Why Philadelphia 76ers Should Expect All Draft Picks To Play This Year

Despite Pre-Draft concerns that Philadelphia 76ers would stash late first round draft pick, don’t rule out both playing this season.

This is a wild ride for the Philadelphia 76ers fans right now.  No pre-draft chatter resembles anything we are experiencing right now.   We were led to believe that either Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel would be dealt before the draft, they weren’t.  We were led to believe that the Philadelphia 76ers would be trading to get back into the top eight picks of the draft.  They didn’t.

We were told that the Philadelphia 76ers, by default, would select NBA prospects in the latter part of the 2016 NBA Draft first round and stash them in Europe for a couple of years.

They very likely won’t.

Has this blown your mind yet?   Well, it shouldn’t.  This is very logical.  This is not about Sam Hinkie’s team, Bryan Colangelo’s team, a veteran team, nor a rookie team.  This is the first time in four years that this appears to be about Brett Brown’s team.

The Philadelphia 76ers have finally drafted a team – not players.  This is Brett Brown’s pace space and pass team now.  This is about setting up the team with the right pieces on the roster.  This is about the value of a team having a lineup which can execute Brown’s game plan.

Until now, the Philadelphia 76ers dealt players like the Chicago Mercantile Exchange – buying low and selling high – with  less thought about the 15 man roster which would eventually suit up and play for the team on a basketball court.  At the end of the day, the team wanted to end up with more value than it started with.

It was a landmark strategy to use for a team with no pipeline of talent nor money to spend to return to greener pastures.  But now, the team has trekked across the three year desert and is standing at the oasis of the 2016 NBA Draft.

This draft quenched a three year thirst.

Next: A Warm Draft