Before the 2016-2017 NBA Season Begins, One Last Revisit to the 2016 NBA Draft of the Philadelphia 76ers
It will go down as the draft which either marked the beginning of a team’s ascension to the upper echelons of the NBA, or simply squandered the perfect opportunity to do so. The Philadelphia 76ers entered the 2016 NBA Draft torn between the selection of either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram at the top overall pick.
But it was more than a one pick draft for the Philadelphia 76ers. Selecting at 1, 24, and 26, the team had opportunity to draft in virtually any direction their board carried them that night. Let’s revisit the fateful night, now that the dust had settled, and determine if the team might have missed out on an obvious player?
Going into the draft, the Philadelphia 76ers were in need of a franchise player, wing defense, and veteran depth. As you recall, there was the interest of the team to trade draft picks for players. So much so that there were scenarios where the 76ers would deal their late draft picks.
Conversely, there were rumors of the 76ers trading up in the draft to obtain a top five pick. Since neither scenario was more than speculative, those will not be part of this post post draft grading system.
What this is all about is the draft board on that night, and players available at 1, 24 and 26. Let’s see how we did?
Next: 2016 NBA Draft Pick 1