Sixers: Kentucky is the team to watch in NCAA Tournament
The NCAA Tournament has been nuts, and one team in particular should stand out for Philadelphia 76ers fans.
March has happened, and I don’t think any of our brackets were ready for it. This year’s NCAA Tournament has been especially crazy, with the first weekend eliminating over half of the top-four seeds. Philadelphia 76ers fans, as a result, have had a lot to digest when it comes to determining who could be a draft option in June.
The South Region has been particularly hectic, with Kentucky emerging as the highest seed left entering the Sweet 16. As the fifth seed, they’ll face their highest-ranked opponent to date — the ninth-seeded Kansas State Wildcats, who are coming off a close victory over 16th-seeded UMBC.
And, through all of that craziness, Kentucky is emerging as highly relevant team when it comes to the Sixers’ draft picture. The Lakers pick should fall towards the back end of the lottery, potentially giving Bryan Colangelo a couple of viable options from John Calipari‘s squad.
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
Villanova’s Mikal Bridges has been the pick of choice for most Sixers fans this season, but he’s playing his way out of their range. Miles Bridges has been another popular choice, but he might not eclipse Kentucky’s rapidly improving youngsters.
Those youngsters would be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kevin Knox, both of whom are looking like solid lottery picks at this point. Knox has had his ups and downs this season, but is starting to put things together offensively. Gilgeous-Alexander has been one of the best players in the country over the past few weeks.
From a pure fit perspective, Shai might be the most appealing option. His jumper translating to NBA range will be key, but he’s the kind of versatile comboguard that Philly’s offense has desperately lacked this season.
Markelle Fultz figures to fill the Sixers’ playmaking void once he returns, but there’s no harm in adding extra insurance. At 6-5 with long arms and good instincts, Gilgeous-Alexander would bring another versatile defender to the backcourt as well, cementing one of the best (young) defensive cores in the league.
He has shown himself capable of playing off the ball this season, while his improved facilitating and crafty finishing allows him to break down the defense and generate offense when needed. Gilgeous-Alexander’s ascent has played a key role in stabilizing a previously-shaky Kentucky offense.
On the other hand, Knox is an intriguing prospect as well. He wasn’t overly impressive early in the season, but has continued to polish his offensive repertoire. He’s already a long, versatile body at 6-9, giving him a physical profile that should lock him into the lottery discussion.
Knox isn’t much of an isolation scorer, but he does a lot of nice things when stationed off the ball. He’s only shooting 34.1 percent from deep this season, but has plenty of time to improve that at the next level.
He’s a smart cutter and has a nice set of moves around the rim when attacking off straight-line drives. He has a handful of hook shots and short-range pull-ups he can hit, which should leave some optimism when it comes to his ability to create his own offense more consistently in the future.
The Sixers will have the rare opportunity to add another high-end talent to a competitive roster on draft night, and there’s a reasonable chance that Kentucky provides that talent.
Even with the recent slew of upsets, there are plenty of prospects worth watching this March — both from a Sixers perspective and for the sake of good basketball. Keep your eyes on Kentucky, though, especially with their path to the Final Four opening up in a big way over the weekend.