Tag: mock

Sixers NBA mock draft roundup: Could Rob Dillingham fall? What about Jared McCain? sixers,nba,mock,draft,roundup,could,rob,dillingham,fall,what,about,jared,mccain,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Well, Tuesday’s late-night Woj bomb was certainly a downer. In case you missed it, the New York Knicks gave up a massive draft pick haul to land the Brooklyn Nets’ Mikal Bridges. The price was steep, but man, it makes the team that just eliminated the Sixers from the playoffs even better.

Onto happier things.

The Sixers actually have draft picks this year! They possess a first-rounder (No. 16) and second-rounder (No. 41). While a trade is very much in play for pick 16, Daryl Morey and company could have a few intriguing options fall into their laps.

With that in mind, we rounded up all the latest mock drafts from a few of our trusted sources.

Could Dillingham really slide to 16?

Why do Kentucky guards always slide in the draft? The 2024 version of that appears to be Rob Dillingham. Both Sam Vecenie of The Athletic and the folks over at No Ceilings have the dynamic guard slipping all the way to 16.

Per Vecenie (who is the best in business in this writer’s humble opinion):

“Philadelphia has cleared significant cap space to go star-hunting, so, if the right deal becomes available, this pick could be used to further that goal. … The 76ers will likely take a ‘best player available’ approach under Daryl Morey if they keep the pick.

“Dillingham averaged 15.2 points and 3.9 assists per game this past season while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3. He maintains control well despite playing at a fast pace, using a bevy of crossovers and well-timed hesitation moves to maximize his speed. Evaluators are confident he’ll be able to separate from his man in the NBA.”

Analysis: I’ve long held the belief that the Sixers will move this pick one way or another — the most likely option being a trade down to acquire more draft capital. But if a player as special as Dillingham drops, Morey has to consider it. The knocks on Dillingham are his size and his defense (kind of related), but he is an elite shot creator that can also really shoot it. A long-term Maxey-Dillingham backcourt is risky, but my goodness, would it be dynamic offensively.

McCain is an exciting option if he slips

Chances are Dillingham will go before 16, but if he slips at all, it could mean other guards are slipping as well. ESPN and Bleacher Report both have the Sixers snagging Duke sharpshooter Jared McCain at 16.

Per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony:

“The Sixers are known to have conducted only a handful of workouts, possibly the fewest of any team drafting in the first round. That info has caused some speculation that this pick could be on the move, depending on which player falls to No. 16.

Regardless of who is picking, McCain has an easy niche he can fill in the NBA with his scoring versatility, basketball instincts, competitiveness and smarts, making him an attractive option for teams drafting in this range.”

Analysis: While McCain might not be in the same category as Dillingham, he’s pretty damn special in his own right. Like Dillingham, size will be the issue — McCain is a 6-foot-2 two guard with a 6-3 wingspan. But as Givony states above, McCain should be able to overcome his disadvantages because he’s an elite shooter with amazing feel. He also fights like hell on defense and is a smart team defender. Again, if he’s there, the Sixers have to consider simply taking him.

Walter is an elite 3-and-D starter kit

If Dillingham and McCain go off the board before 16 — much like they did in the SB Nation community mock draft — Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter could prove to be the best player available. Krysten Peek of Yahoo and Tankathon have the Sixers drafting the high-volume shooting wing.

Per Peek:

“Walter’s game translates better to the NBA than what scouts saw from him in college. He has good size at the guard position and elite shooting mechanics. With the spacing of the NBA game, it’ll free him more as a shooting threat with how well Tyrese Maxey plays with the ball in his hands and how much space Joel Embiid commands in the paint.”

Analysis: If the board falls this way, Morey would have to seriously consider a trade back. Still, Walter is plenty intriguing. He was a five-star recruit joining Baylor and he can really shoot it. He also has the makings of an elite defender. The floor is a high-level 3-and-D dog. He’s still just 19, so there’s a chance he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his ceiling yet.

