The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers aim at playoffs and 2018 NBA Draft

ByBret Stuter|
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 23: The Philadelphia 76ers host a post draft press conference announcing new players Anzejs Pasecniks, Markelle Fultz, Jonah Bolden and Mathias Lessort at the Sixers Training Complex on June 23, 2017 in Camden, New Jersey. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant /NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 23: The Philadelphia 76ers host a post draft press conference announcing new players Anzejs Pasecniks, Markelle Fultz, Jonah Bolden and Mathias Lessort at the Sixers Training Complex on June 23, 2017 in Camden, New Jersey. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant /NBAE via Getty Images)
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The last hurrah

The 2018 NBA Draft will likely be the last time the Philadelphia 76ers choose multiple picks in the first round of any NBA draft for years to come.  That extra 2019 NBA first round pick will convey to the Boston Celtics.  And for each year through 2021, the 76ers will get a single first round pick plus multiple second round picks.

So this is the last call. In many ways, the affluence of previous NBA Drafts will diminish into a much smaller annual stipend. Fewer picks and later spots. And those limits make team GMs panic, pushing all their chips into one gamble, and crippling the franchise when those “all in” gambles don’t pan out. Bets the team cannot afford to lose, are bets the team cannot afford to make.

New chapter

By this time next season, we will be focusing on the Philadelphia 76ers and their NBA Championship chances. We’ll have two seasons of Fultz and Simmons, and three seasons of Embiid and Saric. We’ll have projections galore of just how good this team will be. And some of us will reminisce about the innocent years when being a Philadelphia 76ers fan meant being shunned by the mainstream NBA.  As of today, March 29, 2018, the Philadelphia 76ers stand to pick at 10, 24, 36, 39, 54, and 60. Those are more picks than any other team in the NBA this year.   There are remote chances for the Lakers pick to convey to Boston this year. Those odds are 2.9 percent of landing at either two or three.  The chances of getting the top pick in the 2018 NBA Draft is 1.1 percent.

Next: Dario Saric leads Philadelphia 76ers over NY Knicks 118-101

The Philadelphia 76ers can get a complete lineup plus a sixth man in this draft. And depending on the team’s projections of depth and need, they may want to do just that. You can mock the 2018 NBA Draft with Christopher Kline here or simply work off the 2018 NBA Draft Big Board.  With six picks to burn, you may want to take some chances.  But beware! This is the last time the team has so many picks to use. And with hopes for an NBA Championship, each pick can push the team closer to that goal.