The NBA Draft lottery results are in, and the Philadelphia 76ers are finally winners. Everything is relative right?
The Sixers won the No.1 overall pick in the 2016 lottery, held in New York City. All this a little more than one month after divisive general manager Sam Hinkie resigned following three years of tanking for such a moment.
Trusting the process finally paid off, even if the architect wasn’t around to see it come to fruition.
Back to local interests, the 76ers now have the chance to select Australian export Ben Simmons, and don’t expect them to pass up this chance. Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown is a former coach of the Australian Boomers, and remarkably coached Simmons’ father Dave during his playing career two decades ago.
Some will call for the 76ers to select Duke’s Brandon Ingram, citing reasons such as him being a better fit with the current roster and the safer prospect. While this might be true, Philadelphia doesn’t need safe or good fits, they need great.
Brown desperately needs a playmaker for his young roster and Simmons is exactly that. The Sixers’ current point guards are not viable NBA options and Simmons has the talent to serve as a primary NBA ball handler from day one.
Ingram may be attractive – they desperately need shooting and he can definitely provide it – but Simmons will be too tempting to pass up. Plus, Philadelphia is not one player away from contending.
Pick Simmons, let him take his lumps playing in year one, and bank on your franchise to develop his talents. Sounds easy right?
If Simmons is the pick, expect more trades in Philadelphia. Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel were frontcourt starters this season, while Joel Embiid appears to be ready for an NBA debut when the new season opens in November. The frontcourt is overloaded.
Simmons’ NBA destiny is ultimately as a playmaking forward similar to the Draymond Green mould. Philadelphia can probably wait another year before deciding who is superfluous, but must be wary of diminishing returns should they wait too long. Dealing Okafor for a lottery pick may be the best way forward if a trade partner can be found.
Would Phoenix be willing to trade pick four for the number three pick in last year’s draft?
The Los Angeles Lakers should be very happy. Based on all of the possible outcomes heading into the lottery, a good argument can be made they were bigger winners than even Philly. They keep their pick and are guaranteed a blue-chip prospect. Plus, they won’t have the pressure of deciding between Simmons or Ingram.
Just like Oklahoma City in 2007 (they were in Seattle at the time), the Lakers can take whomever the Sixers overlook and roll forward without the burden of possibly overlooking the NBA’s next superstar.
As petty as it sounds, removing this pressure is an element that cannot be underestimated. Yes, Simmons is clearly a better prospect, but as much as we hate to admit it, there is no guarantee Simmons will be the next superstar. So many things can go wrong, as Greg Oden showed in 2007.
With improvement likely next season, the Lakers effectively gained draft capital as well. They now owe their 2017 first round pick to the Sixers (top three protected) but figure to show progression under Luke Walton in the new year, meaning worse draft positioning.
Plus, there is always the possibility of a trade, which leads into the next point.
Expect a lot of trade rumours involving the Lakers and Celtics with players like Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook if Kevin Durant leaves the Thunder. It has already begun and given both clubs missed out on the number one pick, expect the rumours to escalate.
Both franchises have shown a history of trading in young assets for flashy names. To be fair, it has worked, with both winning championships in the last ten years on the back of newsworthy trades for big name players.
The Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce trade remains amazingly atrocious. Granted, this isn’t news to anyone, but seeing the Celtics acquire the number three pick after a season in which they won 48 games is remarkable for so many reasons.
At least Brooklyn won one playoff series under the guidance of Garnett and Pierce. They will have always that memory.
The basketball gods love taking again! Today marked the second consecutive year the franchise with the worst record claimed the number one pick.
#TrustTheProcess.
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