The Sixer Sense
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3 Sixers crack the first two rounds in Bleacher Report’s NBA re-draft

By Christopher Kline

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - AUGUST 3: Joel Embiid of Team Africa poses for a portrait as part of the Basketball Without Boarders Africa at the American International School of Johannesburg on August 3, 2017 in Gauteng province of Johannesburg, South Africa. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - AUGUST 3: Joel Embiid of Team Africa poses for a portrait as part of the Basketball Without Boarders Africa at the American International School of Johannesburg on August 3, 2017 in Gauteng province of Johannesburg, South Africa. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia 76ers‘ young core is already gaining notoriety league-wide — and Bleacher Report’s NBA re-draft was an ideal example of that.

The folks over at Bleacher Report dove into one of their biggest projects this offseason, re-drafting the entire league from scratch in preparation for the 2017-18 campaign. They used the random generation of numbers to determine team order, while each general manager had a five minute window in which they could pick, otherwise their selection would be used on the player with the highest estimated Wins Added for next season.

Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers /

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers ended up picking 20th in a serpentine draft, but that detail is virtually irrelevant. The importance of this project isn’t necessarily what teams pick which players, but where certain players fall amongst their peers. Another important rule to note is that these picks were made in preparation for the 2017-18 season only, not long-term sustainability.

While that’s a rule that would seemingly go in favor of older, more established talent, the Sixers’ core pieces still ended up coming off the board in relatively high fashion. In the first two rounds alone, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz were all selected.

Embiid went the highest, soaring all the way to 16th. Given that the objective is to win next season, that was likely a bit of a reach. But it does hint at just how high Embiid’s ceiling truly is, as well as the value that’s provided by his production on both sides of the ball.

Even in a league that hinges on perimeter offense and up-tempo play, an elite rim protector is critically valuable. Embiid established himself as one of the league’s best shot-blockers last season, while his mobility allowed him to switch screens and cover ground out to the 3-point line with impressive effectiveness.

A 20-point scorer who can space the floor at the five spot, create his own offense around the basket and single-handedly change the dynamics of a team on the defensive end has a lot of value — and that’s likely what made Embiid so appealing, even if 16 is a gaudy number.

Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz both went in the second round. Given some projections that are out there, that seems a bit high. Simmons was teetering on the first round line at 31, while Fultz still went relatively early on at 42 (to the Boston Celtics, in somewhat ironic fashion).

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Other picks, however, reversed that notion. Lonzo Ball was off the board at 22, which means his valuation is far too high. Both Fultz and Simmons are more complete, well-rounded prospects — and could likely contribute to a winning team in more prominent fashion from day one.

Truth be told, a competitive team isn’t building around Ball — nor Simmons, nor Fultz — as their primary weapons. All the top flight rookies, regardless of overarching talent, remain are better as complimentary pieces rather than focal points at this stage in their careers.

Ben Simmons is still going to defer to Embiid next year, while Simmons and Fultz will share the ball handling load quite often.

The placement dropped off a bit for current Sixers after that, with J.J. Redick being the next name off the board at 64. Among the other notable placements were Robert Covington at 100 and Dario Saric at 131, both of whom went behind players they likely should have been in front of.

Next: 3 reasons Markelle Fultz won't be a bust

Regardless of whatever flaws this system had — as the motives behind certain picks, even with the guidelines, felt off-base — this is a positive sign for Philadelphia moving forward. People are noting the value this young core has, and their talent is already being recognized as the type of talent that can affect a competitive unit’s chances.