With the regular season rapidly coming to a close, teams are preparing to welcome an addition to their roster by way of the 2016 NBA Draft, with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Lakers all making a disheartening return to the lottery this year.
It’s always beneficial for a team to acquire a young player that can be developed into a substantial piece, however to constantly be victim to subpar seasons is a different situation.
Nonetheless, whichever organisation is fortunate enough to have their ping-pong ball selected for the No.1 pick will have several worthy options to choose from.
The Philadelphia 76ers will ultimately finish with the worst record in the league, only managing to muster up nine wins over the course of 77 games. As a result, general manager Sam Hinkie and the 76ers will have the highest probability of landing the No.1 pick. However, it’s not a guarantee.
Back in 2012, the Charlotte Bobcats concluded with a .106 winning percentage and seven total wins, yet were left with the No.2 pick in the draft, electing to take Kentucky forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
But for the sake of predictions, Philadelphia will have possession of the first pick heading into the 2016 NBA Draft.
The 76ers haven’t gone anywhere near the postseason since the 2011-12 season, and they’ve elected to select centres for three straight years, all within the first ten picks. Nerlens Noel, drafted in 2013, is a defensive stud but has durability issues. Same with Kansas’ one-and-done big man Joel Embiid; he has yet to see the court since being drafted. Lastly, Jahlil Okafor is a major offensive weapon and has proven he can score in the post, but he has troublesome issues with maturity.
The 76ers can’t handle another incorrect draft decision. They’re approaching another season without making the playoffs, and their roster is not fit to compete in either conference on a consistent basis.
That said, there are two admirable candidates to be the No.1 overall pick in this draft: Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons.
Ingram is a 6’9″ forward with above-average ball handling, the ability to shoot spot-up or off the dribble, and length to bother shots. He’s been compared to Kevin Durant due to his slim frame and impressive scoring arsenal.
While he’s only 18 years of age and has time to bulk up, his slender build might be a red flag for the future. His weight is currently 195 pounds, so he’s guaranteed to have difficulties finishing among the trees in the NBA.
The other option is a jack of all trades, LSU forward Ben Simmons. The most complete player in this draft class, Simmons averaged 11.8 rebounds per game on the season, is a superb passer, averaged 4.8 dimes on the season, and averaged 19.3 points on 56 per cent shooting.
However, Simmons doesn’t seem to have that killer instinct in him. He was unable to guide his team to the NCAA tournament, which brings concern to his leadership and his ability to take over. Nevertheless, Simmons is intelligent and has a high basketball IQ. While a killer instinct is arguably unteachable, so is an innate knowledge of the game.
The question now is, which forward should Philly pick? This is their fourth consecutive selection in the lottery, they can’t afford yet another mistake.
The right move here would be to draft Ben Simmons with the No.1 pick, as every player will benefit from playing with him. Simmons is versatile and while his jump shot might not be super dependable, he is still an elite athlete with vision and playmaking skills.
The 76ers need a savior, and Simmons could be the player to finally guide them towards the light.
Benjiman Mallis
Roar Rookie
Answer is Simmons 100 times out of 100. Simmons has a chance to be a top 10 player. He is a jump shot away from being a better Draymond Green. Ingram is the 'safer' pick but Philly must shoot for the stars.
Swampy
Guest
Absolutely agree Pete. I still think Philly should trade down. A trade with Boston could get them a pick and a good NBA player to help their depth and barely impact their cap position at all. Simmons doesn't fit their team. Simmons is a point guard in a power forward's body. He needs to be able to drive to create. As Philly have no shooters then opposing teams can pack the paint and limit the space in which Simmons can operate. In fact, it would look exactly like LSU offence.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Trade down and take Dunn
pete bloor
Guest
A lot of the analysts don't really "love" Ingram they are high on him but the if you forget that he's tall and lanky and put the visual out of your mind and look at the results - he just isn't a collegiate Durant and the FT% is a red flag that maybe he isn't shooting isn't mana from heaven. All that puts him as a top prospect but not a #1 type pick. He could still go there but I think that is more talking yourself out of Simmons than into Ingram.
Knickradamus
Guest
At the beginning of the College season he was definitely the #1 guy, without a doubt. But as the season progressed college and NBA scouts picked his game apart and combined with the LSU season dropped his draft value somewhat. Physically he's extremely NBA ready but analysts have been questioning his shot and drive to win. It was pretty funny on the shot because some draft experts wrote things like 'there aren't any visible issues with his shot mechanics however you can tell that he has issues with mid range shots FT's etc' which is kind of rubbish but thats what they're paid to do. Ingram on the other hand.... All the analysts and scouts love his game and consider him the most likely to be an all star.
Knickradamus
Guest
Woah.... Shock I don't think he was sacked but he quit because of the drastic increase of Colangelo's immigrating to the franchise :-) It was probably the rest of NBA owners complaining that one Colangelo at Philly wasn't enough. Not sure if this will change much for the 76ers off season or the draft... maybe pick up a few more veterans to help the youth. That was a big thing with Hinkie is he didn't want any veterans on his roster...
astro
Guest
If Philly picks at 1, they'll take Simmons without any hesitation. The entire basis of tanking is to catch that transcendent talent...the guy who could end up being a top 5 player in the league. Simmons is more likely to be that than Ingram, as there's a chance Simmons is a totally unique player, who's best position is actually point forward. If that's the case, it doesn't matter as much if Simmons plays the 3 or 4 or even the 1. He'll be a match up nightmare and a guy you can build a team around...
