Re-Grading the 76ers' Last 5 First-Round Picks

This year's NBA Finals are over and the offseason is officially underway. While many basketball enthusiasts are looking forward to free agency, the first major stop of the summer comes less than a week away in the former of the 2024 NBA Draft.

The Philadelphia 76ers will hold two draft picks when they head to New York next week, including the 16th overall selection. From the likes of Charles Barkley to Allen Iverson to Joel Embiid, the 76ers have had plenty of first-round success at the draft, leaving time to tell if they can find another gem at the Barclays Center.

With the NBA Draft season in full swing, it's more than an appropriate time to review and re-grade the 76ers' last five first-round picks.

Just a note: players who were technically selected by the 76ers but traded on draft night (Ex. David Roddy in 2021) won't be included.

5. Jaden Springer, SG/PG (2021 R1, P28): F

Even though he's no longer with the team, it's hard not to look back at Jaden Springer's 28th overall selection as a mistake.

After a solid season at Tennessee, the 76ers hoped that Springer would develop into a reliable 3-and-D guard one day. Unfortunately, he never even came close to reaching those heights.

Springer was held to just 50 games across his 2.5 seasons with the Sixers, averaging just under 10 minutes per night. He was often a healthy scratch in the coaching staff's game plans and for good reason. He continuously failed to make the most of his opportunities, averaging just 3.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.6 steals while shooting 41.6% from the floor and 23.9% from deep.

The 76ers had seen enough of Springer by this year's trade deadline, shipping him off to the Boston Celtics for a second-round pick. Although the 21-year-old is now technically an NBA Champion thanks to the Celtics, he barely played a factor on their playoff run, averaging 5.5 minutes across four appearances.

At the end of the day, there's no way this grade doesn't escape a failure. Springer's run in Philadelphia was unremarkable and even though he's still young, nothing about his game suggests that he's trending upward. What's even more frustrating is that reliable role players like Herbert Jones, Ayo Dosunmu, and Miles McBride were all drafted after Springer.

At least he isn't the 76ers' problem anymore.