Inside the 76ers: Draft, once again, will hinge on luck
The biggest problem with the 76ers' rebuilding plan, dubbed "The Process," was that it relied too heavily on luck. And for the most part, the organization was unlucky under Sam Hinkie, the former general manager and president of basketball operations. The latest example of that came Friday, eight days after Hinkie's abrupt resignation.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/U5BYPF2S2VEBTAB3FBY2BFSCQY.jpg)
The biggest problem with the 76ers' rebuilding plan, dubbed "The Process," was that it relied too heavily on luck.
And for the most part, the organization was unlucky under Sam Hinkie, the former general manager and president of basketball operations. The latest example of that came Friday, eight days after Hinkie's abrupt resignation.
The Sixers got the worst possible tiebreaker outcome for the first-round pick they'll receive from the Heat. Miami was tied for the 21st-worst record with the Hawks, Hornets, and Celtics. But they slid to the No. 24 slot in the NBA draft in June following the tiebreakers.
Atlanta won the tiebreaker with Boston, Charlotte, and Miami. Then the Hornets won the next tiebreaker with the Celtics and Heat. And Boston ended up taking the tiebreaker with the Heat.
Getting the 24th pick in a weak draft isn't something to celebrate. In fact, the Sixers might be better off trading that pick and the No. 26 selection they'll receive from the Thunder.
But there had been a lot of optimism surrounding those picks.
So much so that the 2016 draft became a hot topic even before the Sixers selected Jahlil Okafor third overall in the 2015 draft.
"Next year, we've got four first-round picks and [Dario] Saric," CEO Scott O'Neil said at the May 2015 draft lottery. "So you've got a pretty exciting story here."
It still could be an exciting one if they are lucky in the draft process. But as I mentioned, luck hasn't been something the Sixers could rely on under Hinkie.
He missed out on Andrew Wiggins and D'Angelo Russell in the 2014 and 2015 drafts. The player he settled for in 2014, Joel Embiid, has yet to play because of a right foot injury.
Maybe Bryan Colangelo, the new president of basketball operations, is the lucky charm. League executives believe his addition will enable to Sixers to have a bright future. And folks talked for days about the assets Hinkie left for him.
The Sixers are set up nicely for summers to come, and Colangelo is expected to pursue better free agents than Hinkie did. But right now, they are behind the Celtics, Suns, and Nuggets in the 2016 NBA draft power rankings.
By now, most folks know the Sixers (10-72) secured a 25 percent chance to win the first pick during the draft lottery in May by finishing with the worst record. They also have a 64.3 percent chance to place in the top three and will finish no lower than fourth.
They will also get the Lakers' pick if it falls out of the top three. The Sixers also have the right to swap first-round picks with the Sacramento Kings. So if the Kings get the first pick, the Sixers will take it.
All those possibilities sound good until you are reminded that the unlucky team must rely heavily on . . . luck.
Meanwhile, the Celtics have the Nets' and Mavericks' (16th pick) first-round selections in addition to their own (23rd pick). The Nets finished with the league's third-worst record, meaning Boston has a 15.6 percent chance of turning that into the first pick. The Celtics will get the 31st pick (first of the second round) from the Sixers. They'll also receive the 35th, 45th, 53rd, and 58th picks.
The Suns have two lottery picks. They have the fourth-best and 13th-best (from the Wizards) chance at the top pick. They also have the 28th (from the Cavaliers) and the 34th picks.
The Nuggets have two chances to get the top pick. They have the ninth-best chance to get the first pick with their own slot. However, their lottery selection will be swapped with the Knicks if New York's is more advantageous. The Knicks have the seventh-best chance to win the lottery. Denver will also get the 15th (Rockets) and 19th (Trail Blazers) picks in addition to two second-rounders (51 and 56).
The Sixers will trump those squads if they get the first pick and the Lakers' pick. They would also be plenty excited should Saric decide to opt out of his overseas contract to come to Philadelphia this summer.
But that will depend on what Saric's father, who makes the family decisions, wants to do. There's that word, luck, again.
@PompeyOnSixers