Philadelphia 76ers: Who will be in and out of draft range at pick 23?
Players out of the Philadelphia 76ers range at 23.
Ochai Agbaji – Wing, Kansas
If there’s one player who fits everything the Philadelphia 76ers need in a prospect, it’s Ochai Agbaji. While he may be a bit older than your typical rookie, Agbaji’s experience has made him one of the more polished products in the entire draft.
An athletic two-way wing, Agbaji became a fierce offensive threat this past season for the Kansas Jayhawks leading the team to their first championship since 2008. As a three-point shooter, Agbaji’s approach is that of quantity and quality. His 6.5 attempts ranked third in the Big 12, while his 40.9 3P% ranked second.
Agbaji is a starting-caliber wing who is NBA-ready, a rarity for a rookie. For a Philadelphia team that is lacking in that department, he’d be a great addition, but that’s the case for many teams, which is why the Sixers would need to put together a series package in any effort to move up. Likely one too rich for their blood.
Malaki Branham – Wing, Ohio State
Much like Agbaji, Ohio State’s Malaki Branham is another one of the many exciting wings in the 2022 NBA draft. He’s not the volume shooter that Agbaji is, but he makes up for it with one of the smoothest midrange games in the entire draft.
Branham’s youth (19) and potential are enough to make him a fringe lottery pick. Branham has a solid chance of going even higher in the draft than Agbaji, depending on the team’s needs. For instance, a young, wing-needy team like Charlotte, Houston, or San Antonio could value Branham’s long-term potential.
That may not be the worst thing for Philadelphia, though, as Branham’s midrange ability isn’t exactly a clean fit with the 76ers’ current roster. Branham isn’t the defender nor the shooter that the Sixers need despite his high draft stock.
Fringe: Tari Eason – Forward, LSU
Now for the curious case of LSU forward Tari Eason. Once considered to be a lottery lock, Eason’s draft stock has fallen dramatically in recent weeks due to reported concerns over his level of basketball intelligence. Even if there’s some validity to those rumors, it shouldn’t scare the Philadelphia 76ers off if Eason is somehow available.
Some may remember similar things were said about former number one pick Anthony Edwards back in 2020, and clearly, that pick panned out. Not to say that Eason will be Edwards, but the correlation between pre draft IQ tests and how a player will perform in the NBA are not an exact science.
Eason’s measurable are near Kawhi Leonard-level impressive; that’s not something the Sixers can afford to pass on without proper cause. This is, of course, assuming that Eason even makes it to 23, which is the reason for the fringe label. Two weeks ago, had you asked around, Tari Eason’s draft range would have been around 13-18. Now, the LSU product finds himself falling more so in the 15-23 conversation. Despite this and all the pre draft chatter, it’s hard to believe an uber-athletic, potential two-way wing with great size falls all the way to Philadelphia.
Though Eason may not be available, there are many quality prospects who will, in all likelihood, will be available when the Philadelphia 76ers are on the clock: