It’s Obvious: The Sixers Should Take Ben Simmons With Their No. 1 Pick

Missanelli: I laugh at the people who say he doesn’t work hard enough. The kid averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds for a bad LSU team.

The Sixers would likely decide between Ben Simmons (pictured) or Brandon Ingram if they win May 17th's lottery | Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Ben Simmons | Photo by Randy Sartin/USA TODAY Sports

Judging by call volume, the Philadelphia 76ers are the second-most popular sports team in Philadelphia.

People have been gaga over the last three weeks with Sixers talk on a couple fronts: one, who do the Sixers take with the first pick in the NBA Draft: Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram? And two, would you trade Jahlil Okafor to the Boston Celtics for the third pick in the draft?

It’s funny that there’s so much interest in a franchise that has been dead for so long. But hope is a beautiful thing. By stockpiling young talent, the Sixers have become a favorite of sorts to become Philadelphia’s next championship team. I’m on record saying the year 2020 will yield the fruit of four major sports franchises being contenders. There are a lot of folks who think the Sixers might beat that deadline.

For the record, I’d take Simmons with the No. 1 pick in the draft. I know the 6’10” forward from LSU has some drawbacks — he might have to recharge his motor a little and develop a long-range jump shot. But he’s the most versatile player in the draft. I laugh at the people who say he doesn’t work hard enough. The kid averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds for a bad LSU team. If his motor is running a little low, an NBA check might be just the fuel to get him going. Brandon Ingram comes out in every draft. A 6’10” kid who has point guard skills with his ball-handling and passing doesn’t.

As far as Okafor is concerned, I hate the idea of trading him to Boston. And trading him for the third pick in the draft doesn’t guarantee me anything better than Jamal Murray, a talented, but not special, guard from Kentucky. Murray’s ceiling is probably as a 15-to-18-point-per-game scorer — not a superstar. I don’t think the value of trading Okafor for that matches up very well. Then again, if the Sixers don’t move Okafor, they will have five big men on their roster: Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, Simmons and Dario Saric. Something has to give to fortify what is now a non-existent backcourt.

But I digress.

Sixers talk is real and people are interested in what’s going to happen with this team in the near future. And wasn’t that the plan all along?

Mike Missanelli is on 97.5 FM The Fanatic every week day from 2 to 6 p.m. He’s also on Comcast Sports Net’s Breakfast on Broad on Mondays and Wednesdays. Follow him on Twitter @MikeMiss975.