Philadelphia 76ers Mock Draft 3.0 (plus picks 1-3)

The 76ers’ season turned back the clock about a decade. The team put the NBA on notice, reminding the league that nobody tanks like the Sixers do.

Their reward for the disaster season is the 3rd overall pick, the highest the team has picked since 2017. The 76ers have picked 3rd in the NBA draft twice in recent history, picking Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid.

Here is my mock through picks 1-3, including the Sixers’ 2nd-round pick.

Pick 1 (Dallas Mavericks): Cooper Flagg, Forward, Duke

A no-brainer pick for the Mavericks. Flagg has been the consensus number one pick since before the season even started, and thanks to some lottery luck, the Maine event should be heading to Dallas.

Flagg is a defensive anomaly. He possesses the skills and height to defend the midrange and paint, but the speed and versatility to be a good perimeter defender. In his freshman year at Duke, Flagg quickly became the Blue Devils’ first option on offense as well. He averaged 19.2 PPG with respectable shooting splits of 48.1/38.5/84.0.

The main reason scouts are in love with Flagg is that there isn’t anything he can’t do on the basketball court. He has the potential to be the best player in his era. The only catch for Flagg is that there will most likely be an adjustment period during his transition to the NBA. Flagg is far from a complete player and will need time to realize his potential.

Pick 2 (San Antonio Spurs): Dylan Harper, PG/SG, Rutgers

The Spurs are going to be a scary team for years to come with the young stars the team has added. DeAaron Fox is an elite PG, Victor Wembanyama is a generational center with no weaknesses, Stephon Castle just won rookie of the year, and Harper has an extremely high upside at the NBA level.

Another freshman, Harper, is one of the best playmaking guard prospects of the 2020s. His catch-and-shoot ability is part of what sets him apart from the other prospects. With NBA spacing, he has the potential to take his shooting to another level.

There is 1 issue with Harper’s game that could give him trouble in the NBA. His shot selection at times is shaky at best. There are times when he rushes or just chucks up a 3 instead of letting the possession develop. This can be worked out with proper coaching and training, but it could take time to fix.

Pick 3 (Philadelphia 76ers): Ace Bailey, SF, Rutgers

It has been a turbulent draft process for the Rutgers forward. One of the top prospects in the NBA draft, rife with potential, has yet to complete a single workout a week out from the draft. The strategy has everyone in the NBA world confused and stirring speculation as to why he has yet to work out. The Sixers had a visit planned for him for Thursday and Friday; however, he canceled late Wednesday night.

“For all we know, there might be a promise in place for [Bailey] — might not be Philadelphia at 3,” Shams Charania said on the Pat McAfee Show Thursday. “He was supposed to go into Philadelphia [Thursday[], visit with them all day today and [Friday]. And Friday he had a full-on session [planned]… They had all of his flight arrangements set, they had dinner for him set, they had breakfast for him set… they had everything arranged for him. And he essentially bailed two days prior to the visit… The Sixers don’t quite know what to make of it, people around the league don’t really know what to make of it.”

I still think the Sixers take him. Bailey screams superstar as a prospect. There’s nowhere on the floor he can’t shoot from. Defenders are forced to respect him from anywhere on the court.

The only nitpick with his scoring is his at times hesitancy to attack the rim. It feels like a quibble, given he often settles for his reliable midrange jumper, but it is something that will need fixing.

On the defensive side, Ace has the raw intangibles to be a great defender, but is an unfinished product. His rebounding will need to improve in the NBA. Bailey’s interior and perimeter defense showed flashes in large part thanks to his size, but he is also a raw product that will need to be refined.

Pick 35: Eric Dixon, PF, Villanova

The Nova forward flashes upside-down, especially for a 2nd round selection. Dixon is a physical player, able to back anyone down in the paint.

For a 6-foot-8 255 255-pound forward, his shooting is an anomaly. Dixon shot 41.8% from 3 at Villanova with great handles to go along with it.

He has 2 glaring issues as a player. The first is that Dixon is 24 years old. For context, Tyrese Maxey is also 24 years old. The other issue is that he struggles on defense to the point of being a liability. If he wants to make his way into an NBA rotation, his defense and rebounding need massive improvements.

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