Prospects for Sixers to consider with 28th pick: Miles McBride
Probably the best defender on this list, Deuce McBride saw his play skyrocket in his second season at West Virginia, becoming the focal point of a highly competitive team. While they weren’t as “Press Virginia” as they had been in years past, that didn’t stop McBride from having a masterful season on both ends of the court. An All-Big 12 and honorable mention All-American, Deuce was given the keys to the team and produced a season that saw him shoot 41.4 percent from deep on 3.8 attempts to go along with averaging 16 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Diving deeper than statistics and awards, McBride is one of the best point-of-attack defenders in this class, as although he’s only 6-foot-2.5 in shoes, his 6-foot-8,.75 wingspan helps him be as active as they come on the defensive end. While the Sixers had three All-Defensive team players on their roster, none of them are among the top tier at staying with small and shifty guards. I believe McBride would be of great help with that.
He’s a much improved jumpshooter since his freshman year and I believe he’ll continue to improve at the next level. He doesn’t overly excel at any specific facet of offense but he’s a strong enough finisher and capable enough ball handler to take lead guard duties for certain spells. I think pairing him next to Maxey might be a bit clunky, but having them both gives you plenty of possibilities to mix and match lineups.
The point guard class gets very congested after the top three of Cade Cunningham, Jalen Suggs, and Josh Giddey get selected, so I expect McBride to get somewhat lost in that fold and will most likely be available at pick 28. While his point-of-attack defense would absolutely be welcomed, he doesn’t fit the mold of shot creator all of us fans are soothing for right about now, but I would love him on this team regardless.