Philadelphia 76ers: 5 Possibilities With the Top Overall Pick
By Josh Wilson
Scenario 4: Take Brandon Ingram
Brandon Ingram is a solid forward coming out of Duke University, the same place that Jahlil Okafor will be spending to take summer classes and train with old coaches. Ingram, during his time at Duke, established himself as a good player despite not being one of the top high-school prospects just a year before.
More from The Sixer Sense
- 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
- 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
- 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
- Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
- Sixers Podcast: Danny Green returns + James Harden bombshell
In just one year’s time, Ingram moved his way up to the top-two projected overall picks. His improvement over the year in the court of public opinion should be looked at as a plus — he’s constantly improving himself. The way I see it, he may not appear to have as high of a ceiling as Ben Simmons right now, but he could surprise us and out-do Simmons by the time their careers are over.
Ingram, in his sole season with Duke, averaged 17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. His best attribute quite possibly is his 3-point shooting, as he sank 41 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
In the ACC, Ingram was sixth overall in points produced.
Another big positive to Ingram is that he is a great defensive player. Ingram has massive length and averaged 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game in his freshman year. His ability to be a nuisance to opponents as a defender is a good thing, and the Sixers could use that in tandem with Nerlens Noel’s already established defensive manner.
Overall, Ingram is still looked at as the second best, but some, including myself, believe he has the most immediate impact as well as the highest ceiling of any player in this draft.
The likelihood of this scenario occurring is better than the three previously mentioned scenarios, but probably still just about a 20 or 30 percent chance of this actually playing out.
Next: Take Ben Simmons