Sixers fans — you are sickos and it’s wonderful. Even in a miserable season, you had plenty of questions.
You’re all absolute sickos and I say that as affectionately as possible.
You flooded my request for questions to the point where I have to split this mailbag up into two parts. If your question wasn’t answered in Part I, I should get to it in Part II. If not, ask again next week! Remember, I’ll solicit for questions every Monday with answers to follow Tuesday — and in this case on Wednesday as well. Bryan Toporek will also be asking for questions on Wednesday.
Enough of that, let’s get to your questions.
If you thought of realistic worst-case scenarios before this season even started, pretty much every single one of them played out. The team should be much better next year because of sheer health and luck.
The Sixers are currently 23-52. Even if Joel Embiid and Paul George don’t play a single game next season, that record should be way better in 2025-26. You’ll have hungry and motivated versions of Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain. You’ll (likely) have guys like Quentin Grimes, Justin Edwards and Adem Bona in the rotation from opening night. And if they keep their pick, they’ll have a top-six player from the 2025 NBA Draft. Plus, one of (both if they’re very lucky) Guerschon Yabusele and/or Kelly Oubre, Jr. should be back next season.
I’ll get more into this in later questions, but when you’re picking this high, fit should be the least of your concerns — especially when there are major questions about two of your max players and the draft class is as good as this one. It’s hard to put an exact value on what losing this pick would be, but if there is even a chance to get Cooper Flagg … phew. He has the potential to be a franchise-altering player.
As I touched on in the previous answer, you don’t draft for need. Daryl Morey hasn’t done that here and that’s the aspect of his team-building that’s been the most successful. A prime example was last season when the Sixers took McCain over Dalton Knecht. Knecht was the more NBA-ready player and theoretically fit better with Maxey because of his size. Drafting McCain was the right call. Essentially, you more often regret taking players for need than the player you view as the best available.
Maybe there are other reports out there, but from my understanding, Morey took calls on the 16th pick last year, but nothing was considered close. He said after the draft he was offered an “interesting player,” but that he valued McCain more and that the “interesting player” could be a target down the line.
For me, I would definitely take a player with a top-four pick. Hell, I’d personally be more inclined to take a player in the top six unless the package I’m offered is too good to pass up. Given the scouting department’s recent record with the draft, getting more picks and bites at the apple wouldn’t be the worst thing. I think trading the pick for a “win-now” player might not be the best decision — unless that player fits perfectly into your next timeline with Maxey, McCain, Grimes, etc.
I sort of break down the top draft prospects like this (and look, I’m no Sam Vecenie, so feel free to disagree in the comments):
- Flagg could be a generational talent.
- Dylan Harper might not be at that level, but he looks like a can’t-miss prospect who would go No. 1 in a lot of other drafts.
- Ace Bailey and V.J. Edgecombe have rare traits/star potential so if the Sixers get pick No. 3 or 4, they almost have to take one of them. Bailey’s fit is better but take the best guy and figure it out.
- It gets tricky after the top four and I would be open to a trade if the right one presented itself. That said, I’m super high on Tre Johnson from Texas who is a dynamite shooter and dynamic scorer at 6-foot-6. Kon Knueppel of Duke would actually be a tremendous fit here because of his size, shooting and secondary playmaking.
- I don’t love taking a center in the top six. Both Duke’s Khaman Maluach and Maryland’s Derick Queen are intriguing but flawed. I don’t know if either is worthy of a top-six pick.
- The wildcard is Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis. He’s an elite playmaker with great size, but his lack of athleticism led to turnovers and ineffectiveness against stiff competition. He’s also still only 18 years old.
Sort of piggybacking off the last response, Harper and Edgecombe are must-take players if available. Harper has all the makings of a heliocentric offensive hub while Edgecombe is a freak athlete with plenty of skill. Jakucionis scares me but I can see the appeal.
With that said, I don’t think the Sixers would move Maxey or McCain, nor do I believe it would change their desire to re-sign Grimes. Having four super-talented and dynamic young guards seems like a great problem to have.
The good thing about Harper and Edgecombe as far as their fit with the Sixers is their size. Harper is listed at 6-foot-6 while Edgecombe is listed at 6-foot-5. If you watched both guys they are stout with NBA bodies and good functional strength. Can either guard a NBA wing? I don’t know, but I’d like to give it a shot before potentially moving on from one of the guards already here.
If down the road it seems like all four guys can’t coexist, then maybe you explore a trade. Right now, with this high of a pick, it’s about acquiring as much young talent as humanly possible. If it helps you win now, great. But the important thing — at least when it comes to the draft — is being ready for the post-Embiid era.
Ah, second-rounders! I love this song!
For those not following the tournament, Johni Broome is the best player on a tough and rugged Auburn team that will play Florida in the Final Four. He was the SEC Player of the Year and the MVP of the SEC Tournament. His gutsy 25-point, 14-rebound performance with a busted elbow against Michigan State this past week shows what he’s all about.
The biggest knocks on Broome, who spent his first two seasons at Morehead State, will be his age (he’ll turn 23 in July), his lack of elite athleticism and his shot. But as the reader above points out, he’s skilled, smart and tough as nails. He also has good size at 6-foot-10 and 235 pounds.
In the NBA, I think Broome is more of a five. I’m not sure he’s mobile enough or shoots it well enough (30.5% from three, 60.4% from the line for his career) to survive long stints at the four. If his rim protection translates (2.5 blocks per game in college) and he continues to be a beast on the glass, he could make it as a backup five. I do have concerns about teams targeting him in the pick-and-roll, but again, strong rim protection could be a decent trade-off.
My final analysis would be I wish he shot it a little better and was slightly more mobile, but he’s an intriguing backup five option because of his skill, basketball IQ and toughness. A better option than Adem Bona? I’m not so sure. But with the uncertainty surrounding Embiid’s future, it might not be the worst thing to have options.