Philadelphia 76ers Okay With Los Angeles 2018 Unprotected First Round Pick

As the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 118-116, many fear the Lakers pick will not convey in a very robust 2017 NBA Draft. Fear not, 2018 may be better year for that pick.

The Philadelphia 76ers have not been a very successful team for the past four years. In fact, in the topsy-turvy world of the NBA “have-not” teams huddle around the television for the NBA Lottery. That lottery determines the draft order of many teams, and even which teams will be selecting in the following NBA Draft.  For the past four years, that has been the only light in the dark trails navigated by the fans of the Philadelphia 76ers.

But that was then and this is now.  Or so it seems.  The Philadelphia 76ers are now 24-42, conceivably challenging the 30 win mark this season, and are pulling themselves out of the NBA basement.  It had to happen.  We knew it would happen.  But now that it is happening, there is a sense of riding a bicycle without training wheels.

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 118-116 in a game that many fans saw as an opportunity to improve the 76ers 2017 NBA Draft position.  In fact, the responses to me after the victory were less celebratory.  Some were indignant that the team chose to compete in a game with more incentive to lose.  Others bypassed all that and asked about the Draft implications.

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Important Step Forward

But the victory was an important step for these Philadelphia 76ers. Important in that the team is without three sure-fire starters in Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Jerry Bayless. In fact, the team has played without Bayless and Simmons all season. Joel Embiid played his last game on January 27, 2017.

But without Embiid, the team is on the flying trapeze without a safety net.  Right now, the only thing buoying the team is the stubbornness of Dario Saric, the fearlessness of T.J. McConnell, the defense of Robert Covington, and the rejuvenation of Jahlil Okafor.

And that is more important for this team than a 2017 NBA Draft pick, or rather, than getting the pick sooner rather than later.

Plenty In the Pipeline Already

The Philadelphia 76ers have been a team with a virtually new roster and lineup each year.  No, not free agent attrition. I’m talking about a team that has practically reinvented itself each season. Each year, this team has had plenty of NBA Draft picks.  It was by design, as the team rummaged through players in hopes of finding a gem in the rough.  More players meant better chances at finding someone.

Soaring Down South

The Philadelphia 76ers had three first round picks in the 2016 NBA Draft. Only one played this season, wing Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.

TLC

Now that he is getting minutes, he’s scoring. In the game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he scored a season high 18 points on 63.6 percent shooting from the floor, pulled down 3 rebounds and handed out 3 assists. In fact, the game emphasized his improvement. In March 2017, TLC is averaging 9.0 PPG, 3.6 RBs, 1.0 AST, .7 STL, and shooting 40 percent from the floor.

He is just one of three.

The Philadelphia 76ers have at least one first round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and as of today four second round picks in that same draft. Plus the team has the rights to point guard Vasilije Micic and shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz in the Euroleague.  Plus the team has the planned return to health of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Jerryd Bayless.

If you consider Bayless and Simmons and Korkmaz and Micic as new faces, the team is looking at nine new faces for the 15 man roster in the 2017-2018 season.  That’s plenty to develop, compete, and assess.

Finally Firm Scheme

As we are quick to do, we point to stats that show how “wrong” each player is for the scheme of the team. But in reality, the roster and injury has prevented the team from dictating players needed for the scheme, because the scheme changed to suit the available healthy players.

Air Alamo

Much of Brett Brown’s time in the past four seasons has been managing the load and compatibility of dissimilar players.  In fact, it was not until the arrival of Dario Saric and Joel Embiid this season that the first true pieces of that future roster donned jerseys.  Now, the team has some cornerstones in place, the need to rummage through so many players has lessened considerably.

Quality Versus Quantity

In fact, quantity is now less important than quality.  You see, you want to synchronize developing players to peak within a four year window.  It’s not as easy as it sounds, because NFL players peak from their fourth to ninth years in the league.  That’s playing time.  Right now, Robert Covington is completing his third season. T.J. McConnell his second. Jahlil Okafor is about 1.5 seasons. Dario Saric his first. Whoever arrives in the 2017 NBA Draft starts at zero. That means they need to develop quickly and intensely in order to arrive as Covington comes into his own.

You see, finding talent is the first skill. Keeping that talent, particularly from deep pocketed teams that have found none of their own, is the other skill.  Now that the Philadelphia 76ers have a firm scheme, players can see things taking shape.  But if the goal is to synch everyone up, how is that supporting conveying the Lakers pick in 2018?

Spread The Wealth

Well, that falls back to quality.  Not just talented players, but the ability to develop those players fully. We know already that the 2017-2018 NBA season will be dedicated to Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. That’s a given.  Now the team may have room for a top 2017 NBA Draft pick.  But beyond that?  Developing may suffer.

A Royal Pain

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was shuttled to the Delaware 87ers to get quality time early in the season.  And he was the only player from that 2016 NBA Draft healthy enough to  make the roster this season.

While the team is busy merging the likes of Embiid and Simmons into the same lineup, you would be wise to expect 2017-2018 rookies may not get the full focus from head coach Brett Brown.

Deferred Compensation

Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers have a 44.2 percent chance of picking in the 2017 NBA Draft, at a position no better than fourth.  In the 2018 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers will have a 100 percent chance of picking twice in the first round of the NBA Draft.

