Draft and stash
Ah yes, the ole tried-and-true methods. So far, the draft pattern of the Philadelphia 76ers under Bryan Colangelo for any pick after the top draft selection is to draft an international player. All five draft picks retained by the Philadelphia have been the following international players:
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot 2016 NBA Draft 22
Furkan Korkmaz 2016 NBA Draft 24
Anzejcs Pasecniks 2017 NBA Draft 25
Jonah Bolden 2017 NBA Draft 36
Mathias Lessort 2017 NBA Draft 50
So the pattern is firmly entrenched. So what of the 2018 NBA Draft? Are there sufficient numbers of international players in this draft to fill six targets of the Philadelphia 76ers draft position? There very likely could be. Or even five targets if the team elects to draft and sign one player immediately to the 76ers roster.
Does draft and stash resolve the matter?
The two benefits for draft-and-stash methods align with the Philadelphia 76ers pattern and needs. The net effect is to redshirt younger players in a basketball environment where the Philadelphia 76ers organization can “set it and forget it” by retaining all NBA rights to that player. The second, and likely more critical value to the organization is the ability to now project when the team will onboard their international players to coincide with their own roster management.
Next: NBA Draft and Philadelphia 76ers impacted by Pac-12 reform
With three such players in the queue for 2018 roster spots, it makes sense for the team to employ this for up to five draft selelctions in the 2018 NBA Draft. And to ensure the players will sign overseas, the best option is to select international players. In the end, this is the most likely scenario. In the past, the Philadelphia 76ers crop of young talent converted immediately to NBA players, ready or not, here they come. Now the team has a saturated NBA roster, and the draft becomes the chess moves for two or more seasons in the future. As long as the team can pick the right player from the choices, the Sixers will continue to improve. But if the team truly only looks at international players, then domestic talent is already slipping past them. And that is an NBA Draft dilemma discussion for another time.