Philadelphia 76ers: Grading the 2020 NBA Draft picks

The Philadelphia 76ers made out like bandits in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Daryl Morey’s first night in the driver’s seat was a resounding success. The Philadelphia 76ers reshaped the starting five and put together a strong performance in the 2020 NBA Draft, adding three prospects who have real potential to contribute down the road.

When looking at draft night specifically, not many teams had a better evening than Philadelphia. Tyrese Maxey — the 15th-ranked prospect on our big board — fell to the Sixers at 21. Then, late in the second round, the Sixers delivered on a rumored promise to Isaiah Joe — the 26th-ranked prospect on our board. To end the night, Morey selected Paul Reed, aptly from DePaul, who ranked 41st on our board.

The Sixers are aiming to contend, and while rookies often struggle for minutes on contending teams, Philadelphia drafted multiple prospects who have a compelling case for minutes in the near future.

Admittedly, there’s not much to complain out. But here are some grades.

(58) PAUL REED JR. >>> B+

The Sixers got strong value here. There were a couple interesting prospects still on the board — namely Killian Tillie, who is the steal of undrafted free agency for Memphis — but Reed should have gone earlier than he did. The Sixers take a bit of a home-run swing, and that’s always warranted at the end of the second round.

Reed was a dominant two-way presence over his career at DePaul. He’s a long, springy athlete at 6-foot-9, accumulating his fair share of deflections and blocks on the defensive end. Paul has a long way to go offensively, but he’s comfortable running the floor and making himself available at the rim.

The Sixers currently have no backup to Joel Embiid. Daryl Morey hinted at Ben Simmons getting minutes at the five, but in the end, Philadelphia does need depth. Reed can fit into a small-ball five role, even if he’s more naturally a four.