After having ranked the point guards, shooting guards and small forwards, it’s time to rank the power forwards. Power forward is an interesting position for the Sixers. It has elite talent at the top and really good depth. However, as it stands, the Sixers have no need for a big man. Even if they trade Okafor, it will still be difficult to justify spending many more resources on the frontcourt. Still, the Sixers can’t ignore this position. I wouldn’t be completely surprised if the Sixers made enough changes to the roster that they might need to draft a guy or if the value of someone is just too much to pass up. I would bet against the Sixers selecting anyone on this list besides Ben Simmons but it’s certainly not impossible.
Ben Simmons, LSU (Full Scouting Report)
Ben Simmons is the best player and presumptive number 1 pick in this draft. I’ve written and talked about Simmons extensively in the past. I’m not really sure what I can say. His combination of playmaking, athleticism and strength make him an extremely promising player. He’s essentially a point guard in a power forward’s body with a wings athleticism. You can run a whole offense through Simmons because of his ballhandling, passing and vision. Other teams will scramble to find matchup for a guy who will expose bigger buys in space and post up smaller guys. Simmons will be a guy who creates for himself and others at an elite level. Imagine an amalgamation of Lebron James, Blake Griffin and Lamar Odom. That’s damn impressive.
He certainly has some things to improve on. Simmons may never improve his shooting a necessary degree. I honestly have little feel for his ability to improve as a shooter. His form isn’t terrible but it’s not really smooth either. I could possibly see a scenario in which Simmons because a really good shooter and a scenario in which Simmons never improves as a shooter. There’s a wide range of possibilities. Still, as I have said in the past, he can be great without being a great shooter. Simmons can also improve on the defensive end, where I think he has good instincts and tools but doesn’t bring the necessary effort and enthusiasm. Simmons will probably never be a great defender but I bet he will be at least a decent one with the ability to be really good. Overall, Simmons is a great prospect and the Sixers should be thrilled they have the opportunity to select him.
http://gty.im/499495214
Dragan Bender, Maccabi Tel Aviv (Full Scouting Report)
Bender is another guy who I really love. He’s certainly one of the best three players in this draft. I think he gives Brandon Ingram a run for the second best player this draft. While I do give, Ingram the slight edge, it’s easy to see why this is such a close race. Bender is a player who is both incredibly skilled and very athletic. Bender stands at 7’1” with 7’2” wingspan. Those are both really good from the power forward position. His length and lateral athleticism allows him to be a great defensive prospect. He should be able to switch every screen on defense with great effectiveness. Bender also effectively guarded wings overseas this season for long stretches of time. I’m not sure he can do that in the NBA but shows the kind of versatile defender he can be. I think whether Bender becomes an elite NBA player, he needs to develop into a rim protector. That would only make him more defensively versatile and allow him to play center. If he can block shots, he can be a Draymond Green level defender in terms of versatility and effectiveness. Bender can be a really good player without that but not a great one.
On offense, Bender does everything well except post up. He’s a really good shooter, topping 40% this past season at Maccabi. He’s also incredibly skilled with the ball for a big man. Bender is a really good ballhandler and a great passer. I think his skill is actually the most underrated aspect of Bender’s game. You could do some really interesting things with Bender on that end of the court due to his offensive skill. Still, I have some concerns about Bender’s ability on offense. He seems more like a complimentary piece than a first or even a second option. He has those ballhandling skills but I’m not sure he can create for himself. His offense will probably most be dependent on others. That’s fine in the grand scheme of things but keeps him surpassing Brandon Ingram on my big board. Overall, I love Bender but the Sixers probably can’t draft the Croatian if they draft Simmons unless they make multiple trades.
http://gty.im/476514928
Marquese Chriss, Washington
Chriss is a player who I have really written about despite all the hype. His rise is an interesting one. Before the season, he wasn’t considered a one and done prospect. During the season he played himself into the middle of the first, then he rose to the late lottery, then the top 10. Now, he’s being talked about as a top 3 pick and I don’t understand it. Well, I understand it, I just don’t agree. I understand that Chriss is an amazing athlete. Maybe the best athlete in this class. Chriss stands at 6’10” with a 7” wingspan so he certainly isn’t undersized. He also clearly has some natural basketball ability despite not playing the game for very long. He has a smooth shot and some fairly advanced dribble moves. Combine all that and you can see some tremendous upside for Chriss. I’m just not sure I see him as a top 5 pick in this draft.
