76ers Draft 2015

Everyone knows that you need a Batman & Robin duet to win a NBA Championship. What most don’t realize is that you need six other Super-Friends to complete the team. Not even Superman can win it alone, though LeBron pushed that theory to its limit in the 2015 Finals. Simply put, to win a NBA championship you need an eight man core.

 With the salary cap about to skyrocket, you may ask why not more than eight. Teams with greater depth are valued during the marathon regular season, but rotations shortens during the playoffs. You fill the back half of your 12-15 man roster with best talent you can afford, but the championship is won with your core eight. I am writing this article (if this can even be called that) because my wife has allowed me to purchase season tickets to the 76ers for the third year. The Sixers unusual rebuilding strategy has given them (I guess should say “us”) the opportunity to build the eight from the ground up. I can’t say that I agree with all of Sam Hinkie moves, specifically drafting two players in the lottery when neither would play for the team in the year they were drafted. I admit paying for season tickets to watch nine undrafted players on a nightly basis influences my feelings. That said, the past is the past and this is where we are now. Hinkie is obviously looking to build a championship team and not just a playoff team in the weak Eastern Conference. Best case scenario, the Sixers have four players who have the potential to be part of core eight. Of those four, Norlens Noel is the only sure bet. If Embiid can get and stay healthy, he will be the best Center in the Eastern Conference by the end of his rookie contract. Aside from Youtube clips, I don’t have much info on Saric. But Hinkie drafted a player in the lottery that he knew wouldn’t play for 76ers for three years, so I have to assume he has the skills to be a real player. Who is the fourth player you ask. At 6-9 with a nice 3-point shot, Robert Covington could be part of the core eight with his 3D potential. The rest of the 76ers players are just holding spots until Hinkie can build the “right” team.

All this leads me to the 2015 NBA draft, which is to be held on Thursday June 25th. The Sixers have the third pick and making the right decision could go a long way with Hinkie’s goal of building a championship team. Noel and Embiid are the Sixers best players and Saric could come over as soon as the 2016-2017 season. That means the Sixers best three players will all play in the front court. So please tell me Hinkie isn’t seriously considering drafting Kristaps Porzingis. Tell me this is a smoke screen to get the Magic to trade up and offer next year’s first round pick. Even is Porzingis has more potential than Noel, he duplicates the skillset of Saric. If the 76ers draft Porzingis, their top four players will all play either PF or Center. In a pinch, maybe you can play Saric at SF but I don’t think you want a full diet of him playing against Lebron or Durant or Melo.

Towns will be the top pick so either Russell or Mudiay or both will be available to the Sixers at the third pick. Because Golden State won the Championship shooting 3’s, Mudiay has been falling as we get closer to the draft. Aside from Towns, Mudiay is the player whose game most closely matches the way the NBA is played today. He is an athletic PG who has the ability to score. All I hear is that his jump shot isn’t consistent, but how many athletic wings have a consistent jump shot as they enter the NBA.

Mudiay’s shot isn’t broken like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, so he should improve his shooting as he grows in the NBA. I think there is limited bust potential with Mudiay. If he doesn’t correct the turnovers which have been a problem, then he is long and athletic enough to move over to SG. I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but SG is a really weak position in the league today. Russell is the hot name now, but I would draft Mudiay if I were Hinkie. I seem to be on an island with this opinion, but Russell’s lack of athleticism scares me. He is a good jump shooter, but he isn’t Curry or Thompson or even Bradley Beal.

Everyone sees Russell’s NBA comp as James Harden and not just because of the left hand. To me that is his only comp. Aside from Harden, there aren’t many successful NBA players in the mold of Russell. In today’s NBA, I can give you several NBA comps for Mudiay. His ceiling is Westbrook and I recognize that no one is as physically gifted as Westbrook. I can give you Derrick Rose before the injuries. If we take a step down we have Eric Bledsoe. If PG doesn’t work, then his ceiling at SG is Wade. Wade is an all-time great so how about Victor Oladipo? You get my point? Russell could be the next great player, but he could be the bust at the third pick. If Mudiay doesn’t turn into Westbrook or Rose, at worse he is Bledsoe or Oladipo. With the third pick in the draft, the 76ers need that back court players to continue to build their eight. With Mudiay, they are virtually guaranteed the next puzzle piece. On the selfish said, Mudiay will make the games more exciting and after three years the Sixers owe me at least that much!

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