At least we know the Sixers will have this pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft.
With the NCAA Tournament tipping off on Tuesday night in Dayton the eyes of basketball fans across America will be fixated on the college ranks for the next three weeks before we hit the NBA playoffs. The eyes of Sixers fans have been locked in on the lottery standings as the team plays out the string and hopes for greener pastures in the offseason and in 2025-26. While we encourage you to monitor prospects the Sixers could draft in the first round this summer, by now everyone is aware of the fact that they may not retain their first-rounder.
Whether the Sixers retain their first-rounder or not, an underrated piece of the Quentin Grimes trade with Dallas was Philly re-acquiring its own second-rounder. Recent drafts have shown that the second round might not be the crapshoot it’s portrayed to be. There have been rotation players and, in some cases, instant starters for playoff teams selected in the first 10 picks of the second round, which is where Philadelphia’s second-rounder will land.
It will be especially important for the Sixers to hit on this pick if they keep this year’s first-rounder. Keeping the first this year would practically guarantee no first-rounder for the Sixers in 2026 with the protection on the debt owed to Oklahoma City dropping to just the top four. Philadelphia already does not have its second-rounder in 2026 meaning the Sixers are staring down the likelihood of no picks in the 2026 draft. Therefore, you would think Philly will eye instant contributors in this summer’s draft given it will almost definitely hope to contend next season. Here are some names to watch during the NCAA Tournament this week who should be selected in the range Philadelphia’s second-round pick will fall.
Johni Broome, Auburn
Height: 6’10”
Weight: 240
Position: PF/C
Age: 22
Synopsis: Broome is an easy player to root for. He’s in the running for the National Player of the Year award and has done nothing but improve throughout his storied college career. He was a two-time Ohio Valley Conference first-team selection at Morehead State before transferring to Auburn and not missing a beat having been twice selected to the All-SEC first team.
As far as his skillset, Broome looks to be a pretty polished player. He’s a walking double-double who’s now up to averaging three assists per game as a big man to go with slightly greater than two blocks per game. He’s even shown a willingness to develop a three-point shot in his later college years which can only help. College stats don’t always translate to NBA production and it seems like the lack of a higher ceiling in the NBA is preventing Broome from being a first-round lock. He’s also set to turn 23 this summer just after the draft and older players can sometimes get unnecessarily pushed too far down boards.
Broome’s well-roundedness and skill development feel like things that can keep him in the NBA for a while though. Maintaining a strong work ethic will allow a coachable player like Broome to grow into an NBA role of some sort. Considering the shortage of good options for Philadelphia this season in the frontcourt behind Joel Embiid, there’s an easy path to seeing Broome make at least some starts if he were a Sixer next season. Broome is projected to go in the early 30s so he may not make it to Philly’s pick. An argument could also be made that a strong NCAA Tournament could put Broome into the 20s. But he’s been in the national spotlight for years now and still sits as a fringe first-rounder entering this year’s tournament. It seems like he will be selected somewhere between the 27th and 37th overall picks.
NCAA Tournament first game: Auburn vs. St. Francis (PA)/Alabama State on Thursday at 2:50 p.m. ET on CBS
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Height: 6’9”
Weight: 225
Position: PF
Age: 19
Synopsis: While age is not one of them, there are some similarities between Toppin and Broome. First off, they both have summer birthdays and Toppin will turn 20 in June and Broome celebrates his 23rd birthday in July. Both players are transfers as Toppin migrated across state lines from New Mexico last year to Texas Tech this year. Both are walking double-doubles who were just named the players of the year in their respective conferences. We mentioned Broome’s outside shooting improvements, and Toppin has also attempted more three-pointers with the Red Raiders than he did as a Lobo last season. Toppin has also greatly improved as a free throw shooter going from 56.5% at New Mexico in 2023-24 to 70.1% with Texas Tech this season.
Things appear to have come together a little faster for Toppin. Toppin transferred to a high-major program quicker than Broome did and has now hit the scouting radar prior to turning 20. Toppin is neither the shot blocker nor the passer that Broome is, so there’s probably a bit more skill development for Toppin, but it looks like Toppin has enough talent to earn at least a medium-sized role as a rookie.