In the meantime, the Philadelphia 76ers currently (as of March 13) have better than a 50 percent chance of selecting in the top three of the 2017 NBA Draft. For all intents and purposes, the 76ers will likely be selecting no worse than sixth.

The value of the Lakers pick in the 2017 NBA Draft is unmistakable. Two top ten picks to any team in a robust NBA draft is very good.  But with the team already scoring a top pick in the draft, and enough firepower and flexibility to manage various options out of round two, including trading back for a lottery pick, it may be wiser to spread the wealth.

2018 NBA Value

The Philadelphia 76ers are loaded in the NBA Draft for years to come.  At least, that’s what we have told you. But in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers currently have their own first round pick.   In the second round, the team has their second, that of either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Brooklyn Nets (guess Nets), and a second round pick from the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Rip City Project

If the Los Angeles Lakers pick does not convey, that 2018 NBA first round draft pick is unprotected.

Right now, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic for that pick in 2018.  Why?

There’s Gold In The 2018 NBA Draft Class

The 2018 NBA Draft class is as loaded in the front court as the 2017 NBA Draft is loaded in the back court.  Right now, small forward Michael Porter Jr. leads a wave of talent into the ranks of NCAA men’s basketball for the 2017-2018 season.

The University of Kentucky boasts shooting guard Hamidou Diallo, center Nick Richards, power forward P.J. Washington, power forward Jarred Vanderbilt and point guard Quade Green.  UCLA counters with small forward Kris Wilkes and point guard Jaylen Hands. Right now, that 2018 NBA Draft class looks every bit as deep as the 2017 NBA Draft class.

But what of the Lakers?

We Didn’t Start The Fire

Recent events have placed the Los Angeles Lakers into a bit of turmoil. The Buss family is in the midst of a minor civil war over the direction of the team.  Jeannie Buss fired team president and brother Jim Buss this season.

But it didn’t stop there. She has since had to fend off a coup from her brothers to keep control of the team.

In his place, she has inserted long time family friend and former player Magic Johnson as the team president.

While Magic Johnson is a great face for the franchise, his experience will be on-the-job-training.

Much of the headlining with the team right now is the drama with the ownership. Even if Johnson was sharp, that ownership drama impacts how he does his job. The chaos magifies at the head coaching level. But they are trying to keep it all together for the 2017 NBA Draft, which will make it all better, right?

Not Much Hope For Draft Help

That’s great for the headlines, but a changing of the guard mid season is not always an immediate fix.  You see, the team used the 2016 free agency to sign Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov to very lucrative contracts. At the trade deadline, the team traded top scorer Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for Corey Brewer and a 2017 first round pick.  At 28, the pick has far less value to the team than their own first.

But that willingness to deal indicated the intentions of these Lakers to tank for the remainder of this season to retain their pick.  But the 2017 NBA Draft is loaded with back court talent.  The needs of the Los Angeles Lakers? Front court.

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Lakeside Life Not As Appealing

With the team committing so many dollars for so little production with both Deng and Mozgov, the team is somewhat shackled to both players.  The team has shown no ability to improve defensively, and the offense has taken a hit with the loss of Williams. In 2017, look for improvement on the offense (at least, in terms of recovering from the loss of Williams) but do not expect defensive strides.

The Lakers first round pick in 2017 will likely focus on a shooting guard.  But any rookie will find himself playing behind the like of Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson.  Even if the Lakers move on from Nick Young, that is one more productive player’s role needing filled.

In short, the 2017-2018 Los Angeles Lakers will struggle to improve beyond 25 wins next season. The team will likely find competition in that part of the NBA rankings, with both the Sacramento Kings and the Brooklyn Nets struggling to improve as well. |

But the struggles of the 2017-2018 Lakers is music to the fans of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Playoffs Plus

The Philadelphia 76ers will make the playoffs in 2017-2018.  With the team getting off the schneid in the 2016-2017 season, the playoffs are a very realistic goal for next year.  But that will drive the team’s 2018 NBA Draft pick into the bottom half of the round, in a year where there will likely be incredible talent available once more.

With a 2018 Lakers first round pick, the team will continue a streak of top five talent infusion into the roster.  The team will likely continue the trend with the 2019 first round pick from the Sacramento Kings.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers pipeline will remain in place.  In the 2017 draft, the team will select a first and four seconds.  Two of the second round picks will likely land two-way contracts and play for the Delaware 87ers next year.

Pipeline Keeps Pumping

And the pipeline will continue. Each year, the team will likely send a pair of second round selections via the two-way contract.   The team will also continue to make full use of international options in terms of players and “draft and stash” options.

In the end, that is the next phase of the team’s improvement. The team must convert from landing the obviously most talented players, and convert into the team that finds raw talent and develops those players fully.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers Should Commit to T.J. McConnell Going Forward

The training wheels are coming off.  It’s part of the process. The pick from the Los Angeles Lakers will serve the overall goal of the Philadelphia 76ers as well in 2018 as 2017. In fact, based on perspective, that pick may serve the team far better in 2018.  That will give the team the chance to sort through Simmons Embiid and Bayless for a season before selecting.