Sixers coach Brett Brown will rep for the team tomorrow night.
By Annie Ross
Tomorrow night’s NBA draft lottery will be the next milepost on the Sixers’ path to success, defined of course by not just making the playoffs but winning a championship.
With as many as four first-round picks, the Sixers can begin putting together a core group of players in the stage big boss Bryan Colangelo refers to as putting “rebuilding in the rear-view mirror and [starting to build].”
The best-case scenario for the Sixers would be to snag the Nos. 1 and 4 picks. The worst-case would to come home with only No 4.
If the Sixers get a top-2 pick so they end up with either LSU forward Ben Simmons or Duke forward Brandon Ingram in what is widely viewed as a two-player draft.
There is a 49.52 percent chance they’ll be No. 1 or 2.
As for their second possible top-5 pick, it’s top-3 protected with the Lakers. There is a 44.17 percent shot it conveys to the Sixers — 31.85 percent it’s No. 4 and 12.32 percent it’s No. 5. The Lakers, who had theNBA’s second-worst mark, owe the pick (via the Suns) from the February 2015 Michael Carter-Williams deal.
Colangelo could also trade down depending who he likes best and where he projects the prospect to go in order to acquire a later first-rounder and perhaps another player.
Besides, there are no guarantees the Lakers will be awful again next season. With over $65 million in cap space, the Lakers’ history and the lure of Southern California, they could add a pair of high-level free agents and be good enough for that pick to be out of the top 7 in 2017.
Once the lottery is completed, Colangelo, Brown and the Sixers can better prepare for the June 23 draft because they’ll know where they’re picking and how many selections they’ll have.
Trades, free agency and other means of improvement follow in what should be an eventful offseason for the Sixers, who also own Nos. 24 (Heat) and 26 (Thunder).
The Sixers have interviewed plenty of guards at the NBA draft combine in Chicago, which fits with Colangelo preferring a balanced roster. The backcourt is the team’s biggest need area.
By adding a pair of impact core players and perhaps a rotation guy or two on draft night, the Sixers might be able to jump-start the process of working their way up the league standings.
