Sixers Get The 1st Pick In 2016 NBA Draft
NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, left, poses for a photo with Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown during the NBA basketball draft lottery, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in New York. The 76ers won the top pick in this year’s draft.
It seems that the Philadelphia 76ers may have finally gotten the stroke of luck that this rebuild has needed.
After the lottery balls finally fell their way, the Sixers will hold the first pick in June 23rd’s NBA draft. The Sixers drafted 3rd in each of the previous two drafts under former general manager Sam Hinkie.
The Sixers, by virtue of holding the worst record in the league, as well as the right to swap picks with the Sacramento Kings, came into the day with a 26.9 percent chance at the top overall pick and a virtual coin flip – 49.5 percent chance – of landing a top-2 pick.
This is the first time the Sixers have selected first overall since drafting Allen Iverson back in 1996, 20 years ago this year.
The Sixers will now have a decision to make, being in the envious position to select between Ben Simmons of LSU or Brandon Ingram of Duke, the presumptive top 2 selections in the draft.
Simmons would provide the Sixers with a match-up nightmare, having elite athleticism and point guard skills at the power forward position. Simmons averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.0 steals as a freshman, shooting 56 percent from the field. Ingram averaged 17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game at Duke, shooting 41 percent from three-point range.
Either Ingram or Simmons would provide the Sixers with another blue-chip prospect, following the selections of Nerlens Noel (6th overall in 2013), Joel Embiid (3rd overall in 2014), and Jahlil Okafor (3rd overall in 2015). The Sixers are also likely to get Dario Saric, who was drafted 12th overall in the 2014 draft and the Sixers acquired in a draft day deal. Saric has played the last two seasons for Anadolu Efes in the Turkish Basketball League, under a contract he signed before the draft.
The Sixers did receive some bad news with regards to the Lakers pick, as the Lakers will pick second overall. The Sixers would have received the pick if it fell outside of the top 3, which had a 44.2 percent chance of happening heading into tonight’s lottery. The pick will now be top-3 protected next year, then, if the pick doesn’t convey in 2017, unprotected in the 2018 draft.
The Sixers will also receive the 24th and 26th pick in this draft, from Miami and Oklahoma City, respectively.