Chriss, despite some of the natural ability, really struggles with some of the more basic parts of basketball. Chriss is a terrible passer with no real feel for the game as anything except a scorer. He also is one of the worst defensive rebounders in draft history for his position. He is legitimately a worse rebounder than the majority of point guards in this class. That is not ideal in any capacity. Chriss also lacks intelligence and instincts on the defensive end despite good tools. With his fluid athleticism and length he should be a great defender but he has zero concept of how play defense as an individual or as a team player. There is a chance Chriss improves in some these aspects considering he’s relatively new to the game but a lot of times guys in that situation don’t improve enough. It’s just hard to make up for that lost time.
Still, all that having been said, I still have Chriss as a top 10 player. This is a weak draft and Chriss has some really legitimate upside. I don’t know how confident I am that will reach it. It really does seem like a longshot to me. However, at a certain point it becomes a smart gamble to bet on a kid with this kind of athleticism and decent offensive skills. I don’t think the Sixers will be a position to take him but it will be interesting to see which team (and how early) bets on Chriss’ upside.
http://gty.im/507813318
Robert Carter, Maryland
Robert Carter is someone who I am the highest on relative to consensus. Most see Robert Carter as a second round player while I have him in my top 15. I think Carter is underrated because he was the least heralded player on an extremely talented Maryland team. Many say Carter as the worst prospect of Maryland’s starting five and I think that impacted their perception of a guy who might have been the best player on his team. I think Carter has physical tools and a level of skill that is invaluable. For me, Carter’s ceiling is a Paul Millsap like player. I don’t think he will be the same level of defender as Millsap but he can do a lot of the same things that makes Millsap so underrated.
In terms of physical tools, Carter stands at 6’9” with a 7’3” wingspan. Carter is also an incredibly strong player with really good footspeed that should improve as he gets an NBA body. Those kinds of tools with allow him to play power forward and a little bit of small ball five. In terms of his skill, Carter has a smooth shot that should translate and will hopefully expand in terms of range in the NBA. He’s also an underrated passer with pretty good scoring instincts and nice touch around the rim. Carter is a pretty good rebounder but could stand some improvement in that area as well as with his ballhandling and decision making. Even improving just some of those areas will allow Carter to be an even more versatile and overall effective player. I think Carter has a shot of being a starting power forward in the NBA so the Sixers should pull the trigger despite the frontcourt logjam if they can acquire a second round pick.
http://gty.im/522585746
Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga
Sabonis is another guy I really like. He’s an incredibly skilled big man who I think will be a really nice role player in the league. Sabonis has average height at 6’10” with short arms but makes up for those deficiencies with skill and basketball instincts. He’s very good in the post. He also is a great passer and an incredibly active rebounder. Sabonis moves his feet well on defense. I don’t think he can switch screens in the NBA but I think he can be aggressive in terms of his coverage without getting burned. I think Sabonis is probably a really solid 3rd big or maybe even a starter if he can continues to improve his jump shot that he flashed late in the season at Gonzaga.
Still, Sabonis has some limitations that will keep him from being a top tier power forward in the NBA. Almost all of those limitations are related to his height. Sabonis struggles a rim protector due to that lack of size and length. There are also questions about how his post play with transfer against bigger and stronger NBA athletes. Still, Sabonis worked fellow NBA prospect Jakob Poeltl in the NCAA tournament. It was a one game sample size so you have to take it with a grain of salt but he dominated the best competition he saw all year. That’s incredibly impressive. The Sixers probably don’t need Sabonis but he would provide some interesting depth if the Sixers do decide to make some big moves on draft day.
http://gty.im/516275450
Honorable Mentions
Henry Ellenson, Marquette
Really skilled and has decent size. Projected as a stretch four but hasn’t show it as a shooter yet. Big risk to take a guy who needs that shot to succeed. Also not convinced he is good enough to punish a team for putting a smaller defender on him. If a team can do that, it makes Ellenson easy to guard and his offense no longer outweighs his defensive deficiencies.
Skal Labissiere, Kentucky
Came into the season as a top 2 prospect but never showed anything besides occasional flashes. Has some natural skill and touch but not sure he will ever put it all together. Incredibly frail and not the toughest guy in the world. Don’t think he particularly fits as a 4 or a 5 defensively. Have no confidence in his potential to reach his ceiling.
Juan Hernangomez, Estudiantes
Fun prospect but not sure he does much in the NBA. Good shooter and a nice vertical athlete but that’s about it. Won’t be able to punish weak defenders and I don’t have faith in his ability to guard 3s or 4s. Needs to improve handle and passing ability to succeed in the NBA. Even then, he still might be unplayable because of that defense.
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