NBA Draft 2016: 5 teams in desperate need of a good draft
On Sunday night we witnessed one of the greatest NBA finals and celebrated arguably the best Game 7 in recent times when LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers beat Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors. It’s been just three days since that historical night and we are already on the cusp of another exciting spectacle – the 2016 NBA Drafts.
On Thursday night, Adam Silver, the Commissioner of the NBA will announce the first round draft picks for the new season at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In what typically turns out to be a night when dreams become a reality, fans immerse themselves equally into the action, proclaiming their team’s draft picks to be ‘next biggest superstar’ in the NBA, generating enough mileage till the start of the league in October.
Obviously, the selections are handed out in reverse order of regular season record, meaning the team with the worst regular season record gets to pick first. After trying their luck to pick first for the last three seasons, Philadelphia 76ers were handed the first piece of the cake in draft lottery, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Pheonix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves, rounding up the first five. What should you know that you might not already? Who are top five teams in desperate need for great picks and who are some of the names making rounds in the circuit?
#1 Philadelphia 76ers (Requirement: Point Guard)
The Sixers who had the worst record (again) last season, ended up with the first pick in this year’s draft. And they will look to add talent to their young roster by picking either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram as they look to turn a new leaf under Bryan Colangelo.
Their interest in Derick Rose was well known, and when he chose to move to the Knicks, you wonder what went wrong there. Were the Bulls eyeing more than just one of Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, which in 76ers case would have been the deal breaker.
Embiid, ‘if’ fit can prove to be an impact player, but it is clear that Noel and Okafor, talented as they are, cannot play together. The 76ers are in a conundrum. Relying on Embiid comes at the risk of losing him to injury. Also, listing Joel and Okafor on the market, albeit sensible, wouldn’t be the way to go unless they trade Jahlil Okafor to the Celtics for the No. 3 pick, which they could then use on someone like Providence point guard Kris Dunn.
Since the 76ers have focused on drafting big players over the past few seasons, they need a ton of help at the point guard position. Having lost out on Rose, it is still not too late to amend. Simmons or Ingram would add to the existing young core. If either pick lives up to the hype and the rest of their players return from injury and stay fit through the season, we could be looking at a pretty decent squad for the 76ers.