Dario Saric

Philadelphia 76ers 2017 NBA Draft Christmas Shopping List

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:20 p.m. ET

Fansided, Bret Stuter/FanSided via The Sixer Sense

Sixer Sense Christmas 2017 NBA Draft Shopping List For Philadelphia 76ers

While we plow ahead in a 2016-2017 season, and are pleasantly surprised at relatively modest success, the team is courageously improving game by game. In reality, changes are happening in terms of team experience, upside, and compatibility as happens in professional sports each year. Perhaps now more than ever, the piece de resistance is the 2017 NBA Draft.

And so, the shopping list of what was is no longer the shopping list of what will be. Heading into the 2015-2016 season, an argument could have been made for the team roster showing deficiencies at each position – even center.

But with the new season comes new revelations. In the grand scheme, this team is not as desperate for a starting five lineup anymore. Eventually, that could very well make the 2017 NBA Draft all that much more critical. New pieces must be judged ever more carefully for fit now.

Dominoes Effect

If Joel Embiid is the center of the franchise, then Ben Simmons could very well be the point guard of the future. To that point, as Ben Simmons is the point guard, then rookie Dario Saric can play the power forward role. Even further, as Dario Saric is the power forward, does Robert Covington stay at the small forward? Finally, is the answer for shooting guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Nik Stauskas, of some prospect from the 2017 NBA Draft?

While the team aims at the moving target of the needs of tomorrow’s team, analysts must simultaneously project the talents of current players. This draft will not play out on one note held far above the normal octave, but will instead require the blending symphony of the entire orchestra.

But let’s save the scheme, position, role, and versatility chat for another time. For now, we are shopping for things this Philadelphia 76ers team could really use.

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; General view during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Sacramento Kings landing the top pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, and swapping that with the Philadelphia 76ers pick at number five

Okay, perhaps this is a little too mean spirited for the holidays. But the Philadelphia 76ers have been rather unlucky in the random nature of the NBA draft in recent years. If there was a chance for a pick to convey, it didn’t. If there was a chance for a team to swap picks, it never happened because the original pick.

Wouldn’t it be the ultimate thrill to have the Sacramento Kings pick land at number one, and then wrap your heads around the fact that the Philadelphia 76ers just exercised their right to choose at that top spot?

Yes, that would be a good item to have. Let’s add that to the list.

Lakers First Round Pick Conveys At Four Or Five

The Philadelphia 76ers have awaited the Lakers first round pick through both the 2015 and the 2016 NBA Drafts. Now in 2017, it’s time to cash it in. But the wait for it’s arrival has heightened the anticipation, and the hope, that it will convey at a nice spot.

At this moment, that pick is 72 percent likely to convey at the eighth spot in the draft. While a top ten pick in the 2017 NBA Draft is certainly a good pick, particularly considering the depth of talent in this draft, a top-five pick seems all the better.

Hey, this is a shopping list. If we can’t get it, we’ll find something else. But let’s add that to the list for now.

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Flip Two Second Round Picks To 2017 or 2018 First Round Pick

Let’s face facts. When Sam Hinkie ran this team, the second round of the NBA Draft was at its peak of raw entertainment. Whether Bryan Colangelo could be as equally entertaining is a moot point. The Philadelphia 76ers have stocked the shelves full with “raw talent” and must now focus almost exclusively on “NBA READY” prospects. As you know, the 76ers landed two second round picks when the team traded guard Kendall Marshall to the Utah Jazz:

As of today, 23 December 2016, the picks would fall at 45 (Detroit), 50 (New York), 53 (Utah), and 60 (Golden State). While the pairing of the 45th and 60th picks would likely not get the team back into the first round, it could land the team a 2018 first round pick from a contender.

Why? Between Furkan Korkmaz, Vasilje Micic, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and a host of Delaware 87ers, the Philadelphia 76ers truly have some talent in the incubator. While the 2017 NBA Draft is likely chock full of talent, perhaps even into the second round, there remains a limit as to how many prospects can come through the pipeline at any one time.

The 2018 NBA Draft, at the moment, finds the Philadelphia 76ers with a first round pick (own), and three second round picks. Wouldn’t it be nice to add a nice 1st round pick to that mix? Of course it would! Let’s add it to the list.

Land A Top Shooting Guard And Small Forward In 2017 NBA Draft

Greedy? Perhaps. But when you shop for loved ones, do you quality check the ask, or just try to appease the request? I love the Philadelphia 76ers, and I truly admire and respect the players on the roster who are playing at either shooting guard or small forward right now. But I believe with our treasure trove of draft picks, we can aim higher.

But the Philadelphia 76ers had very good center talent in Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor before Joel Embiid took center stage. It’s like night and day. Is Jason Tatum at the level of say… Joel Embiid? I’m not sure, but I would love to find out. If Tatum is coming, then perhaps the team could land a solid shooting guard? Is Malik Monk a good choice there? Perhaps take Markelle Fultz and bank on his versatility and shooting to deliver an elite off-ball guard offensive threat?

With the Philadelphia 76ers book-ended with Ben Simmons at point guard, and Joel Embiid at center, the team needs one more standout. The versatility of Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Nik Stauskas, and other players ensures that the team will have sufficient depth from the bench.

But if the team can land two top five picks in the 2017 NBA Draft, there is no reason NOT to believe a top wing can be had. But if the Philadelphia 76ers can get one, why not try for two?

Let’s add that to the list as well.

So let’s see… naught Noel… nice Nik… er… no… scratch that. I think we have our bases covered here. Yes, that ought to do it, for now. Throughout the Holidays, whether Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or New Years, keep checking back with us here at the Sixer Sense. We’ve planned a series of interesting articles about the 76ers’ past, present, and future. And we won’t wake you up in the middle of the night or haunt you to do it.

Happiest of Holidays!