Can Philadelphia 76ers Fans Trust Colangelo on Draft Day?

There has been a ton of emotions put out in the world since Sam Hinkie stepped down and Bryan Colangelo took his place. Can we trust Bryan?

There has been a roller coaster of emotions displayed since Sam Hinkie stepped down from the Philadelphia 76ers and Bryan Colangelo took his place. Whether fans agree with what happened or not, it is time to move on and accept the fact Colangelo is now the man in charge. What’s done is done.

Moving forward, Colangelo has an array of assets to work with thanks to the work of Hinkie, including this year’s top overall draft pick thanks to the results of Tuesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery.

For Colangelo, given that things went the Sixers way on Tuesday, it will be as simple as waiting for the NBA Draft to start and handing in the paper that says “Ben Simmons.” It’s very reminiscent, as Colangelo did when he took the consensus number one pick Andrea Bargnani 10 years ago in the 2006 NBA draft.

Looking back, many criticize Colangelo for the pick. But on draft day in 2006, anyone who had that pick would have taken Bargnani. Bargnani proved his worth his first couple seasons in the NBA before fizzling out and declining shortly after.

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So can the Sixers fans trust Colangelo on draft day? Lets take a look at what he has done in the draft throughout his career.

In the loaded draft class of 1996, Bryan Colangelo found a young Canadian point guard by the name of Steve Nash with the 15th overall pick. While Nash wouldn’t tap into his full potential until his time in Dallas and his second stint in Phoenix, Colangelo still saw something in Nash and selected the future Hall of Famer with that pick.

Two years later at the draft, Colangelo moved Nash and received a 1999 first round pick in return. He turned that first round pick into Shawn Marion who was selected with 9th overall pick. Marion turned into a perennial all-star who could give you 20 points and 10 rebounds on any given night.

In 2002, he would add another piece to what was slowly becoming one of the most prolific offenses in NBA history. He selected Amar’e Stoudemire with the 9th pick. Stoudemire would go onto become one of the best offensive players in the league during his time in Phoenix.

The 2004 draft wasn’t as friendly to Colangelo as he moved Luol Deng in a trade with the Chicago Bulls. In return, the Suns recieved Jackson Vroman. That mistake may still keep him up at night.

In 2006, his first season with the Raptors, Colangelo took the aforementioned Bargnani.

After an uneventful 2007 draft, Colangelo made his most criticized move as a GM in 2008 when he made the trade for Pacers big man Jermaine O’Neal. In that trade, the Raptors gave up T.J. Ford and the rights to Roy Hibbert. O’Neal did not even last the whole season with the Raptors.

Things got better in 2009, when Colangelo once again struck gold with the 9th pick. He selected DeMar DeRozan, who is now the leading scorer for a Raptors team that is currently four wins away from the NBA finals.

2010 saw Colangelo take Ed Davis with the 13th overall pick. Davis never stuck and has bounced around the league since being drafted.

Following the Chris Bosh trade, Colangelo landed Jonas Valanciunas with the 5th pick in the 2011 draft. Valanciunas has arguably become the most important player on the Raptors this postseason.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers Win NBA Draft Lottery

Colangelo has shown that he can find true foundation pieces in the lottery, which bodes well for a Sixers team that could end up with another lottery pick should the Lakers pick fall outside the top three.