Philadelphia 76ers: 2019 NBA Draft prospect primer

Coby White – UNC

When the Philadelphia 76ers traded up from three to one in the 2017 NBA Draft, it was with the intentions of adding that final piece to their homegrown Big-3.

Obviously, that didn’t work. However, the idea was sound.

Typically speaking, elite teams are built around an elite frontcourt player, an elite backcourt player, and a third player who kind of sits in between. Whether it be Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and Lebron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, and LeBron James, or Draymond Green, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson, there’s something to be said about finding three great players with varied sizes who can meld together and form a winning unit.

For all of the trades, trades, and more trades the Sixers undertook over the last calendar year, they only added two guard-sized guards on four different transactions, Zhaire Smith and Shake Milton in the 2018 NBA Draft.

While this dynamic duo appears primed to become steady contributors for the team going into their sophomore seasons – that is unless they get traded – neither projects to be an All-Star-caliber starter for the 76ers at any point in the foreseeable future.

That’s a problem.

Factor in that the 76ers made all of those trades last year and almost exclusively targeted a slew of 6-8 combo forwards in an attempt to field the tallest team in NBA history, and it’s worth wondering if the 215 will ever again know an elite player who’s shorter than Carson Wentz (6-foot-5).

Well, if the team is willing to take one last chance at drafting a star, there is a player in this year’s class who could become that third homegrown star: UNC point guard Coby White.

Now I already know what you are thinking ‘The 76ers already have a point guard and are not stupid enough to trade up in the draft again.’

That’s a fair point.

In reality, the Sixers probably won’t trade up in the draft and will instead hope that they can find a solid contributor who projects out as a fifth starter at 24, and further fortify their 15 man roster with cheap role players with their three second-round picks, but if the team wants to take one final shot at adding a young, dynamic athlete who can grow alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons – who’s about to become very expensive – making a relatively small move up the board makes some sense, especially if it’s for a combo guard like White.

Measuring in at 6-foot-5, 185 pounds, White started all 35 of the games he appeared in for UNC and pretty much ran the show for the Tar Heels single-handedly. In 999 minutes of action, White scored 562 of the Tar Heels 3,089 points (second on the team) while knocking down 82 of his 232 attempts from 3 point range (also second on the team).

Those numbers are impressive but hardly indicative of just how vital White was for Roy Williams‘ offensive assault 2018-19.

White also hauled in 143 assists, 124 rebounds, and 38 steals as UNC’s lead guard, highlighting a serious nose for the ball and willingness to put his body on the line to get his team on offense.

And that’s where White shines: offense.

Measuring in as one of the fastest players in this year’s draft class, White is a lethal finisher in the fast break and has the shot creating abilities to score from anywhere on the court. Whether dominating the ball as a score-first driver, playing the give-and-go game with a bigman, or stepping back James Harden-style for an open shot, White can score the ball like a pro at the tender age of 19, with the upside to get even better as he approaches drinking age.

In a lot of ways, White reminds me of what Fultz was supposed to be, albeit with much larger hair, and a slightly less statistically effective 3 point shot.

White, however, has shown a love of the game that’s almost palpable for even a casual basketball watcher, and looks primed to become an ideal backcourt man for a team that likes to play fast, has a good bigman, and needs a player who can get you two with the clock winding down.

That sounds an awful lot like the Philadelphia 76ers.

Now this could all be for not, as White has been mocked as high as six to the Phoenix Suns, but if he squeaks past the Washington Wizards at nine and is sitting there when the Atlanta Hawks go on the clock for their second pick of the first round, Elton Brand shouldn’t hesitate to give his former coach Lloyd Pierce a call, as White really is a perfect fit alongside both Simmons and Embiid both now and moving forward.

While Simmons and White technically both play point guard, White is just as effective playing off-ball as he is on-ball, and could form the best one-two fast break punch in the league due to the duo’s shares athletic gifts.

Furthermore, White and Embiid could also excel when paired together, as White is very effective as the pick and roll handler, and could ‘unlock’ the pick and pop game with Philly’s favorite 7-foot-tall force of nature.

White is even a great rebounder for his position, a weird quark Brett Brown loves (just ask James Ennis).

With Jonah Bolden, a slew of second-round picks over the next few years, this year’s 24th overall pick, and the guard duo of Shake Milton and Zhaire Smith potentially on the table, the Sixers could do the unusual and move up into the middle of the first round from 24 to ensure they add a player with legitimate starter traits who could eventually take over J.J. Redick‘s spot in the team’s starting five. If the Philadelphia 76ers are serious about re-signing Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, and eventually Simmons in the hopes of running this team back for years to come, adding a do-it-all guard like Coby White on the cheap could be an absolute steal for the next four seasons.

If the Philadelphia 76ers are about to enter win-now mode where developing young players takes a back seat to employing proven veterans, why not take one final chance at finding the missing piece of a homegrown small-medium-large Big-3 the likes of which the NBA hasn’t seen since James Harden wore an OKC jersey.