2014 NBA Draft: What The Philadelphia 76ers Need To Do

Mar 21, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Andrew Wiggins (22) dunks the ball past Eastern Kentucky Colonels guard Marcus Lewis (12) in the first half during the 2nd round of the 2014 NCAA Men

So, what should the Sixers do? As I mentioned earlier, the Sixers should stay at 3, and pick whoever if there from the projected top three. But, let’s say for a minute they had the 1st pick. In this scenario, I would want the Sixers to go with Andrew Wiggins. I’m going to explain why.

Scoring.

When you look at the game of basketball, the obvious need is scoring. You need someone to score for you. MCW can do a little of everything. Nerlens Noel is a terrific rim protector and rebounder. And if you believe the stories from local media, Noel’s offensive game has been transformed. For the better? We can only hope so.

I think the scoring punch that Wiggins can bring fits well with what the other two guys bring. If we take these three and build around them, I think it can really work out for a long time.

Do I think Wiggins falls? It’s hard to say. There’s really no way to say for sure. But, if he falls, you take him. Done and done.

What about the 10th pick?

I happen to like Julius Randle. And, I happen too think he’s a 6-8th guy in this draft, though he could rise up, especially if Embiid’s injury scares teams off. The Sacramento Kings, last I heard, were willing to trade their #8 pick to get a player. A veteran. For me, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. Take the 10th pick, and a veteran, maybe Thad, and trade them to move up, as far as possible. The Kings could possibly be that team that would give up their pick for Thad and 10. But, the Lakers at 7 are another team to look at. They want to win now, and may be willing to take Thad for help now. Even the Celtics at 6 could be willing to let go of their pick.

Now, many folks (mock drafts) want to get a shooter for the Sixers. We need a shooter. Right? But, for me, it seems harder to get a young talented PF than a young shooter. So, I take the rare piece now and look for the more common piece later. The Sixers have money to spend.

For the record, I do have a backup plan in the offseason. Go after Greg Monroe. But, that’s a different and long story. So if the Sixers stick with 10, I hope they are looking for that PF.

Anyway, a draft with Andrew Wiggins and Julius Randle would make me smile.

What I just said will not be popular with others. The Wiggins thing people could agree with. I’ll bet a lot of the “What is he talking about?” is the Randle thing. Why trade up only a couple of slots for a PF when you already have one in Thad, who is really a good player.

For one thing, Thad’s already at his ceiling. The only way he goes higher is if the offense actually runs through him more often. He could also improve his 3-point game a bit. But, for the most part, Thad’s probably going to be Thad for the next several years at least. And while consistency is nice and valued, I think the Sixers could do better. I feel like Randle could be better. The Sixers traded their All-Star Jrue Holiday because they felt it was time to start over. They took steps back if only because they wanted to build something that could last. I think taking a step back by trading Thad works out in the long term.

Thad’s body doesn’t seem to work too well in the league defensively. He’s too small to deal with many other PF’s and he’s too slow to keep up with SF’s. He’s in between. Randle’s defense is a question mark too. Noah Vonleh is also a PF I can live with as well. If anything, the Sixers might take him over Randle if given the choice.

In the end, there is one player I want the Sixers to avoid.

Joel Embiid.

To be honest, as I said earlier, the back problems are a concern. Plus, Noel. Long term, that back…I don’t know, I’m just not comfortable with it. I’m no doctor. All I can do is look at history. And history shows that big men with back problems never quite get over it.

So yeah, I think that’s what the Sixers should be doing for the draft.