With the 35th overall pick, the Sixers took Johni Broome in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft
In the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Sixers selected Auburn’s Johni Broome with the 35th overall pick Thursday.
Broome starred for two seasons at Morhead State before transferring and playing the last three seasons at Auburn. He was one of the most decorated college players we’ve seen in recent memory. He was the SEC Player of the Year, the SEC Tourney MVP and a Consensus All-American for the 2024-25 season. He led the Tigers to the Final Four.
This past season, he averaged 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 blocks and 0.9 steals.
Broome is smart, tough and skilled. He has the requisite size to play the five at the next level, standing at 6-foot-9.25 without shoes with a 7-foot wingspan and weighing a shade under 250 pounds. He’s an outstanding rebounder, has great touch inside the arc, has great feel and is a stronger passer. He proved to be an excellent rim protector and averaged nearly a steal a game.
The Florida native isn’t the greatest athlete and his shot is iffy at best. Those are concerns if there’s a thought to using Broome at the four at the next level. While he struggled shooting the basketball last season, he’s a year removed from hitting 35.4% of his threes and shooting 61.5% from the line.
What he might lack in those departments he makes up for by stuffing the stat sheet, playing hard and being a high-character person with a high basketball IQ. After the team’s selection of VJ Edgecombe at No. 3 overall — and last year’s selections of Jared McCain and Adem Bona — it does feel like Morey and company have put an emphasis on building a strong culture. Broome should fit right in.
It’s an interesting move for the Sixers. Daryl Morey generally shoots for players with high upside, but Broome played five colleges seasons and will turn 23 next month. The bottom line is he knows how to play and should be a plug-and-play player. We’ll see how his game translates to the NBA.