Swampy
Guest
Philly just sacked Sam Hinke so I don't think that 7 year plan will ever eventuate
Knickradamus
Guest
Just a quick note on Philly's current roster and potential trades, They've come out and said they are not going to trade Embiid. Philly are only in their 3rd year of the Sam Hinkie 7 year rebuilding phase so may stockpile as much talent as they want until such time as they are ready to unload. Over the past few years it's been grabbing big men which become alot more valuable in the NBA down the track. All Philly are interested in at the moment is future assets like picks and exceptions. They aren't looking to make the playoffs at all for the next 5 or 6 years. This has actually caused other NBA owners to complain about the loss of income on away matches as no one wants to see a 76ers game live because they're awful (I actually like watching them play). I'm not too sure who they'll pick but they definitely won't trade up or down the draft unless they swap this years 1st rounder for another teams 2017 1st rounder who promises to be more awful then them.
pete bloor
Guest
Not sure Russell's friendship is the worlds biggest draw card at the moment :). I
Swampy
Guest
Based on needs, Philly should trade down. They really need an outside shooter based on the current team and Buddy Hield is that guy. Simmons would just make their obvious weak spot worse. Simmons needs to go to a drive and kick team with loads of spot up shooters. Out of the teams with a chance of getting number 1 only a couple will suit Simmons. For me the Lakers is his destiny. Boston would suit due to their team oriented play. Minnesota, Philly, New Orleans, Sacramento and Milwaukee wouldn't be disastrous but they all have glaring weaknesses that Simmons wouldn't fix. Simmons may well improve at shooting like Kahwi or Draymond but right now we suspect he won't be a 40% 3pt shooter in his first two seasons. Personally I wish Simmons goes to Phoenix - he won't have quite the spotlight there and he will get to play with Devin Booker, if you haven't seen him play you are missing out, who is a future star playmaker and lights out shooter. Simmons/Booker is a pair to build around. A miracle shot would be Utah, if they missed the playoffs and managed to trade up in the lottery. Smart coach, good system and a bunch of Aussies. Very unlikely though. Don't forget Simmons is a Laker fan and friends with D'Andre Russell (they played together at Monteverde). Provided the lakers don't trade Russell there is a lot of reasons Simmons may have manipulated things to end up in LA
pete bloor
Guest
It think it should be either Simmons or trade. First the sixer’s should take the “fit” concept and throw it out the door. They’ve been collecting ping pong balls for several seasons and every player they’ve gotten has way bigger question marks. Nothing “fits” with their team at this point, sure something may fit if everything breaks right but I think drafting the best player available and taking the portfolio approach is going to be the way they get a super star out of this. Simmons would be their highest upside player in my view, so not sure why you pass because he doesn’t fit with the other guys who are all just basically “potential” players. On Simmons he isn’t without his flaws. He will probably play the 4 in the long term but isn’t much of a rim protector, his shooting just is an unknown quantity but his FT% (basically the same as Ingram’s) indicates he should be able to become a decent shooter. He’s athletic but not off the charts for his position athletic. The “killer instinct” is just weird. His only issue was trusting team mates at weak program. That scouts want a guy who breaks down the defence and then doesn’t pass to the open guy seems the antithesis of winning games. Everyone’s lauding Ingram’s shooting but his FT% (it’s only marginally better than Simmons who’s knock is he can’t shoot) suggests he isn’t a great shooter let alone potentially in Durant’s class and given he couldn't score inside the arc anything like Durant I’m not sure it’s a reasonable upside comparison. Has a sub 70% college FT shooter ever come close to the 50/40/90 club? Doesn’t mean he won’t be a good shooter but if that’s his big weapon I’m just not sure that is enough upside for the #1 pick.
Knickradamus
Guest
This is hard, it's a very weak draft with only the the top 3 being contenders Ben Simmons natural ability and talent make him the obvious number one pick for a team that is in need of a big man... But Philly have no decent guards, and a plethora of big men... They even found a decent SF in Covington. So who should they draft? Buddy Hield is the standout for them, he's a potential 20+ point combo guard and his progress over his 4 years in college is amazing. He has the drive and determination to improve. He'll be 22 when the draft happens so he'll have the mental readyness for the NBA. Simmons is the most complete player in the draft, Ingram has the most potential. But Buddy is the best fit for the 76ers without a doubt.
Marshall
Guest
I say Ingram, Remember Daro Saric is coming over (likely this year - he has an opt out of his Turkish contract) and he will play the 4. In the NBA Simmons will need to play the 4 if he can't shoot and is primarily playing with his back to the basket or driving to the rim Ingram can play the 3 or 2 and will fit better with their overall lineup. If you put something like Noel, Saric, Ingram, Covington, (PG) on the floor you have the makings of a real team as it develops. Okafor and Embiid you pick one to keep and trade the other as they are both backup 5's (Embiid of course could be anything and end up pushing Noel to the bench) This of course leaves Simmons to the Lakers at 2, an intruiging proposiiton given his reluctance to take over in college, the big lights will be quite a test.