76ers under-25 rankings: Which young prospects have the brightest future?

The Philadelphia 76ers are currently focused on winning the championship. With the new CBA casting doubt over the Sixers’ ability to keep the current group together, the pressure to maximize the finite window of Joel Embiid and James Harden is intense.

That said, Daryl Morey — and I’ll use a phrase from his former protege, Sam Hinkie — has to maintain the longest view in the room. Any good GM is planning for the present and the future, never committing too far in one direction and always ready to pivot on the fly.

The Sixers aren’t particularly young, but they’re not particularly old either. There’s ample youth on the roster. That young talent could take on elevated importance in the near future if, for example, James Harden leaves in free agency. Heck, even if Shake Milton is the biggest offseason departure, that’s going to create more opportunity for some of Philly’s less proven players.

Now, with the 2022-23 season all but wrapped up, let’s evaluate the state of the Sixers’ youth.

Ranking the 76ers’ under-25 players by long-term potential

These rankings will take into account current value and the potential for future value added. If a player isn’t expected to stick in Philly long-term, that will hurt his case. If a player is currently riding the bench but he possesses a well of untapped potential, then he might out-rank a player who is getting more playing time in the present.

6. Mac McClung

The dunk contest vaulted Mac McClung into the national spotlight but he has since spent the entire season in Delaware, despite signing a two-way contract with the Sixers. He’s one of the most electric scoring guards in the G-League, but McClung’s lack of size and strength defensively caps his NBA ceiling. He might get some run in the Sixers’ last couple games before the playoffs, but it’s hard to see a path forward for McClung in Philly as anything more than a dunk contest phenom.

5. Louis King

Louis King channeled LeBron James with an impressive chase-down block to close out the Blue Coats’ first-ever G-League championship win.

He’s an NBA athlete with a couple productive stretches under his belt with other NBA teams. That said, the Sixers haven’t played him all year and he feels more like an afterthought than a genuine investment in the future.