2017 NBA Draft Twitter Mailbag: Answering Your Sixers Draft Questions

Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

With the NBA Draft playing such a pertinent role in the Philadelphia 76ers’ future, it’s time to answer some of the questions surrounding the topic on Sixers Twitter.

The NBA Draft is always an entertaining topic to cover — especially so for the Philadelphia 76ers in recent years. It allows us to look ahead to the future prospects of the league, while giving us a rare amount of leniency in both interpretation and aspiration as we establish our feelings on an annually-diverse group of talents.

Nothing is guaranteed with the NBA draft. It’s almost the NBA’s version of the lottery, outside of the one that actually does go down to determine the order in which it takes place. People can spend weeks upon weeks covering the best prospects available, but inevitably someone is going to fall short of expectations. And, on the contrary, somebody is going to soar well above them.

Naturally, such an in-depth and oft-debatable topic is going to leave questions. Today, I’ll do my best to answer yours.

Best Player Available v.s. Team Fit

This is a really interesting topic, especially with the Sixers.

In general, I’m a proponent of drafting talent over fit in most scenarios. With the NBA draft being almost a crapshoot of sorts, the lack of guarantee makes aiming for the proverbial fences a better route than simply drafting for a rotational need that may not be relevant a few years down the road.

With the Sixers, however, they’ve worked themselves into somewhat of a BPA rut. They have too much talent at a handful of positions and not nearly enough to cover the rest. And while that could feasibly be rectified and even reversed in the coming years, it’s difficult to justify taking another big man — or something along those lines — given the state of their roster.

So, in that sense, I’d certainly understand the logic behind drafting a guard or a wing piece ahead of someone like Harry Giles — and likely advocate for such a move.

But the Sixers, in that same sense, are somewhat lucky. The best talents in this draft are virtually all located one through three position-wise, and thus they can do a bit of both here without too much concern. There’s a good chance that the best player available is going to be a guard or a small forward who could accompany Ben Simmons on the outside. The Sixers should definitely jump on that.

Where that doesn’t apply quite as much is with Josh Jackson and De’Aaron Fox, who’d likely be the exceptions there. Neither is much of a shooter, and both present some pretty hefty spacing issues as a result. Given the depth of this NBA draft class though and the Sixers’ chronically mishandled frontcourt situation, I’d say avoiding those two is in their best interest.

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Frank Ntilikina’s Status for Next Season

I’m not an insider on Ntilikina’s status at the moment, but I’m operating under the assumption that he’d come over right away. Like we saw with Kristaps Porzingis, Dragan Bender, and Dante Exum in past years, the best of the best from international waters typically make their ways to the states in year one.

With that said, there is always going to be the occasional exception — like Dario Saric, as Sixer fans are well aware of.

Ntilikina is a really nice fit with the Sixers’ current roster, and somebody who’s certainly capable of making that jump right away. He’s a bit thin — but virtually every freshman guard is — and his physical tools, standing 6-5 with a 7-foot wingspan, help offset that.

Ntilikina’s vision as a passer is probably the best outside of Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball in the top of this year’s class, and the prowess he has shown as an off-ball shooter with Strasbourg this season (translating that to 17/29 shooting from deep in the U18 European Championships) bodes well for his fit alongside Simmons.

His aforementioned wingspan also makes him a highly effective defender. A lot to like there in this NBA draft.

Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Jayson Tatum or Jonathan Isaac?

I’ve had Tatum higher on my NBA draft big board virtually all season, but Isaac’s impressive play as of late has made me question that — a lot. Duke’s talent-laden rotation has made it difficult for Tatum to find much of a featured role, but Isaac has been under a similar scenario on a deep Florida State team, while playing significantly better as of late.

So, as of right now, I’m giving my vote to Isaac on this issue. Listed at 6-11 — albeit possibly taller — Isaac’s size, fluidity, and shooting touch on the perimeter gives him some highly unique upside. He lacks core strength right now, which will be his biggest weakness heading to the next level, but makes up for it with length that helps him make plays in a variety of areas.

Isaac’s versatility would be a really nice fit for the Sixers alongside Embiid and Simmons in the frontcourt. That gives them three players that measure over 6-10 in height, yet they retain two capable perimeter defenders in the process. It sets up a lot of easy, switch-heavy defensive setups, and gives Brett Brown a ton of flexibility to mold to his liking for the foreseeable future.

Isaac is shooting 38.5 percent from deep (8.5 percent higher than Tatum), and possesses a level of scoring potential that even the highly-polished Tatum might not be able to reach. As his frame fills out, it’s difficult to imagine many fours capably matching up with Isaac off the bounce in isolation, while his size gives him an easy advantage over the vast majority of small forwards.

He could be the perimeter scoring threat — and defensive monster, given his measurables — that puts the Sixers over the top. I like him as a pick anywhere outside the top 2.

Who, Outside of the Big Names, Should we be Watching?

If we’re going to define ‘etc’ as the big names that don’t often get thrown the Sixers’ way in most 2017 NBA Draft discussions, the first name would have to be Ntilikina. If simply for the very same reasons I mentioned earlier. He could slip into the later stages of the lottery, but I’m legitimately comfortable with him as a pickup in the 5-10 range as it currently stands.

