2018 NBA Draft: Scouting the Philadelphia 76ers' Likely Big Board
Coming off a 52-win campaign, the Philadelphia 76ers enter the 2018 NBA offseason with incredible flexibility, an army of assets and optimism that's both unbridled and still sensible.
The bulk of their summer focus will inevitably be tied to the trade and free-agency markets, both of which could potentially deliver a plug-and-play superstar. But Thursday's draft could quietly play a significant role in strengthening this roster.
Philly holds six selections in the talent grab, including a pair of first-rounders (Nos. 10 and 26). While any could deliver a difference-maker—Isaiah Thomas was once Mr. Irrelevant at No. 60, after all—we'll lock in on that 10th pick here since it has the highest hit rate of these selection spots historically.
To keep this realistic, we won't bother including the top eight picks in the latest mock draft from B/R's Jonathan Wasserman—Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Mohamed Bamba, Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr., Trae Young, Michael Porter Jr. and Wendell Carter Jr.
Everyone else is up for grabs, so let's examine the top five options at No. 10 from the remaining player pool.
5. Zhaire Smith, SG/SF, Texas Tech
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Zhaire Smith might feel more like a "process pick" than the potential finishing touch on a nearly complete project.
The 19-year-old is one of the ultimate wild cards in this class. Over the past 12 months, he's skyrocketed from a 3-star recruit to a possible one-and-done lottery pick. His numbers don't jump off the screen (11.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in 28.4 minutes), but his high-flying theatrics certainly do.
Still, his overall profile is puzzling.
He's a hustler and multipositional defender, skills that are enhanced by his athleticism and hoops IQ. He's also a perimeter player who had just 66 assists and 18 three-pointers over his 37-game collegiate campaign.
"There aren't many players in the NBA like him," The Ringer's Jonathan Tjarks noted. "At 6'4" and 200 pounds with a 6'10" wingspan, he has the size of a shooting guard at the next level, but he played power forward and even some small-ball center at Texas Tech. Most guys in that mold wouldn't be considered NBA prospects."
And yet, Smith might hear his name called before the end of the lottery, which speaks to his colossal upside.
The gap between his ceiling and floor might be too wide for the Sixers to pounce on, especially if they need this selection to fill a 2018-19 rotation spot. That said, it isn't hard to imagine Smith hitting the ground running in Brett Brown's system as another explosive weapon in transition and a disruptive, versatile defender.
4. Miles Bridges, SF/PF, Michigan State
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Philly's humbling five-game series loss to the Boston Celtics in the second round exposed the need for two-way wings.
Miles Bridges has the chance to become a good one at the big-league level.
His decision to delay his draft entry by a year didn't necessarily help his stock, but it probably didn't hurt it, either. He looked like a borderline lottery pick then, and he's regarded in the same range after mostly mirroring his freshman stats (from 16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game to 17.1, 7.0 and 2.7, respectively).
Bridges boasts good size (6'7", 225 lbs) and better strength and athleticism. He's not yet a high-level shooter, but there are encouraging signs he might become one (37.5 career three-point percentage, 16.8-point jump in free-throw percentage as a sophomore). He's shown flashes of defensive versatility, but there are also worries regarding his lack of elite length or lateral quickness.
There might be enough question marks to give the Sixers pause, but there are also reasons to think they might see more reward than risk.
Paul Hudrick wrote for NBC Sports Philadelphia:
"Bridges comes into the league with an NBA body and has shown the foundation to be an excellent shooter. I'd like to see him with a chance to play with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons opening up the floor. With Bridges not being the No. 1 option on offense like he was at Michigan State, he should excel as a three-and-D wing that can also run up and down the floor with any athlete."
Kevin Knox, SF/PF, Kentucky
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Few draft prospects are climbing quicker than Kevin Knox, who's up to No. 9 on the most recent mock from ESPN.com's Jonathan Givony. "There seems to be a significant market for his services in the Nos. 7-11 range," Givony wrote.
Since 2010—after John Calipari's first season in Lexington—there has been at least one Wildcat selected in the top 10 of every draft. Knox, who doesn't turn 19 until August, has the tools to keep that streak alive.
He's a long, mobile combo forward who can do a lot of things. He measured 6'9" in shoes at the combine and stretched out to a near-7-foot wingspan, dimensions that make his per-game averages of 15.6 points and 1.5 triples even more attractive.
"For his size, he can shoot," Sixers senior director of basketball operations Vince Rozman said, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He can handle it a little bit. He's really mobile. He's a talent."
Shooting will be a chief concern for the Sixers on draft night. They not only need sufficient spacing around Embiid and Simmons, they're also seeing several of their top snipers enter free agency: JJ Redick, Marco Belinelli, Ersan Ilyasova.
There are better shooters than Knox, but if Philly views that as one of his strengths, he'll earn bonus points for his ability to impact the game in other areas.
Lonnie Walker, SG, Miami
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If you focused more on the Sixers' core than the team's recent success and near-future championship hopes, Lonnie Walker fits that group better than any prospect in this range.
That's how SI.com's Jeremy Woo sees it, at least:
"Their roster could use an athletic perimeter scorer for the long-term, and Walker makes the most sense as an upside play if you take the timeline factor out of the decision. He's a high-caliber athlete and big-time leaper still at an early stage of his development. Walker was a mixed bag this season and hasn't figured out how to consistently impose his will on games yet, but his explosiveness, ability to get to the rim and jump shooting potential are all intriguing."
Last season's Sixers didn't have a dynamic wing scorer. The perimeter offense often hinged on what kind of three-point shooting night it was for Redick, Belinelli, Dario Saric and Robert Covington, as all four lost effectiveness when forced to create off the bounce.
Walker's attacking would give this group another dimension, and his three-point form suggests he'd add more to that department than his 34.6 percentage would indicate. His athleticism would also be better utilized by an NBA offense playing at a top-five pace as opposed to college basketball's 233rd-ranked tempo, per KenPom.com.
As long as the Sixers can be patient with his development, hindsight could eventually view him as a home run pick. But Walker's relative lack of polish pushed him behind a fellow Pennsylvania native occupying our No. 1 spot.
Mikal Bridges, SF, Villanova
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What better way for Philly to find its championship form than by adding a Philly champion?
Mikal Bridges hails from nearby Malvern, Pennsylvania, and helped Villanova win two of the last three Division I NCAA titles. Oh, and his mother, Tyneeha Rivers, just so happens to be the Sixers' vice president of human resources.
That feels like fate connecting Bridges to the franchise, even though storylines aren't made around top-10 selections. But if this is solely a basketball discussion, the lanky swingman still comes out on top.
He embodies the term "three-and-D." For the label's first part, he just splashed 104 triples at a 43.5 percent clip this past season. For the latter, he has a self-described "freakishly long" 7'2" wingspan and a Big East co-Defensive Player of the Year award.
When you think about the most critical areas for a Sixers wing, Bridges checks each box.
"It would just be the perfect fit," Bridges said, per Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "They like to play tough and defense—defense first—and that's how I play."
The Sixers need spacers, and Bridges was a 98th percentile spot-up shooter, via The Athletic's Rich Hofmann. They need malleable stoppers, and Bridges should be able to guard 1s, 2s and 3s on opening night. He needs offensive focal points who can detract from his so-so shot-creation skills, and Philly already has two in Simmons and Embiid, plus the potential to add another.
Bridges staying in Philadelphia makes too much sense not to happen, provided he isn't plucked ahead of the No. 10 pick.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from Basketball Reference or NBA.com.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @ZachBuckleyNBA.
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