Sixers Final Team Mock Draft: Clear choice at the top

It’s draft week, and almost everything has changed. The Sixers hold the top pick, and can select the perfect complement to a promising young core.

Draft season has undoubtedly become the most exciting time for the Sixers organization in recent years. Slowly accumulating top prospects, the team has flourished and flopped with their top picks on draft night.

The Sixers should have been going into Thursday night with the fifth pick in the draft, but thanks to the famed pick swap with the Kings, the netted the third pick. But Philadelphia wanted more, so they shipped the third pick and the 2018 Lakers pick (protected 2-5. if it doesn’t convey, then a top-1 protected 2019 Sacramento pick), to the Boston Celtics for the top pick in the draft.

The Sixers once again will get the consensus best prospect in the draft. This makes writing a mock draft a lot easier, as the top pick is about as known as anything in this world of basketball. So, let’s get the unnecessary out of the way first.

Markelle Fultz is the best player in this draft. And the final piece to a core that could terrorize the league for years to come if injury doesn’t remain a daunting aspect. Fultz is perfect next to the incomparable Ben Simmons, as his ability to be an off-ball scorer as well as a serviceable perimeter defender will allow him to mesh well next to Simmons.

Fultz can come into the league and become a top ten finisher around the rim, showing body control that shows a James Harden-like potential in that sense. His scoring ability is untouched in this draft class, and even with all the hype surrounding Lonzo Ball, Fultz remains head and shoulders above the rest of this year’s prospects.

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

His fit with the Sixers is unmatched as well. The ability to become an above-average secondary ball-handler allows head coach Brett Brown to experiment with Simmons’ role, as well as utilizing Joel Embiid in various ways. Fultz doesn’t have to be a high usage guard, but he does have to be an efficient one.

The unfair comparisons this Fultz-Simmons pairing is receiving goes as far as the likes of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James. But the comparison is decent if you solely look in the sense of roles within the offense. We saw the importance of having a premier scorer as the second option in the playoffs, and if Fultz maxes his potential, the Sixers will eventually have a dynamic scoring unit that can hurt teams from any way possible.

Second Round

Because of the wide openness of the second-round, I based this mock off of DraftExpress’ consensus. So, for example, Jordan Bell won’t be an option at no. 36 because he is mocked prior to that. The second round is littered with talent, and working under the assumption the Sixers utilize all four of their picks in the last round, here are the best options at each available slot.

After Jordan Bell, Thomas Bryant is the best available center in the second-round. The Sixers don’t have an immediate need to find a big man off the bench, but if Jahlil Okafor is being phased out, then Bryant is a good answer.

He’s a very long, athletic center that can jump out of the arena for easy alley-oop opportunities. He’s a decent defender, although not as elite as his draftmate Bell in that aspect. He also is an inconsistent rebounder, which has plagued the centers who came off the bench for the Sixers last year.

His energy and intensity should see him transition decently into the NBA. He won’t be a gem, necessarily, but good enough to produce effective minutes off the bench right away.

Villanova guard Josh Hart was close to securing himself a national player of the year award last season, as he once again led the Wildcats as they tried to retain their national title. Hart is a player that seems to do everything necessary to help his team win, and that intangible will find him a home in the NBA.

Beyond that, Hart is an all-around effective player. He can light up from the outside, and does damage in the mid-range game as well. Defensively he’s solid enough to maintain positioning in the “tweener” role, seeing him guard both small forwards and two-guards.

He won’t be the scorer he was in college, but could be an immediate outside option off the bench for the Sixers. It never hurts to have too much shooting nowadays.

Tyler Dorsey following a Josh Hart selection would continue a theme of versatility. Dorsey is another shooter that can come off the bench and hit a big shot in key situations. He played second-fiddle to teammate Dillon Brooks on offense, but when Brooks missed time with injury it was Dorsey who took on the scoring load for the Ducks.

There are some concerns defensively, and whether or not he could create his own scoring opportunities, but overall he could be a home-run pick. Read a more detailed report on him here.

PJ Dozier may end up being the steal of the second-round if he’s available at 50, as DraftExpress has him mocked. Dozier’s offensive game will come into question, as he’s a below average shooter with less than exceptional ball-handling skills.

But what makes him so enticing his length as a defensive-minded combo guard. Dozier could fill in well next to Ben Simmons, defending quicker guards while allowing Simmons to defend elsewhere. He’s a high energy-type with the potential to grow into one of the best perimeter defenders this draft has to offer.

You can read a full report on Dozier here.

Next: How Fultz affects current role players

The Sixers will probably look to trade at least one or two of these second-round picks, or try to stash some prospects overseas. But there are some gems in the late round that could have a huge impact on the team moving forward.

Philadelphia already won this draft, however, and Markelle Fultz will look to be the piece that finally gels together a formidable young core.