He has fantastic defensive tools, a highly skilled and well-developed approach on offense, and some improved scoring that will only flourish more as he learns to play with a bit more edge.

For more on his fit with the Sixers, you can also read here.

Another name worth mentioning is Luke Kennard. While I don’t see the Duke standout sliding up to the Sixers’ echelon in the lottery, his skill set is worth looking into in some capacity — although that possibility is likely limited to a trade later in the draft.

He has been the primary offensive catalyst for Duke all season, showcasing the type of well-rounded game that could make him an ideal secondary playmaker to throw alongside Simmons in the backcourt. He’s the Blue Devils’ best perimeter shooter at 44 percent, and shows an array of floaters and nifty head fakes that allow him to get into the teeth of the defense and finish inside as well, despite non-elite athletic tools.

He also boasts the best 2-point jump shot percentage on  Duke’s roster, as well as the second best field goal percentage at the rim of anybody who has taken upwards of 100 shots this season, trailing solely Amile Jefferson, per Hoop-Math.com. He combines one of the nation’s most advanced scoring arsenals with some excellent passing instincts to boot.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Who’s the Sixers’ First Reasonable Target Outside the Top 5?

While this may not be the most cutting edge response, this one has to be Malik Monk. I don’t think the Kentucky sharpshooter is going to work his way into the top five, and he should be at the forefront of the Sixers’ pursuits after that point.

Monk projects more as a two-guard than a point guard, and that’s a concern that has been well-documented given his stature at 6-3. That really shouldn’t bother the Sixers much, though, given the current make up of their rotation. Philadelphia already boasts a capable playmaker in Simmons, which would allow Monk to comfortably slide into the rotation as the de facto point guard while still spending the majority of his time off the ball offensively

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In terms of shooters, there’s nobody in the draft that can hit from distance at a high volume like Monk. He has a short, compact stroke that allows him to get off shots with little to no room on the perimeter. The Sixers could easily run him through a slew of screens for some easy, high quality looks from deep, and he boasts the ball handling skills and straight-line ability to create his own shot off the bounce as well.

There are some legitimate concerns about his ability to guard larger two guards, as well as get to the rim, but the Sixers have all the tools needed to effectively offset those. He’s a scorching-hot shooter, and somebody who has the swagger and confidence of a high octane scorer at the next level. Philadelphia could certainly use that in the backcourt.

There’s also a chance that either Isaac or Tatum falls outside the top 5, in which case they become very real considerations for obvious reasons.

If Not Fultz, Dennis Smith Jr. or Lonzo Ball?

In the 2017 NBA Draft, neither Ball nor Smith are great fits with Simmons from a skill perspective, but Smith has to take the cake here based on talent alone. He’s an incredible athlete, whose shooting has shown immense improvement as of late. He has all the tools needed to make do as both a slasher and off-ball scorer when needed, and boasts a far more diverse offensive arsenal than Ball — thus his selection in this scenario.

Ball is an incredible playmaker, and there’s likely nobody better than him in that regard when it comes to this draft class. The problem with him, though, lies with the remainder of his game. He’s a capable spot-up shooter, but his funky release makes it difficult for him to generate much of his own offense and he struggles at time to get much going in the halfcourt.

He’s simply not a big time scorer, and taking him out of the main ball handling role in transition is only going to lessen that. He either neutralizes Simmons or vice versa, and I just don’t see enough there to warrant taking him over a potentially-generational talent like Smith.

Smith clearly needs the ball in his hands quite a bit too, and it’s somewhat of an awkward fit either way. But, Smith simply boasts the higher upside. He still isn’t playing at 100 percent after tearing his ACL before his senior season in high school, and he has nonetheless shown an ability to simply outclass defenders from an athletic standpoint.

If his shooting continues to trend up, his talent alone is merit enough to try out his fit alongside Simmons. I wouldn’t take Ball anywhere near the top 5 as of right now. I’d jump on Smith at the 2nd spot, if the Sixers rose that high in the lottery.

Best 5th-6th Pick Combination?

The Lakers are going to make something like this difficult given their recent struggles, but why not take a swing at it just in case? If the Sixers land two picks — at 5 and 6 in this case — the ideal combination would assuredly consist of an elite guard an elite wing to balance out the perimeter. So, with that in mind, I think an idealistic return here would be Isaac and Monk.

Isaac’s stock is trending up, but with Fultz, Ball, and Smith likely locked in the top 5 and both Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum in that conversation, there’s a solid chance he’ll last until the Sixers’ first selection.

This doesn’t give the Sixers a true point guard, but they don’t need that at this point. Simmons can run the offense, with Monk slotted more as a score-first option slotted at the point guard on the defensive depth chart. Isaac would accompany Simmons at the forward spots, and Embiid could round out the rotation alongside someone like Nik Stauskas or Robert Covington.

They get a perimeter shooter that instantly improves their spacing in virtually every facet, as well as a high-risk, ultra-high-reward swingman in Isaac to cultivate on the wing. Both are capable shooters who have operated seamlessly off the ball this year, and Isaac has proven himself capable of operating in a team-friendly role with improved passing and ball handling along the exterior.

The defensive combination of Embiid-Simmons-Isaac could boast excellent returns, and their offense — long term at the very least — would make some considerable leaps in the right direction. This would be near-perfect.