Section 215
Fansided

Sixers Draft Pick History While Picking Top-5

By George Kondoleon

Apr 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The New York Knicks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The New York Knicks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Sixers are guaranteed to select within the top five in the 2016 NBA Draft, but what does their draft history look like in that range?

With less than a month away from the 2016 NBA Draft lottery, the Sixers will be uncertain where they will pick. Thanks to the team finishing with the worst record, however, the Sixers are locked to pick somewhere within the top five picks in the draft.

Falling out of the top two picks and missing out on either Brandon Ingram or Ben Simmons would be disappointing, but the Sixers can still make moves from picks 3-5. The Sixers have had their fair share of top 5 picks in their rich history.

The Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia as the 76ers in 1964. Since then, the Sixers held a pick within the top five 14 times. The team’s success with landing those picks can be debated, but let’s talk go through the history of their top five picks, starting in 1964.

The newly formed Sixers held the 4th pick in the 1964 Draft. With 7 teams selecting in the first round, the Sixers selected Luke Jackson, a 6’9″ forward from the University of Texas-Pan American.

Jackson had an instant impact by making the All-Star game in his rookie season while averaging 14.8 points per game and 12.9 rebounds. Jackson spent his entire 8-year career with the Sixers. Jackson wasn’t a bad pick, but the Sixers passed up on future Hall of Fame forward Willis Reed, who went 8th in the draft.

Jackson was the only player to be taken at the 4th spot, so the Sixers did a decent job in that position. Where the Sixers have been treated very well is when they picked 5th. 3 out of the 4 guys selected by the Sixers in the 5th position turned out to be Sixers legends. Billy Cunningham, Darryl Dawkins, and Charles Barkley were all selected 5th. 

More from Philadelphia 76ers

Sorted by Win Shares per 48 minute, Barkley, Cunningham, and Dawkins rank 1st, 13th, and 15th, respectively in their NBA careers.

The 2nd position hasn’t been as kind to the Sixers. The team has been in that position 4 times and selected Marvin Barnes, Shawn Bradley, Keith Van Horn, and Evan Turner.

Barnes never played for the Sixers as he opted to play in the ABA. Bradley was a 7’6″ behemoth from BYU who played just 2 seasons and some change, struggling with injuries his whole career. Van Horn was traded on draft night but returned later in his career for a season and was a fan favorite and a good shooter, but never panned out to be the impactful player he was once touted as. Turner has hit his stride recently with Boston, but the Sixers never saw Turner become a franchise player.

Players the Sixers passed up on for those guys included George Gervin, Penny Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, Vin Baker, Sam Cassell, Chauncey Billups, Tracy McGrady, DeMarcus Cousins, and Paul George. Ouch.

Sorted by Win Shares per 48 minutes, the Sixers 2nd overall picks didn’t perform too well in their careers (not limited to Sixers). Out of the 51 2nd overall picks since 1964 (excludes the late Len Bias), only Van Horn (20th) and Bradley (29th) were ranked in the top 30. Both played a total of just 217 games combined.

The Sixers first top pick was Doug Collins. Collins was the first pick in what turned out to be a weak draft in 1973 that produced him and Kermit Washington as the only All-Stars in the first round. There next top pick turned into their most exciting player in franchise history in Allen Iverson. The Sixers get a nice big “A” when it comes to picking in the top spot.

The 3rd spot has been interesting for the Sixers. Their first two selections at the spot were Charles Smith and Jerry Stackhouse, who were both underwhelming for the Sixers. Their next two are recent picks Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor. The final critique on this position has yet to be determined, but it is still an iffy position.

What does this teach us? Well for the Sixers, the first pick has been a cakewalk for the organization. Other than that, the team has been questionable in the top five. If the Sixers fall at least one spot, it may mean a world of difference in the long run.

With debate over Simmons or Ingram as the top prospect, the team will have to guess right no matter where they pick. Even drafting 2nd won’t make things easy for the Sixers in 2016. Although it may seem easy to take whoever of Simmons or Ingram is available, history tells us that there still must be careful consideration in drafting.

Next: Sixers Shifting Towards Team Building?

May 17th is approaching, and the Sixers will once again rely on the ping pong balls to see whether they can accelerate this rebuild or not.