Here's what you should hope happens for Sixers in draft lottery | Marcus Hayes
This year is not as exciting as the thrill of getting the top pick in 2016, but there are still plenty of good possibilities
IT'S VEXING, not knowing exactly what to root for.
We'll help.
It's tiresome, comparing possible outcomes of the mathematical mishmash that is the NBA lottery.
We understand. We'll simplify.
Philly has draft fatigue. That's why there isn't the same excitement in Philadelphia for Tuesday night's 2017 lottery as that which accompanied the 2016 lottery. After all, for fifth consecutive year, the Sixers were awful during the season and so will be major players on draft night. The populace might be sick of it.
That's understandable . . . and unfortunate. A fan base that has been duped and swindled and bad-lucked out of almost any joy since 2012 should celebrate every morsel of hope.
And, so, this Sixers draft is worth its attention.
Why? Because this draft pool is deeper than most. Because a second top pick is more likely to land in the Sixers' lap (the Lakers' pick is only top-three protected). Because, with a lot of luck, Tuesday night will push The Process forward with whiplash speed.
Things were much easier this time last year for the 76ers and their fans. They prayed that they would cash in on the latest tankathon death march and land the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft lottery, which would be LSU forward Ben Simmons.
Simple.
That's exactly how it worked.
Last year, the Sixers held the same rights to the Lakers pick if it fell out of the top three. It didn't. Which was fine; preferable, even.
A peek at the players likely to be left between Nos. 4 and 7 should not have caused much disappointment. Besides, the Sixers already held picks Nos. 24 and 26. Also, they hoped to start three rookies: Simmons, of course, as well as 2014 first-rounders center Joel Embiid, who had been injured, and forward Dario Saric, who had been playing in Europe. Landing the Lakers' pick last year would not have been the blessing it seemed.
This year is different. This year's top shelf goes 10 deep. They're almost all guards and small forwards.
And what do you know? The Sixers need guards and small forwards.
The best situation would have the Sixers exit Tuesday night with the No. 1 pick and the Lakers' pick (No. 4, 5, or 6). The Sixers might then trade either pick, but, considering the quality of the draft candidates and considering the status of the Sixers' rebuild, trading either seems unwise. Cheap, untainted talent is the foundation of reclamation projects. The more you get, the better the chance one becomes a star (apparently, these guys get hurt quite a bit).
The best-case scenario (1 and 4) has a 2.4 percent chance of happening, and the other top-pick combinations aren't much better.
The second-best-case scenario wouldn't be, say, the second pick and the fourth pick. Not this year. Better to get the top pick alone.
That's right: You'd rather have No. 1 overall (14.7 percent chance) than Nos. 2 and 4 (9.7). That's because you can draft Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 pick.
Fultz is this year's can't-miss kid, a one-and-done point guard out of Washington who is 6-4 with a well-developed body. Fultz is a little bit faster, a little bit quicker, a little bit more explosive and a little better leaper than your initial impression, and that's because he does everything so fluidly and easily. He has a sound shot with good range. He is a pleasure to watch.
Lonzo Ball is the annual wild card, and not just because of his loud-mouthed dad, LaVar. He has wonderful point guard skills at 6-6 and he can score from long range, though his shot is not a pleasure to watch. It is an odd thing that originates near his left ear. It resembles Kevin Martin's shot, but then Martin shot 38.4 percent from three-point range in his 12 NBA seasons.
Either would fit the Sixers' scheme. Or both, if that were somehow possible. So would Frank Ntilikina, a 6-5, 18-year-old French guard who recently splashed into the lottery with an improved jump shot, excellent defensive skills and an unlimited ceiling.
Since they didn't get the Lakers pick in 2016 and since former GM Sam Hinkie relentlessly harvested assets, there is no result Tuesday that actually hurts the Sixers.
Worst-case scenario: They get the No. 6 pick alone. They take a player such as Ntilikina, whom they can develop for two years; or maybe Duke freshman Jayson Tatum, who might turn out to be the best player in this draft.
The Lakers pick then would convey in 2018. Playing in the tough Western Conference, there's a decent chance the Lakers will be in the lottery again. That might make the Lakers pick as valuable next season as it is right now . . . especially if, playing in the East, the Sixers play well enough to escape the lottery.
Now, that's something to root for.
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