We haven’t hit the All Star break yet, but when your team is last in the NBA it’s never too early to start looking at prospects. I decided that it would be a good time to do a first big board now that we have seen the college guys play more than just a few games and we are in the midst of conference play. Still, we are working on a pretty small sample size with a lot of these players so this board will only 5 players, whereas later editions will include at least 10 and maybe more as I learn more about these guys. This is a Sixers specific big board. That means that fit, contract situation (for international prospects), and general direction of the team will be taken into account with these rankings. Still, in the NBA talent and ability wins out so that will be the primary criterion for this big board. Now, let’s get started.
1. Ben Simmons (PF, LSU)
Simmons has been the consensus number 1 player in this draft for a long time and it’s not hard to see why. Simmons is a great and very fluid athlete. He’s not an otherworldly athlete, but if Simmons fails at the next level it won’t be because of his athletic ability. To complement that athletic ability, Simmons has a very good NBA body. He is listed at 6 foot 10 to go along with a broad 240 lb frame. There is some concern with Simmons’ wingspan and ability to improve his body any further, but his physique should transition really well to the NBA game. Lastly, Simmons has an elite feel for the game. He sees the court extremely well and has incredible passing ability. It would be impossible to oversell how great of a passer Simmons is and how effectively he is, especially in tranisiton. He really is a point guard in an athletic power forwards body. This has drawn Simmons some comparisons to Lebron James. I wouldn’t go that far. Simmons isn’t nearly that athletic and his outside shot and defense are not as far along in terms of their development. Still, not every number 1 pick has to be Lebron James. Simmons has a chance to be a great player and is currently the favorite to be the number 1 pick. It might require some personnel changes by the Sixers, but Simmons is the type of prospect that can justify those moves.
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2. Brandon Ingram (SF, Duke)
Simmons is a great player, but he’s no longer the clear cut number 1 and that’s because of the play of Brandon Ingram. Ingram was a late riser in this class. He’s always been considered an NBA prospect, but he wasn’t being mentioned as a guy who could go at the top of the draft until the end of senior year of high school. As his freshmen year progresses, Ingram is rising even more. He started off the season pretty poorly but has been one of the best players in college basketball over the past 2 months. Some people now have Ingram on the top of their board and he would make a lot of sense for the Sixers. Ingram is an incredibly tall and long wing. He stands at 6’9” with a 7’3” wingspan. He’s really skinny but expect him to fill out more. He’s already gained considerable weight during his time at Duke. Ingram is a really good shooter and can play with the ball in his hands some too. He can create off the dribble and is a good passer. Ingram isn’t a surefire prospect. He’s a good but not great athlete. He has the tools to be a good defender but hasn’t consistently show that this year. There are also concerns concerning his assertiveness on the court. Still, Ingram is skilled and the type of prospect that could force the Sixers to do some serious thinking about who to select number 1.
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3. Dragan Bender (PF, Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Bender is a player who is as talented as any in this draft. The 7’1” Croatian big man is as versatile as they come. Bender is a really fluid athlete who can get up the floor in transition and has great vertical explosiveness that could lend itself to great defense and rebounding in the future. On offense, he has a myriad of skills. Bender is a really good passer overall and is elite for his position. He can make passes both in the open floor and in the post, which is a great skill for a big. Bender is also an improving shooter who has stretched his range out to three this season and is capable of making a face up jumper. His wingspan and solid form should also facilitate greater improvement in the future. Bender also has some pretty good ball handling ability for a player of his size and can be serviceable out of the post. He really does a little bit of everything on offense. In terms of his defense, that athleticism that we talked about earlier lends itself to some elite potential on that end of the floor. Bender’s fluidity and lateral quickness make him the ideal big man to defend pick and rolls and switch onto smaller ball handlers. He also projects as a really strong rim protector due to his size and athletic ability. Bender needs to get stronger and more aware to reach his full defensive potential, but if can, he will be well worth a high pick. With all these abilities, one might wonder why Bender isn’t in the conversation for the number 1 pick along with Simmons and Ingram. It’s a good question and that one that can be answered by his contract situation. He is under contract with Maccabi and it’s possible that he might not come over until 3 years after he is drafted. That scares off most teams this high in the draft and would be an exercise in patience that most Sixers fans wouldn’t want. Still Bender is talented and the type of guy that the Sixers might want to use the Lakers pick on.
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4. Kris Dunn (PG, Providence)
Fans of Big East basketball, and college basketball in general, have come to know Kris Dunn really well over the past 2 years. The junior point guard from Providence is one of the best players in college basketball and will most certainly be a contender for the Naismith and Wooden Awards. Dunn is big lead guard at 6’4” with a 6’9” wingspan. He is also a pretty good athlete from the point guard position. Dunn is able to supplement that athleticism with really good fundamentals. Dunn is adept at running the offense and sets up his teammates very well. He is Providence’s main creator and offensive engine. Dunn isn’t a great shooter from deep but is a solid midrange shooter off the bounce which is critical for point guards that run pick and rolls often in order to keep the defense honest. Dunn is honestly little overrated on defense but his long arms, strength and athleticism all point towards a future as a good defender. I think Dunn will be able to focus more effectively on defense in the NBA where he isn’t being asked to carry a whole team on his back. Dunn also needs to improve his finishing ability around the basket and cut down on his turnovers. He sometimes tends to play out of control and tries to do too much. The Sixers already commit a ton of turnovers so Dunn will need to improve on that if the team does commit to him. Dunn is a good prospect, but with his numerous flaws, you can see that there is a substantial drop-off after the top tier in this draft.
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5. Jaylen Brown (SF, California)
Number 5 was really tough call. A lot of the prospects here are big men who are bad fits like Jakob Poeltl or Henry Ellenson. Those guys are good players and prospects but not really good enough to facilitate the reshuffling of the roster that would be needed for them to succeed in Philadelphia. There are also international players like Timothe Luwawu or Furkan Korkmaz who are very good, but would probably be reaches at this point. Luwawu is particularly enticing because he has great athleticism and a lot of potential, but he is a relative unknown who I need to watch more of before I put this high on the board. I ultimately decided on Cal’s athletic wing Jaylen Brown. He will almost certainly never be a star. He really doesn’t have any one skill on offense that sticks out to you and he needs to better use his athleticism on both sides of the court. Still, in a weak draft, there are worse things than coming away with a hyperatheltic wing who is a dominant transition player and has the potential to be a great defender. Brown could be a starter and play a pivotal role for many years to come and if he improves more than expected, he can be one of the top handful of players on a championship caliber team.
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