The 76ers won Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery, giving the struggling team the top pick in the June 23 draft, with the Los Angeles Lakers choosing second and the Boston Celtics third. Sam Hinkie’s infamous “Process” and tank culture has resulted in the No. 1 overall pick and the opportunity to select either Brandon Ingram or Ben Simmons, the unanimous top two players in the draft class possessing great talent and potential. Which seems insane, considering that Philadelphia intentionally put a garbage product on the court, unsure of its payoff.
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Let me first preface this article by saying I am thrilled that the 76ers ended up getting the number one pick in the 2016 draft. They need shooting and perimeter scorers and already appear set in the frontcourt with Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid, so Ingram makes more sense on paper.
For all anyone knows, Ingram or Simmons could be helping the 76ers win another lottery pick next season.
Most analysts believe it’s a race between Simmons and Duke’s Brandon Ingram for the sought after No. 1 spot, but the early indication is the Sixers will opt for the Melbourne-raised forward.
It’s easy to make that argument and it’s been reported that the 76ers are actually leaning towards Simmons.
Simmons, though, stands out for his passing ability, among other things, and if Philadelphia decides that he has the brightest future of anyone available, then it will find a way to fit him into its plans.
In addition, the 76ers have strong connections to Australia, Simmons’s homeland, and to the player specifically.
“I coached Ben’s father a long time ago; I’ve known Ben since he was born”, Brown said in a USA TODAY story from Nicole Auerbach.
Brown did, however, rave about the 19-year-old Simmons.
“I think that his form isn’t one that you have to blow up and start over”.
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“When you take that collection of comments and you add it into a 6-foot-10 frame, the comparison to those two players could be a little reckless and ambitious, but there is no denying he really does come to the draft with a very unique skill package”. Was it a total rebuild or was it a little bit of a makeover?