Da Silva the safe pick

Rounding out our look around the mock draftosphere is Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. KOC has the Sixers taking Colorado forward Tristan Da Silva, maybe one of the safest picks in the draft.

Per KOC:

Da Silva is one of the safer bets to find success in the NBA because of his two-way abilities, and the Sixers could use his size and versatility no matter what they end up doing in free agency.

Analysis: Despite his banging on the table for Killian Hayes a couple years back, KOC typically provides good draft analysis. In this instance I couldn’t disagree more. When has Morey ever drafted a “safe” player? He’s always been much more prone to target the best player available and upside. Da Silva at 16 feels like a reach. That’s not even a knock on the player, who I think has excellent glue guy potential. It just doesn’t line up with Morey’s draft record.

Sixers select Ja’Kobe Walter at 16 in SB Nation mock draft sixers,select,ja,kobe,walter,at,in,sb,nation,mock,draft,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Every year, the folks at SB Nation put together a community mock draft, where people around the network take part. For us at LB, I (Paul Hudrick) took up the mantle for the 2024 NBA Draft.

Firstly, it’s been super exciting to break down prospects with the Sixers having two picks this year (Nos. 16 and 41). Last year was brutal — though Daryl Morey and co. did quite well post-draft in signing a pair of undrafted players: breakout rookie Ricky Council IV and microwave scorer Terquavion Smith.

Harrison Grimm and I have been doing our best to break down as many prospects as possible. It’s been arduous, but it’s also been a labor of love for the two of us.

Anyway, here’s what went down with the mock draft:

Sixers select Baylor wing Ja’Kobe Walter

In this mock draft, several of the players you would hope could fall to the Sixers do not. The five picks directly in front of them went: USC’s Isaiah Collier, Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham, Providence’s Devin Carter, Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht and Duke’s Jared McCain. Any of those five might’ve been the pick had they fallen.

Let’s be transparent: if the board falls this way, I’d expect Morey to trade back. He might do that anyway if a player slips that other teams would covet. But understandably for this exercise there were no trades allowed. So, we move.

There were a few options that were really intriguing, even if not as spectacular as the ones above. Walter, Pitt’s Bub Carrington and Colorado’s Tristan Da Silva were all under serious consideration. Carrington’s creation ability is undeniable, but his inability to get all the way to the rim and questions about his defense have me concerned. Da Silva is an ideal glue guy, but he’s also 23 years old. It wouldn’t line up with previous Morey drafts to select a plug-and-play player this high.

Carrington would’ve been the upside pick. Da Silva would’ve been the safe pick. In Walter, you land right in the middle.

Walter’s floor is a 3-and-D wing that plays like an absolute dog. Though he hit a shooting slump during the middle of the season, he confidently fired from deep at a high volume all year long. Over his first 15 games, he hit over 40% from deep on 5.7 attempts per game. Over his last nine games, he made 38.5% on 7.2 attempts per game. But for 11 games in the middle of the season, he hit a wall. Still, 24 games of elite, high-volume shooting vs. 11 games of poor shooting.

Defensively, this guy plays like a maniac. He slides his feet well and hounds guards and wings in point-of-attack defense. He uses his 6-10 wingspan to his advantage in multiple ways, on and off the ball. He gets steals and deflections, and should easily be able to guard up at the next level because of his length and physicality. He has an excellent motor, never giving up on plays and going after loose balls.

If you’re talking “star potential,” perhaps someone like Carrington has more, but Walter is still only 19 years old and was five-star recruit. Walter doesn’t have Carrington’s ability to break people down off the dribble, but who’s to say he can’t improve there? It doesn’t look like Walter will ever be a high-level playmaker, but an elite movement shooter with slashing ability — that could turn into an elite defender — sounds pretty damn good playing next to guys like Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Walter just feels like a winning player. Yes, you need stars in the NBA, but star role players are also important. Walter seems like a guy that can contribute to winning early on and possibly scale up as he gains NBA experience. The 3-and-D wing is a sacred jewel in the modern NBA. The Sixers get an elite starter kit here — with the potential for more.