NCAA Tournament first game: Texas Tech vs. UNC Wilmington on Thursday at 10:10 p.m. ET on TruTV
Ian Jackson, North Carolina
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 190
Position: SG
Age: 20
Synopsis: As far as his fit with the Sixers, Jackson’s would be the least clear as a rookie. At this point one would have to think Philadelphia will prioritize bringing back Quentin Grimes in restricted free agency and figure out the minutes next season accordingly with Grimes, Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey. But frankly, if you’re picking Jackson, you’re not expecting a ton in his rookie season anyway.
Jackson has only started 12 games for a North Carolina team that didn’t belong in the NCAA Tournament. His production has been rocky but his highs have certainly been high enough to get the attention of NBA scouts as a freshman. Jackson was a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school and is shooting close to 40% from three-point land this season. He seems to have enough shot-creation skills to get hot and his 12 points per game for the Tar Heels this season is actually pretty impressive when you consider he’s only played 24 minutes per night for Hubert Davis.
If Jackson were to return to North Carolina next season, become a more consistent scorer and start more games, he could end up being a lottery pick in the 2026 draft. But if he declares for this year’s draft, enough teams will probably be hesitant to pull the trigger on him in the first 25-30 picks. Given his inconsistencies and lack of playmaking, Jackson is the exact kind of prospect that could do himself a lot of good with a string of big games if the Tar Heels were to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. Nevertheless, if drafted by the Sixers, he would be a best player available pick and someone you would hope could grow into a rotation down the line due to his offensive upside.
NCAA Tournament first game: North Carolina vs. San Diego State on Tuesday at 9:10 p.m. ET on TruTV*
*Should North Carolina advance out of the First Four, it would play Ole Miss on Friday at 4:05 p.m. ET on TNT
Darrion Williams, Texas Tech
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 225
Position: SG
Age: 21
Synopsis: Standing a couple inches taller than Jackson, Williams would certainly be a better fit with the Sixers. Williams is another transfer player on our watch list as the Sacramento native began his college career at Nevada. His scoring has increased in each of his college seasons and he gives a good blend of rebounding and passing. Williams is a threat to score at all three levels and his variety of skills makes him playable in a lot of different lineup combinations.
Williams turns 22 next month so he’s on the older side as well and is projected safely in the second round in most mocks. But the skillset seems intriguing and he should be available for the Sixers to select. Williams might be someone that doesn’t see much time out of the gate as the Sixers figure out how to best utilize his variety of skills. But especially if the Sixers move Paul George at next year’s trade deadline, Williams would be a candidate for more minutes towards the end of next season. If you’re into these fun quirks, Williams transferred to Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas for his final two seasons of high school ball. That’s the same high school that one of the Phillies top prospects — Justin Crawford — attended.
NCAA Tournament first game: Texas Tech vs. UNC Wilmington on Thursday at 10:10 p.m. ET on TruTV
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Height: 7’1”
Weight: 270
Position: C
Age: 23
Synopsis: We begin and end our second-round watch list with highly-decorated college players. Kalkbrenner’s resume is not as long as Broome’s, but then again no one else’s is either. But Kalkbrenner is a menace of a rim protecter having won the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award for a fourth time this season. The only other player to do that was Patrick Ewing.
Offensively, Kalkbrenner has flashed enough to get drafted this summer. He had a 49-point outburst in Creighton’s season opener and had a slew of 20+ point outings in Big East play. He’s developed somewhat of a three-point shot too. He only attempted two in his freshman season at Creighton and ended up going 19-57 from the three-point line in the regular season this year. It’s still just 33% but it’s a clear improvement.
As far as his rookie year role with Philadelphia, Kalkbrenner would probably be battling it out with Adem Bona for some bench minutes. Standing at 7’1”, if some of Kalkbrenner’s ability to score in the post can translate to the NBA, he could certainly stick around in the league given his penchant for shot blocking. And hey, if your bracket and bets aren’t enough to get you juiced up for the first game on Thursday afternoon, well that game happens to feature the standout for the Blue Jays.
NCAA Tournament first game: Creighton vs Louisville on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS