With the college basketball season firmly underway, it’s time to once again look at the best of the 2017 NBA Draft crop.
The future of the Philadelphia 76ers has brightened considerably after three years of stockpiling NBA Draft picks. But picks are simply currency. What’s for sale?
And so, it’s that time again.
It’s time to look ahead to the highly-touted 2017 NBA Draft class, and rank some of the prospects that could be at the forefront of the conversation come June next year. The Philadelphia 76ers hold a prominent stake in the draft already, with the potential of two lottery picks to help pad the rotation long term.
The 2017 class is unique a number of ways. But one thing certainly stands out above the rest – the sheer level of talent possessed towards the top. There are countless players with legitimately high NBA value, waiting patiently for their turn, their dream, to happen.
Swarm and Sting
This is a Sixers team that has found some sturdy building blocks already in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, with the likes of Dario Saric, Jahlil Okafor, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot providing a solid foundation of youthful talent behind them. That, however, doesn’t mean that this draft couldn’t quite easily become the Sixers’ most important yet.
Brett Brown stated rather candidly that Ben Simmons will play point guard when he returns to the court. That opens up some exciting options this offseason. We could see the team go for unique versatility with some of the uniquely skilled guards at the top, or we may see the team delve into more wing or interior talent to sure up the rotation long term around Simmons at the one.
The team may even expand upon the Tall Ball concept showcased when Jahlil Okafor finally joined Joel Embiid on a basketball court.
Regardless of where the Sixers take it, there’s a lot of upside throughout the 2017 NBA Draft board — and any reasonable NBA fan find some level of excitement in projecting some of these talents at the next level.
You can read my last big board here.
But, without further ado, here is my fresh top 30 for the current NBA Draft class.