Sixers work out players just in case
This was basically one of the 76ers' "just in case" workouts. "We are still looking to identify players in case we move" players in a trade or swap draft picks, 76ers vice president of basketball administration Brandon Williams said after Wednesday's pre-draft workout at Philadelphia College of Oesopathic Medicine.
This was basically one of the 76ers' "just in case" workouts.
"We are still looking to identify players in case we move" players in a trade or swap draft picks, 76ers vice president of basketball administration Brandon Williams said after Wednesday's pre-draft workout at Philadelphia College of Oesopathic Medicine.
The Sixers were happy with what they witnessed from the draft prospects, particularly centers Stephen Zimmerman and Stefan Jankovic.
Jankovic is a 6-foot-11, 235-pounder who left Hawaii following his junior season. Zimmerman was a 7-0 freshman at UNLV last season. Both players are mobile and solid outside shooters. Some NBA teams are looking at Zimmerman as a stretch four.
Of the six players on hand Wednesday, he is the only one that could sneak into the late first round. The Sixers currently have the first, 24th and 26th picks in the June 23 draft.
Zimmerman would be an option as reserve center if the Sixers trade Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel. The Sixers have tracked the 19-year-old since his days as ESPN's 10th-best college prospect in the Class of 2015 while at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. They also interviewed him at last month's NBA combine in Chicago.
"He's very competitive, I think looking to take the next step," Williams said. "I think he's really been impressed by what we've done with our big players . . . [He's] another player we see that needs growth and kind of a project that we are interested in."
Zimmerman averaged 10.5 points and 8.7 rebounds at UNLV. He had pre-draft workouts with the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic before coming to the Sixers.
Zimmerman is confident that he could mesh well with the Sixers post players.
"I played with great bigs my whole career, all through high school, through college," he said. "I think that's a big thing, that not only can I be the only big, but I can play with other bigs and work off them."
Point guard Retin Obasohan (Alabama), shooting guard Bryn Forbes (Michigan State) and small forwards David Walker (Northeastern) and Grandy Glaze (Grand Canyon) were the other workout participants.
Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo headed to New York immediately after the workout to attend the Excel International pre-draft workout. He joined Marc Eversley, the vice president of basketball operations. Eversley skipped the Sixers' Philly workouts in order to be on time for the scheduled noon to 2 p.m. showcase.
Several projected first-rounders worked out, including swingman Timothe Luwawu (France), shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz (Turkey) and centers Ivica Zubac (Croatia) and Ante Zizic (Croatia). An expected second-round pick, small forward Paul Zipser (Germany), also worked out in New York.
Korkmaz is a teammate of Dario Saric with Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball League. Vipser was the MVP of last week's addidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy.
The Sixers are still trying to schedule a workout for next week with guard Malachi Richardson (Syracuse). He is projected to go anywhere from 9 to 16 in the draft. As a result, the team might have to acquire a second lottery pick in order to be in position to select him.
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