With the NBA Draft Lottery only two day away, I thought it would be fun to take a dive into what situations the 76ers could find themselves in on draft night. I ran four simulations via RealGM.com and I found some interesting results.
Simulation #1: Sixers get #3 and #4 picks
This first simulation leaves the Sixers with a tough, but good situation. With the #3 and #4 pick, the Sixers would lose out on the top two (projected) picks in Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram. Instead, I feel that they would be able to lock down their backcourt with picks like Jamal Murray and Buddy Hield for example. Another option could be to trade one of these picks. Sixers President Bryan Colangelo has said that they are open to offers for their top five picks because it seems that they want to get this rebuilding phase going.
Simulation #2: Sixers get #2 and #4 picks
This could be the best situation for the Sixers. Every fan would love for them to get the #1 overall pick, but being able to still land Brandon Ingram, and getting a guard at number four could be a situation that sets up best for the future. With how dominate Ingram was in the NCAA tournament, there is not doubt that he can transfer that stellar play right into his first few seasons in the NBA. If they are able to get a guard with that #4 pick, they can find a guard who can create for themselves and is a knockdown shooter, like Buddy Hield for example.
Simulation #3: Sixers land #1 and #4 picks
Well you can’t draw up a situation much better than this. I said in simulation #2, that the Sixers would benefit with Ingram and a guard at the number 4 pick. Here with the #1 overall pick, they would most likely draft Ben Simmons. If they were to draft Simmons at #1, then they could look to trade that #4 pick or still draft a guard. With drafting Simmons, they would have to consider who is staying as far as big men go. It would be tough to play quick defense with Simmons at small forward position and have Okafor, Embiid, and Noel rotating in at the 4 and 5 positions.
Simulation #4: The Sixers get the #4 pick
This would be the worst situation for the Sixers. Getting only the #4 pick would be another bad result after another bad season. The Sixers thought they had Andrew Wiggins in the bag, until Joel Embiid got hurt, and the Cavaliers backed off from drafting him. The next year, they didn’t get either of the top two picks, passed on Kristaps Porzingis, and were forced to pick another big man in Jahlil Okafor. Now, if they get the #4 pick and only the #4 pick, they have to chose wisely because this pick would need to be the best player available and someone who can step in and contribute right away.
The Sixers are two days away from finding out their fate. Eventually, the lottery has to work in their favor. They have pieces for the future already, but this draft could prove to set them over the edge for future help.
