Getty Images
Tuesday night the NBA announced the first 14 picks for the 2015 NBA Draft, and while the Philadelphia 76ers did not emerge as winners, they should still be content.
Heading into Tuesday night’s draft lottery the 76ers had a chance – even if it was a very small chance – to walk away with three lottery picks. While this had never before happened in NBA history, the 76ers entered Tuesday with the hopes of walking away with their own draft pick and at least one other – either from the Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat due to previous trades. However, after the lottery results were finished being announced the 76ers unfortunately ended up with only one pick – their own.
The 76ers will possess the No.3 overall pick in next month’s draft – which is exactly what they were expected to enter with. So although they would have liked to walk away with at least one extra pick, the 76ers should be content with what they have.
Now in possession of the No.3 overall pick, the 76ers will be able to add a very good piece to their already talented young core. The 76ers could either elect to select a big man — such as Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor — for the third year in a row or they could elect to start developing their backcourt by selecting either D’Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay.
Seeing Towns or Okafor in a 76ers uniform next season would of course be a welcomed sight, but it would likely result in one of their two current big men — Nerlens Noel or Joel Embiid — being on the move, which right now seems unnecessary. By selecting either Russell or Mudiay, the 76ers would be able to have a dynamic point guard in place for potentially the next decade.
By possessing the third-worst regular season record, the 76ers could have fallen in the lottery to the No. 5 or No. 6 overall pick, which means they would have likely walked away from next June’s draft with a decent role player rather than a potential franchise-changing player. So while things could have certainly turned out better, the 76ers should walk away from the draft lottery content with the results as things could have also turned out much worse.
The Philadelphia 76ers may not have walked away from the draft lottery as winners, but walking away with the No. 3 overall pick should leave them being content with the results.
Greg Sacidor is a Feature Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Him on Twitter @Greg_Sacidor or add him to your network on Google.
