philadelphia 76ers pick at number 58, and was given the option on a multi year deal or a one year non-guaranteed contract. Just as K.J.McDaniels had done previously, Tokoto was confident that his play would attract a larger multi-year offer at the end of one year of play.  However, that year never developed as Tokoto was waived by the Sixers after the pre-season.  He signed on with the Delaware 87ers, the 76ers affiliate in the developmental league.  He would later be traded by the 87ers to the Okalahoma City Blue.

Luka Mitrović – (60)

The Philadelphia 76ers ended the 2015 NBA draft by selecting Serbian power forward Luka Mitrovic. He was traded alongside Arturas Gudaitas to the Sacramento Kings in 2015.

Next: It's worth a shot

It’s Worth A Shot

There is no doubt that the presence of Sam Hinkie in the second round of an NBA draft is incredibly marketable. His machine gun transactions have the effect on the innocent observer of taking on the shape of an NBA draft avalanche. One pick is selected, and then that prospect is immediately traded for picks later in the round, who then become traded for future picks, or current players.

But does the round have any advantage for the Philadelphia 76ers?  Well, the reaction of the Philadelphia 76ers in revisiting point guard Pierre Jackson from the New Orleans Pelicans suggests that the team projected Jackson as an NBA player in 2013.  If that is the case, they have uncovered an NBA caliber talent each year of Sam Hinkie’s tenure.  The round has also yielded the rights to Vasilije Micić, a tall point guard who is seldom mentioned recently, but who play a factor in the teams development of NBA prospects this off-season, particularly Ben Simmons if the Sixers select him.

While the team has yet to uncover an NBA all-star in the later round, the time for having done that is still early.  Second round prospects, by the very nature of their draft position, tend to get fewer minutes on an NBA team court, and therefore develop at a somewhat slower pace.  It’s unfair to look at Richaun Holmes, still in his rookie season, and hold his career up against that of an NBA all star.

But the team does do well enough in the round to warrant an interest in getting back to it in the 2016 NBA draft.  Perhaps the team will trade a fringe player for a pair of 2nd round picks.  Perhaps the team will absorb salary strapped teams’ swollen player contracts for the fee of second round draft picks.

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However it happens, it should.  Before Sam Hinkie, the matrix for the NBA draft second round had fallen into track A or track B, and created a vanilla and almost un-watchable product, particularly for the fans of the Philadelphia 76ers.  If there is a grade for effort, Hinkie has earned an A+, as he and his team kick over every rock, swing virtually any deal imaginable, in order to deliver the Philadelphia 76ers enough assets to synchronize simultaneously to allow the team to soar to the ranks of the perennial playoff teams.  Even though the team is on a rebuild, it would be prudent to bring a developing prospect or two onto the twenty man roster as well, not only to push the new faces, but to keep an eye on the following year’s talent as well.

Sam Hinkie never fails to entertain on draft night.  I hope we can see his encore in the second round.  That’s where he plays at his best.