Pick Coveted Players
When you get there, you find a certain amount of emotion in the room on NBA Draft night. You see, it’s the same feeling found in an auction house. The thrill of competition and winning competing with the frugality of trying to get a bargain. Some GMs never tap into the emotion of the moment, and miss opportunities. Some GMs never tap into the frugal aspects, and commit to regrettable decisions.
More from Draft
- Philadelphia 76ers Ten Biggest Mistakes of the Last Ten Years
- The Sixers sign four undrafted players after the NBA Draft
- Players the Sixers should target in undrafted free agency
- How to Watch the 2023 NBA Draft as a Sixers Fan
- 2023 NBA Mock Draft: 5 wing prospects 76ers could target
But there is a third way to play the draft. Like a gambler. Know when to hold em, know when to fold em.
Not, I’m not attempting to deify the work of Sam Hinkie as general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers. He inherited a lousy team. He left a team with plenty of young talent on the roster and even more in the pipeline. But that value didn’t just fall to him from the sky. Each team gets two draft picks. So how did Sam Hinkie multiply that number?
He gambled. He used the often discarded second round of the NBA to earn a stake. In the second round, teams shot blindly at a position. Sam Hinkie knew the value of each prospect. When he had a pick in play, he grabbed the most discounted player and immediately tried to flip that player for more second round picks. Ultimately, he bartered 2013 second round picks into players and next years picks. Each year, he repeated the strategy.