NBA DRAFT DECISIONS: Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are coming off a very impressive season after surprising everyone and clinching the 3rd seed of the Easter Conference and advancing to the second round of the playoffs with their young core. They have the 10th pick in this year's draft, should they draft someone? Or should they package the pick and trade it?
Idea #1: Keep the pick
With the 10th pick the 76ers won't find any franchise changing players, but they should find some nice young players to add to their core to further their rise as one of the league's best teams.
Who are the options?
Kevin Knox, SF/PF
Knox is currently seeing a rise in his draft stock as teams are realizing how young he is. He is not 19 yet and had a pretty good season at Kentucky this past season. He was not anything spectacular and did not create conversation for being one of the top prospects in the draft, however scouts and experts need to look more at his potential impact rather than his numbers from his lone season at Kentucky. His offensive game is impressive as he is a decent shooter and knows how to finish at the rim. His shot beyond the arc does need to improve as he only shot 34% from 3 this past season. His size and athleticism should make him a good defender, however during this past season he raised many defensive questions because of his limited effort. He stands at 6'9 and could be a smaller power forward who has a similar impact as Tobias Harris.
Miles Bridges, SF/PF
Had he stayed in the draft last year, he was projected as a top 10 pick. His stock did not change this year as he is projected to go within the 9 - 12 pick range. His offensive game is similar to Knox, as both have drawn comparisons to Tobias Harris. Miles has a decent shot and knows how to finish close to the rim. Standing only at 6'6, he looks to be a small forward, however his elite rebounding ability and style of play may make him better suited as a power forward. His size will be a problem in the NBA if he does play as a power forward and his passing vision was also a problem during his college career for Michigan State. He could be a nice contributor to the 76ers on the offensive end but defensively he may prove to be a mismatch to bigger forwards.
Mikal Bridges, SF
He won't be a star but he could be a key member on a championship team. He is a classic 3 and D player. He is able to defend multiple positions effectively and is very successful at knocking down the 3 point shot as he shot 43% on over 200 attempts from beyond the arc. Him and Covington will cause problems for wing players on opposing teams. Mikal is coming off a championship run with Villanova and can bring some of that winner mindset to the 76ers and be a nice shooter for Simmons to look to pass to on the offensive end. Any one of these wing players will be a good addition to Philadelphia's offence, however the best defensive option at the number 10 pick will be Mikal Bridges.
Idea #2: Trade the pick
Option #1: Kawhi Leonard
As we all probably know by now, Kawhi wants out of San Antonio and one of the the possible trade targets is the 76ers. The potential trade that has been brought up is Covington, Fultz and the 10th pick to San Antonio in exchange for Kawhi. I personally would love this trade from the perspective of the 76ers because it gives them a superstar to add to Simmons and Embiid and it immediately puts them as a contender for the championship. However, I do not see the Spurs giving up Kawhi for that much risk, as Fultz still has not proven himself and the 10th pick will not produce any superstars for the team to build around.
Option #2: Kevin Love
Cleveland is in one of the worst positions a team can be in, with a very subpar roster and their superstar most likely going to leave without receiving anything in return. If they choose to hit the restart button, the Cavs will look to trade Kevin Love and the 76ers could be a possible destination. The trade would be something like Kevin for Covington and the 10th pick. The 76ers may need to add more to the trade possibly Dario Saric, but getting Kevin Love would instantly help their offence and it would add a veteran with championship experience to their young team.
The 76ers are one of the upcoming teams in the league and will likely be a contender for years to come with Simmons and Embiid. All the years of trusting the process have finally paid off as the team will look to find its final pieces of the process to become a champion. They are rumoured to get Lebron this offseason, but we will have to wait for after the draft to see what happens.