The Philadelphia 76ers garnered rave reviews for the most part in the aftermath of the 2025 NBA Draft thanks in large part to them making the obvious selection by picking VJ Edgecombe with the third overall pick. However, suffice to say that their decision to choose Johni Broome with the 35th pick in the second round flew under the radar.
Well, as it turns out, Broome was certainly one of the more puzzling picks in the draft. Sure, he has not been given his fair shake yet to prove his worth, but when compared to what other teams were able to end up with in the same position, the 76ers are definitely not going to be gleeful in hindsight. For example, the Clippers managed to scoop up Yanic Konan Niederhäuser just five spots ahead of Broome with the 30th pick, the last selection in the first round.
While Broome continues to play almost exclusively in the G-League with the 76ers not having any tangible plans on what to do with him, Konan Niederhäuser has emerged as a feel-good story for the Clippers this season. He has been one of the main reasons for their recent turnaround, and his potential is indeed very intriguing.
The 76ers could have had Yanic Konan Niederhauser instead of Johni Broome with just a little more luck
Sure, there is no use crying over spilled milk, yada, yada, yada. Still, that is not going to stop people from eventually expressing their frustration that the 76ers could have had the better rookie center with some more luck although of course, no one is going to show sympathy to the 76ers after they just got Edgecombe. To do so would be highly disingenuous.
Take this as more of an indictment of the fact that the 76ers went with Broome. The thinking behind the selection was probably justified at the time given that the team wanted an offensive-minded big man to eventually back Embiid up, but they glossed over some of his more glaring red flags as a prospect, especially on the defensive end.
Big men who are not good defenders very rarely end up becoming productive players unless you are as good as Domantas Sabonis. While it is too early to foreclose the possibility that Broome ends up improving his D, defensive acuity is something that is difficult to grasp, especially without real on-court reps.
In comparison, Konan Niederhäuser has already shown some impressive defensive activity and fluid movement as a traditional center. Those are traits which the 76ers badly need, although fate seems to not be on their side.
Well, at the end of the day, that is something completely out of control for the 76ers. As such, they can only hope that Johni Broome eventually pans out sooner than later.