The Sixer Sense
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Philadelphia 76ers Bryan Colangelo international man of mystery

Bret Stuter|
Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons (R) and President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo (M) and number twenty-fourth overall draft pick Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (L) during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons (R) and President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo (M) and number twenty-fourth overall draft pick Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (L) during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia 76ers Bryan Colangelo continues to emphasize international players in the NBA draft.

On one hand, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Australian Ben Simmons, Frenchman Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Turkish Furkan Korkmaz in the 2016 NBA Draft. He continued the trend with the 2017 NBA Draft.

On the other hand, after the no-surprise of selecting Washington guard Markelle Fultz, the Philadelphia 76ers resumed their international menu.  After trading for the 25th pick of the draft, the team selected 7-foot-2 center Andzejs Pasecniks from Latvia.  The team then jumped to the 36th pick where they selected 6-foot-10 power forward Australian Jonah Bolden.   After selling the teams 39th and 46th pick, the team resumed their international flair by selecting 6-foot-9 power forward Frenchman Mathias Lessort.

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If you are keeping track, the Philadelphia 76ers kept seven picks in the past two drafts.  From that number, the team selected six international players.

Andzejs Pasecniks

Now, to be fair, Pasecniks has been gaining positive momentum recently, was recently considered the best center in the draft from FanSided’s Tanner Walters.  The Philadelphia 76er reportedly traded the 2020  first round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder for the rights to select here.  Keep in mind that was the heavily protected first earned in the Jerami Grant trade.

From Grant, the team rented Ersan Ilyasova, sold a second round pick, and landed Pasecniks. He was great value at 25.

Jonah Bolden

Many considered Jonah Bolden to be a first round selection, some thought as high as a lottery pick. At 36, he is another great value for the team.  He is Austrailian, so there is an immediate connection to Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown, as well as last year’s top selection Ben Simmons.  He prefers a fast paced game, and at 227 pounds to go with 6-foot-10 height and 7-foot-3 wingspan, he is ideal for the type of team under construction now by the 76ers. Another tremendous value at 36.

Matthias Lessort

Matthias Lessort hails from the same heritage as that of Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. Another big body at 6-foot-9 and 250 pound, he was another potential first rounder who tumbled to late second round simply from the abundance of talent.  Despite his muscularity, he can move and he plays far larger than his height on offensive boards.  Defensively, he will need some patience and coaching

Great Fit

All three players in the 2017 NBA Draft not named Markelle Fultz are great fits for the Philadelphia 76ers. All play at a fast pace, all have above average ball movement skills, and all offer the attributes to excel at NBA defense.  For the official grades, check out: 2017 NBA Draft grades: How the Sixers performed

Colangelo developed a true appreciation of the International version of basketball during his tenure with the Toronto Raptors. As such, he seeks those same pace space pass qualities that are more abundant overseas than the NCAA.  While there is always risk of unfufilled potential, the results for the team with this draft are truly outstanding.

Two-Way Draft

Of particular note, this was the NBA Draft where the team can fill two “Two-Way” contracts. So the team needs to fill two vacated roster spots (Rodriguez , Splitter) plus add two new prospects to share with G-League affiliate Delaware 87ers.  The 2017 NBA Draft has done all of that.

Next: Breaking down Sixers signee Melo Trimble

Surprises? Sure. But the team has Markelle Fultz and Andzejs Pasecniks to file the two vacated spots, plus Bolden and Lessort to stash for the future (either overseason or via G-league).  So mission accomplished.