The Sixers have the 22nd pick in tonight’s draft…for now. Picking at 22 is only one of the possible outcomes. They could move up, move down, or trade out of the pick entirely. What we do know though is that the Sixers are looking for certain kinds of players. They need athletic wings. If they have more size or can shoot, that’s a plus. It became way too clear that this team is simply a step slow in stacking up against the rest of the east and needs players to simply matchup.
For this Big Board, small guards are out, as are pure lumbering centers. Everyone in the middle, that’s who we have our eyes on. Also, players guaranteed to go in the top 10 have no place in this dojo. While the sixers could move up, they do not have the fire power to go up 15-ish spots from #22. Let’s do this…
(Tankathon Mock Draft position in parenthesis)
- Dailyn Swain (24)
- SF – Texas – 6’8″
- Swain isn’t a crazy athlete but he is a crafty one that not only knows how to handle the ball, but get it to where it needs to go regardless of whether that means a teammate or in the basket. The shot isn’t great, but it isn’t a disaster either.
- Isaiah Evans (26)
- SF – Duke – 6’7″
- Before you go yelling that we just traded Jared McCain only to get another shooter from Duke, Evans is significantly bigger than McCain even if McCain is the better shooter. His long arms would allow him to play with both VJ and Maxey in a way that Morey never envisioned McCain could do. I’m not defending the trade but turning McCain into Evans wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
- Josh Jefferson (30)
- PF – Iowa State – 6’8″
- Jefferson is a very large man (250 pounds) who is one of the best passers in the draft. While athleticism isn’t his game, knowing what to do on both ends of the floor very much is. The shot is fine, not great but good enough. He seems like the kind of guy who simply helps teams win by doing the right thing and knowing where to be.
- Hannes Steinbach (17)
- PF – Washington – 6’10”
- Look, I’m firmly against taking anyone from Washington or Washington St. after so many follies from the Sixers and Eagles, but Steinbach has the kind of size and range that the Sixers have never been able to put next to Embiid. If anyone was a pick for both now and later, it’s Steinbach. Defense isn’t his thing, but rebounding is.
- Sergio de Larrea (29)
- PG – Spain – 6’7″
- Can shoot, can pass, has size. de Larrea would be a solid backup point guard that could also play next to both VJ and Maxey. Sharing the floor with those guys would be especially good because he is not the most athletic player in the draft. Playing in Spain allowed him to compete with older and much more experienced players, he held his own.
- Jayden Quaintance (23)
- PF – Kentucky – 6’10”
- Quaintance has been hurt most of the last two years but still has absurd athleticism for a man of his immense size (11″ claw hands). While offense isn’t really his thing right now other than being a few feet from the rim, he is the type of rebounding phenomenon that could immediately fix one of the Sixers’ biggest problems.
- Chris Cenac (22)
- PF – Houston – 7′
- Cenac is VERY athletic, especially for his size and could be used either as a PF with Embiid on the floor or a rim running back up Center. Shooting and shot blocking are not his strong points, but he is at least not a sieve on defense due to his size and strength that allows him to get ALL the rebounds. One of his big flaws is not doing the right thing, like a less skilled but more athletic Paul Reed when he was first out the mud with the Sixers.
- Nate Ament (12)
- SF – Tennessee – 6’11”
- Lots of height, lots of length, lots of range, and lots of skills, but cannot get to the rim. Defensive athleticism isn’t his thing, but his nearly 7′ wingspan could really help him contain other small forwards and simply be in the way of passing lanes. While he likes shooting, getting the ball in the basket isn’t really a strong suit at the moment. There’s a lot of “in theory” to his game.
- Koa Peat (25)
- PF – Arizona – 6’8″
- Works hard, has great size, and is athletic but has very little basketball skill other than passing. He’s a project and the Sixers do not exactly have a great track record with projects.
- Allen Graves (20)
- PF – Santa Clara – 6’9″
- Jack of all trades, master of none type. Does that mean he’s big Derrick White or Evan Turner lite? While many think he can step in right away because of his size and basketball IQ, he might not actually be able to play in the advanced NBA competition after coming off the bench for mid-major Santa Clara.
Photo: Craig Strobeck – Imagn Images
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