Philadelphia 76ers: Different Philosophies Could Lead To Same Results

By George Kondoleon | Jun 14, 2016

Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; The Golden State Warriors celebrate with the Larry O /

The Philadelphia 76ers have the luxury of choosing their preference between Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, and as the NBA Finals show us, different philosophies can lead to the same results.

The draft is just about a week away and the Philadelphia 76ers top selection may not seem as clear as it did just a few days ago. Brandon Ingram worked out for the team this past Monday, and was expectedly impressive. Then, Ben Simmons hopped on an Australian radio station and said it’s an amazing opportunity to be selected first overall.

The feeling before this week was that the Philadelphia 76ers will almost undoubtedly select Simmons, and that the team would start to build around him and one of the big men. There was a question of fit with Simmons, as selecting him would mean probably moving a player or two on the current roster.

After Ingram’s workout and Bryan Colangelo’s praises, there could be more of a setup for a dramatic Philadelphia 76ers draft night than we think. Ingram would also be more of a fluid fit for this current roster. The debate between Simmons and Ingram will likely go on past draft night and through the first few seasons of their careers.

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Not only are the two standing figures of the team-building vs. best available player debate, they are also in position to be the next impactful players in the league in terms of roster building.

This NBA Finals rematch includes the Golden State Warriors, who built an entire squad of cohesive starts that mesh together well, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are led by the star power of LeBron James his sidekick in Kyrie Irving. Although it is unfair to compare prospects to the elites of the NBA, you can see similarities in playing styles between Ingram and Klay Thompson, and Simmons and LeBron James.

Drafting Brandon Ingram gives the Philadelphia 76ers not only a dynamic offensive attack, but gives you good defensive effort. Ingram’s consistent shooting will serve as an escape for either Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, or Joel Embiid. Ingram’s game is perfect for today’s NBA and could be a missing piece to something special.

Drafting Ben Simmons gives the Philadelphia 76ers an absolute star that will have the burden of leading the team with other pieces around him. Simmons will be the player to build around and will most likely insinuate a chain of roster moves so the team could better complement him. The positional versatility and the amazing vision is hard to pass up, but Simmons can be the one to be the centerpiece of a franchise.

The prospects would put the Philadelphia 76ers in two completely different situations, but could lead to the same goal. Golden State has dedicated the past few years on team building, and were fortunate enough to have three of their players explode to become amongst the game’s top players. A lot of credit goes to the players, but some can be attributed to the complementing roster around Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, on the other hand did their best to accumulate the best available talent. This led to the seemingly powerful trio of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. The team’s depth is lacking in comparison to Golden State, but nonetheless they find themselves in a heated series for the NBA Championship once again.

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Brandon Ingram won’t be the next Klay Thompson. Ben Simmons won’t be the next LeBron James. But the two could see similar roles as their comparisons if drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. The two philosophies are seemingly worlds apart, but if executed properly, could lead to identical results. The Philadelphia 76ers’ choice of Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram won’t define the team’s future, executing after their selection will be how Colangelo either makes or breaks his name in Philly.