Sixer Sense PreLottery 2016 NBA Mock Draft

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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 /

Pre-Lottery 2016 NBA Mock Draft 2.0 – Philadelphia 76ers.

Five Days. Just five days until we have the first set of answers. To which Questions? How often and at which positions will the Philadelphia 76ers be selecting on the NBA draft night of June 23rd? Well that’s the fun part.

Before he crafted a 13 page resignation letter and resigned from the Philadelphia 76ers, Sam Hinkie amassed a wide assortment of components to ensure that the 2016 NBA Draft would be the turning point for the franchise.

The Philadelphia 76ers finished with the worst record in the NBA, and so they have the best (albeit not-so-good) chances of landing the top pick this year. While the team only has a 25% chance of getting the top pick in this NBA draft, there is a slight but noteworthy bonus. The Sixers have negotiated the rights to swap first round picks with the Sacramento Kings, a team which struggled but had most success at the end of the 2015-2016 season. Because the Kings tied the Denver Nuggets, they will combine their lotter chances and split the difference. That gives them a 1.9% chance of earning the first pick of this draft, which will be added to the odds of the Sixers to give us a 26.9% chance of picking first. If the Sixers fall out of the top three picks (they can fall no further than four), there is an additional 6.8% chance of the Sacramento Kings landing in the top three, which will trigger the swap.

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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.

We also have the Miami Heat first round pick at 24, as well as the Oklahoma City Thunder pick at 26. Josh Wilson crafted a nice article detailing each of the possible scenarios, and I encourage you to check it out.

But for now, stock up on whatever festive food and beverages you can buy. You have five days to prepare for the NBA Lottery on May 17. After that, the NBA draft will be held on June 23rd. So the Sixers, if all things end well on lottery night, could be selecting first, fourth, twenty-fourth, and twenty-sixth on draft night. Lets see how our board lines up for us with those picks?

Next: Combine 2016