The NBA Draft lottery isn’t happening for another few weeks. We don’t know the exact order and we don’t even know which teams might lose their picks. One thing is for certain, the Philadelphia 76ers have a chance to make out like big winners.
They have their own pick, which is a guaranteed top-6 selection in the draft. They also made a sneaky good trade at the trade deadline that allowed them the possibility to have the Los Angeles Lakers pick which could be their selection if the Lakers end up landing sixth or worse in the draft lottery.
It appears that no matter which selection or how many picks they do have, the Sixers will be selecting Ohio State freshman phenom, D’Angelo Russell.
Following from Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The thought around the NBA is that the 76ers hope to select D’Angelo Russell in the NBA draft, according to a league executive.
“He’s the guy they want,” the executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Saturday. “That’s the word around the league. You know the Sixers. They won’t come out and say it, but he’s the guy they want.”
The executive said the team might have to nab one of the top two selections at the draft lottery on May 19 to get the former Ohio State combo guard.
Russell is exactly that, a combo guard. We’ve seen his passing skills and ball handling abilities on full display during the NCAA Tournament and he’s put up some solid statlines as well. He’s played so well this season, he’s got some prominent team executives to get into a little trouble scouting him. The Sixers have this idea of a superteam they’re trying to build, at least that’s what it appears to be. Russell will have to be the man taking charge of this uprising because, as we saw in the past with Philly, it doesn’t matter even if you win Rookie of the Year, you can be sent out if you’re not producing.
D’Angelo Russell averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while shooting 41.1 percent from three-point distance in his only college season at Ohio State. The shooting is what likely has Sixers GM Sam Hinkie intrigued the most, considering it was among the reasons he traded Michael Carter-Williams earlier this season.
If you want scoring, Russell can give it to you. He draws comparisons to Brandon Roy and Manu Ginobili according to NBADraft.net and if Russell comes anywhere near to what those guys were in their primes, this kid is going to be real good.
