Sixers will interview D'Angelo Russell at NBA scouting combine

CHICAGO - By now, the 76ers have a good idea which players they might select with their first pick in the NBA draft on June 25. However, their selection would be upgraded if they hit the jackpot Tuesday in the draft lottery and move up to the No. 1 overall pick.

So the omission of three of the top four draft prospects from the scouting combine isn't as big as people might think. Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky), Jahlil Okafor (Duke), and Emmanuel Mudiay, who played this season in China, will not attend.

The Sixers have been focused on this draft since shortly after last summer's concluded. For now, they are in the Windy City concentrating on the 62 prospects who will undergo testing, measurements, and drills Thursday and Friday at the Quest Multisport Complex. Players began medical testing and interviews at a downtown hotel Wednesday.

On Thursday, a lot of attention will be on former Ohio State standout D'Angelo Russell, who is set to interview with the Sixers. A league source said the team will interview all of the projected lottery picks who are in Chicago.

There's a thought that the Sixers are interested in selecting the all-American combination guard with their first overall pick. Russell wants to play point guard in the NBA and is expected to be among the top four players chosen.

The Sixers are guaranteed a top-six pick after finishing with the league's third-worst record (18-64). They have a 15.6 percent chance to get the top overall pick.

The 6-foot-5 Russell averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while shooting 41.1 percent on three-pointers at Ohio State this season.

The Sixers have slim chances to get two more first-round picks in the draft. They hold the rights to the Los Angeles Lakers' protected top-five pick and the Miami Heat's top-10-protected selection. The Lakers and Heat finished with the fourth- and 10th-worst records, respectively.

The Sixers also will have five second-round picks - Nos. 35, 37, 47, 58, and 60.

The Sixers have interviewed Stanley Johnson of Arizona and Kevon Looney of UCLA. They plan to talk with Chris McCullough (Syracuse) and Tyler Harvey (Eastern Washington).

Rakeem Christmas (Academy of the New Church, Syracuse) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Chester, Arizona) will be among the combine participants.