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Villanova’s Mikal Bridges to work out for Sixers Tuesday as NBA draft draws closer

The 6-foot-7, 210-pound swingman is a multi-dimensional defensive standout and a solid three-point shooter (43.5 percent) this past season.

Players like Villanova's Mikal Bridges, who can shoot and defend, are highly valued in the NBA.
Players like Villanova's Mikal Bridges, who can shoot and defend, are highly valued in the NBA. Read moreYONG KIM / File Photograph
    by Keith Pompey | Columnist
    Published 

Villanova standout Mikal Bridges is scheduled to work out for the 76ers on Tuesday, sources have confirmed. 6ABC first reported the news.

The Sixers have the 10th and 26th overall picks in the first round of the NBA draft later this month. They also have four second-round picks: Nos. 38, 39, 56, and 60.

Bridges is a great option for the Sixers at No. 10, if he's still available. He's been projected to go as high as seventh to the Chicago Bulls.

The all-American would fit perfectly in coach Brett Brown's system. The 6-foot-7, 210-pound swingman is a multi-dimensional defensive standout and was a solid three-point shooter (43.5 percent) last season. He averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 32.1 minutes during the Wildcats' run to the national championship.

Bridges' mother, Tyneeha Rivers, is a global vice president of human resources at Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which includes the Sixers in its portfolio.

The Sixers will have a lot of options involving their two first-round picks in the June 21 draft. One option is to use No. 26 on a player they can stash overseas. A second option would be trading both picks to acquire a player or to move up in the draft.

The Sixers finished the regular season 52-30, the franchise's best record since finishing 56-26 in 2000-01. The Sixers finished third in the Eastern Conference and concluded the regular season with 16 straight wins, setting a league record for the most consecutive victories to end a season. They made their first postseason appearance since 2012, losing four games to one to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.