Philadelphia’s basketball scene may a barren place right now with the 76ers having already been kicked out from the postseason picture, but that certainly didn’t stop one of their players from being the subject of another light, yet serious moment just recently.
The upcoming 2024 NBA Draft, while still highly anticipated as part of annual tradition, is widely believed to be among the least convincing ones in recent history, especially when compared to last year’s brilliant rookie class headed by Victor Wembanyama. And to put that to the extreme, an anonymous NBA figure compared this year’s crop of rookies to a particular Sixer.
76ers forward Tobias Harris catches unfortunate stray regarding the 2024 NBA Draft
Ryen Russillo, one of the more well-known podcast hosts in the NBA community, noted that Tobias Harris could be an ideal point of comparison for the level of talent in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft and the ceiling of its prospects.
An anonymous NBA team member says that having the No. 1 pick in this year's draft is essentially like drafting Tobias Harris at No. 1, per @ryenarussillo pic.twitter.com/He2LqY4E0d
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 16, 2024
While it could have been said with mildly jocular intent, the consensus belief for almost a year now is that the 2024 class pales in comparison to recent batches, especially last year’s which had Wemby, Brandon Miller, and the Thompson twins, among other standouts.
This year, Atlanta, surprise holders of the No. 1 pick, will have a pretty difficult decision to make. The draft’s pecking order with its prospects remains clunky at the top, and the lack of a clear-cut high-end bracket could be the reason behind the Harris comparison.
While he’s had a solid NBA career, Harris has never been considered as an All-Star caliber talent. And while his portfolio is certainly enviable to an extent, his game certainly doesn’t have the glorious stench of someone billed as a potential No. 1 pick.
Fortunately for the Philadelphia 76ers, they may not have to be a participant in this year’s apparent musical chairs of who-picks-whom as they are rumored to be shopping their own first-round pick. Meanwhile, Tobias Harris can go enjoy his vacation and relish his Philly days, which are likely over.
Just kidding! Or are we?