Could Brandon Ingram Sneak in as Front-Runner for Top Overall Pick?

Brandon Ingram is fresh on the Philadelphia 76ers mind. Could that help him sneak in as the top overall NBA Draft pick?

The Philadelphia 76ers won the NBA Draft Lottery in May, but that was only part of the battle that is rebuilding this team into something cohesive by the fall. Having the top overall pick is a luxury, but that luxury isn’t easy to handle. The team with the top overall pick still has to decide who to select with the top overall pick, and that decision isn’t always an easy one.

This year, it’s between two distinct players. Ben Simmons of LSU has been the clear front-runner since the college basketball season ended, and trailing closely behind has been Brandon Ingram. In the court of public opinion, Simmons has been gaining ground, but Ingram is still in the conversation, for sure.

Most Sixers fans believe that Simmons will be selected first overall by the team, and they’re probably right. All indications point to Simmons being Philly’s guy come next week. But with recent workouts and non-workouts, Ingram may gain some ground in the eyes of the Sixers organization.

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On Monday afternoon, the Sixers held a private solo workout with Brandon Ingram, and he was seen prior to that grabbing dinner with team head coach Brett Brown. He’s been with the team in Philadelphia, and taken time out of his schedule to meet with the team and show him that he wants to be drafted first overall.

On a contrary note, Ben Simmons and his camp recently decided that he would not workout for the Sixers, or for any other professional basketball team. Simmons has done some small workouts with one or two other college basketball players where very few members of the media have been allowed to attend.

Despite that he recently said he would love to go first overall, he’s not showing it by any means in his actions.

At the very basis of this, refusing to workout for any teams means next to nothing. Teams have seen enough of Simmons throughout his sole freshman season already, and certainly enough to make a decision on whether or not they would like to select him with their pick.

What is unable to occur, however, when these workouts are not occurring, is personal connections with teams and their general managers or presidents. Ingram now has a connection with important people on the Sixers, and that personal connection is fresh in the forefront of the Sixers’ minds.

What’s on the forefront of the Sixers’ minds about Simmons? That he refused a workout for them.

Yes, Simmons has a personal connection with Brett Brown from Australia that goes back to when he was a young child, but who has Brown spoken to more recently? Ingram. Simmons’ lone connection with the team isn’t even fresh on the mind of the person that he has the connection with.

That’s not to say that Simmons can’t be talking to Bryan Colangelo or Brett Brown over the phone, and that there is literally zero contact between the two camps, but I think this is all of note.

How much does Ingram’s pre-draft workout for the team impact his stock? Probably not a lot. But the team does seem at the very least interested in him, and I do believe that he is being considered for the top pick.

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Simmons could have been able to nearly guarantee himself to be the top overall pick by simply coming in for a workout for the Sixers. Instead, Ingram is still a big option.