The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams were not publicly discussing trade proposals. It was disappointing to not see the 76ers trade up in the first round for another lottery pick to address the issues they have at point guard, but they still had a good draft.
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Philadelphia still has a loaded front court, and finding a roster spot for Wood will be hard unless he absolutely shuts down summer league, but he showed enough last season to be given a longer look.
Many NBA draft experts had Simmons as the top overall prospect in this draft ever since he announced that he would be attending LSU. I know how to get the ball to big guys in low. “I think overall it’s just one of those things that takes time”. “You put me in any situation and I’ll make the most of it”, said the 19-year-old. “It was a big, diamond-cut poster of him with the braids …”
“I feel great for the fans”, owner Josh Harris said.
“I talk about the young, developing core”.
And it’s very likely he’ll be an amoeba of sorts for Brown and play all five positions at one point or another.
During his brief tenure in Baton Rouge, Simmons averaged 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.
“I’m relieved and happy to be a part of the organisation”. And can the Sixers really expect Simmons, the LSU freshman who couldn’t even lead his team to the NCAA Tournament, to be the transcendent player to turn around a franchise that won just 47 games in the last three seasons, including the 10-72 travesty last season? Pro scouts were tantalized by his 41 percent shooting on 3-pointers, and his thin build only heightened the comparisons to Kevin Durant. He also exhibited an inclination to pass, rather than create his own shot, in the late stages of close games.
Could the foreign flavor also be rooted in the Warriors’ style of play?
Sixers coach Brett Brown, who has known Simmons since birth after coaching Simmons’ dad, David, called landing Simmons “a small element of relief, a huge element of excitement for our city”.
“It feels great”, Ingram said.
He’ll get that chance in Philadelphia.
National Basketball Association clubs can pay rookie first-round selections as much as 120 percent of their slotted salary, which is on a sliding scale based on where they’re drafted. The Sixers might finally have Saric should he break free from the final year of his European deal.
Brown was then reminded that he might already have a power forward in Okafor or Noel, assuming that Joel Embiid, who missed the last two seasons with a broken foot, is healthy enough to play center this season.
“I am excited about the future and can’t wait to get started”, he said.
Unlike Russell however, Ingram was the consensus number 2 pick.
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He will reportedly earn AUD$7.7 million in his first season and that will rise over the next three years of his rookie contract with the inflating salary cap.
