Philadelphia 76ers: 2016 Lottery Simulator
The Philadelphia 76ers may see two lottery picks this season, and up to four first round picks in total.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ Process may seem wounded right now, but thankfully the NBA Lottery is less than two months away. The lottery and the draft have been safe-places for Philadelphia 76ers fans the past few seasons, who have a endured historically bad three-year span.
The lottery always brings excitement/devastation to fans and teams around the league, and this year will be no different. The Philadelphia 76ers could obtain the Los Angeles Lakers first-round pick if it falls out of the top 3, and if the Sacramento Kings happened to jump the Sixers in the lottery, they have the luxury of swapping picks.
The pick swap has increased the chances of the Philadelphia 76ers acquiring the first overall pick from the standard 25.0% to potentially 33.8% (numbers courtesy of Derek Bodner). The insurance General Manager Sam Hinkie acquired may have been a result of only reaching the 3rd overall pick the past two drafts.
More from Philadelphia 76ers
- 3 Reasons the 76ers Should Poach Blake Griffin From the Celtics
- 3 Most Overpaid 76ers Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Ranking Daryl Morey’s 3 Biggest Mistakes with 76ers
- 3 Teams Crazy Enough to Trade for James Harden
- James Harden Putting Career in Jeopardy With Holdout Threat
A lot of drama could play out with the Philadelphia 76ers come May and June, and the team may be biting its nails as they approach what looks like a two-player draft. To ease (or ensue panic) to Sixers fans, we took a shot at tankathon.com‘s lottery simulator five times to see how the team could potentially do.
1st Try
Oh no. This the worst-case scenario for the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers get the top pick in either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram, while the Sixers drop two spots and would pick 3rd in a two-player draft. The team will have to decide whether to reach for guards Jamal Murray, Kris Dunn, or even Buddy Hield, or draft international power forward Dragan Bender or take a shot at Cal forward Jaylen Brown, who’s size and potential have overcome his disappointing freshman season at Cal. The Philadelphia 76ers should take a shot and draft scoring guard Jamal Murray, who can ignite the offense, if they are stuck in this situation.
2nd Try
YES. This is what the Philadelphia 76ers like. The number 2 pick will bring in either Simmons or Ingram depending on who the Phoenix Suns take, which is guaranteed to bring in an impactful rookie. To top that, the team also gets the Lakers’ pick at 4th overall. Buddy Hield would be intriguing to pair up with Simmons/Ingram, his outside shooting and basketball IQ could elevate the game of whomever his fellow rookie could be. Although the Philadelphia 76ers should be hoping the pick doesn’t convey and the team gets it during next year’s highly-touted draft class, this situation would give them two nice pieces to add to The Process.
3rd Try
Another great situation. The Philadelphia 76ers have their choice with the 1st overall pick. The pick would likely turn into Simmons, who has been getting all-time great comparisons all year, though Ingram may be the better fit. Simmons-Murray/Hield/Dunn would be great for the team. Simmons paired with any of the three guards could bring a future dominant core.
4th Try
Total. Sadness. The team ends up with two top-5 picks, but the picks are 4 and 5. The Philadelphia 76ers are trying to find a star, and in this draft class they won’t find that outside of the top 2. The team could use this situation to completely bring in new faces at the guard position, or could package the number 4 pick in the draft with their two late-round picks, courtesy of Miami and Oklahoma City, to either move up in the 2016 draft or acquire a pick in the 2017 draft. Sam Hinkie would have to use his scouting and trading magic if he finds himself in this situation.
5th Try
Alright. This is good. The pick swap became vital here, as the Philadelphia 76ers used their swap to switch from a shaky situation at 4th overall, to the top pick in the draft. The team will bring home Simmons/Ingram, and obtain the Lakers pick in unprotected form in 2017. This may have been the best scenario for the Philadelphia 76ers, as they get their potential star and set themselves up to attack a stronger draft class next season.
Next: Jahlil Okafor Trade Rumors
3/5 tries were beneficial to the Philadelphia 76ers, which is good, but still brings uncertainty. Nothing is known with the dreaded ping pong balls, so any situation must be taken into consideration. Sam Hinkie has given the team insurance with the pick swap, and potentially an added top-5 pick. It will be interesting to see what plays out, and how the team handles the situation they’re in.