With the 54th pick, the Philadelphia 76ers select…
Tornike Shengelia was the original pick for the Sixers at the 54th spot. Shengelia was an end of the bench forward who only played two seasons in the NBA and only averaged 1.3 points per game. He was traded to the Brooklyn Nets for cash during the draft. However, if the 76ers decide to keep the pick, there was a better option than Shengelia available.
None of the other players drafted after him were signifcantly better. In fact, only Darius Johnson-Odom, Robbie Hummel, and Robert Sacre were the only players that even saw NBA minutes. This draft had several good undrafted free agents.
The Sixers signed Maalik Wayns as an undrafted rookie, but he isn’t the player that they should drafted instead of Shengelia. It was in fact Kent Bazemore who just recently signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
At his peak, Bazemore was a starting level 3-and-D wing. For his career, Bazemore averaged 8.5 points and 1.0 steals per game on 35.6 percent shooting from deep. For an undrafted player, Bazemore has had a very good career and would have been a great selection at the 54th pick if Philly would have gone that route.
That wraps up this re-drafted of Philadelphia 76ers picks. Instead of Harkless, Moultrie, and Shengelia, the Sixers could have come away with Green, Middleton, and Bazemore. It’s clear that this draft certainly didn’t go well for the 76ers.