Sixers should keep all options open at third draft spot
The concern about who the Sixers should take and what position to take them at should all be for naught.
The different philosophies on draft night are always debated. Best fit or best available player. But sometimes both of those are out the window to so a team drafts “their guy”. It’s a tactic the Sixers should put into place.
It’s simplistic, it has failed, but it also has worked. Philadelphia is in a bit of predicament at the third position. With the Los Angeles Lakers slated to take Lonzo Ball, the Sixers best available prospect would inarguably be forward Josh Jackson. But the question of fit comes into play, and star Ben Simmons‘ play will dictate who the team selects.
Malik Monk, and Dennis Smith, Jr. are both players that fill a void and can play somewhat effectively next to Simmons, but would be deemed a reach at the third slot. But who cares? The fear of passing up on a prospect that the consensus views as a stud in the chance he becomes a star five years down the line is laughable. The Sixers pick third, which means they have the chance to get whoever they believe is the best player for their organization after the first two prospects are off the board.
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It’s a risk. Of course there’s a risk. There’s a risk you draft an Anthony Bennett over Giannis Antetokounmpo. There’s also a chance you draft Steph Curry despite injury concerns. The mindset of a team drafting high in the draft should be, “let’s get our guy, and if he’s not there, we’ll draft our next guy”. Who cares about consensus, especially in a draft with such a small gap in talent in the top ten?
Assume the Sixers want to draft Monk at third. Is it really that outrageous if the team believes he’s best for this team? Same goes with Dennis Smith, Jr., who is pinned at eighth in most mock drafts. But forget all that. You see teams reach all the time, for better or worse. Jaylen Brown and Thon Maker were looked at reach picks by Boston and Milwaukee, but have since proven to be valued picks.
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There’s a mesh that goes on far beyond on court success. An organization must assess how a prospect will fit in to their team’s culture, which plays an underrated role in a player’s success. No matter how talented a player may be, if he’s a misfit in the culture he’ll potential will be limited. The Sixers can find their final piece, and should go for it at all costs.