Process lovers, haters likely still split about Sixers' landing No. 3 pick | Bob Cooney
Whoever Sixers pick will be a solid player, but fans, foes of tanking won't resolve their differences.
NEW YORK - The highs and lows that The Process has taken 76ers fans through during the past four seasons have caused a divide the likes of which haven't been seen since Moses stood before the Red Sea.
Those who have been on board with the plan laid by former general manager Sam Hinkie won't waver, though the seasons have included a boatload of games lost to injury to high draft picks (not to mention full seasons' worth), a trend of losing that has rarely been equaled in all of sports, and still unproven high draft picks.
The naysayers will point directly to the losing and say that the environment it created will be hard to overcome, no matter the amount of talent assembled. They'll preach that a teardown could have been orchestrated by anyone and that the profits from it all have yielded mostly unknown, oft-injured players.
Perhaps Tuesday's NBA draft lottery, held at the Midtown Hilton, can partially bridge that gap as the Sixers moved up one slot and will have the third overall pick in the June 22 draft. They could come away with Kansas freshman forward Josh Jackson, the 6-8 small forward who garnered Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors. He has offensive explosiveness and a blazing presence on defense, even though his shooting, much coveted by the Sixers, is suspect.
Or the Sixers could land the wonderfully gifted De'Aaron Fox out of Kentucky, a 6-4 guard who can do everything at the quickest of speeds at both ends of the floor, although, again, a suspect shooter.
Maybe, somehow, Boston and Los Angeles, winners of the top two picks, respectively, both pass on Washington's Markelle Fultz and the Sixers miraculously snatch him.
Whatever happens with the third pick, it will be a player who can help the team in a variety of ways. And if you're a pessimist and not thrilled with the fact the Sixers didn't fare better, the Hinkie fans have to think they possess plenty of ammunition to sway your perspective.
With the Lakers landing within the top three spots, their first-round selection next season now conveys to the Sixers without protection. Though Los Angeles has a budding group of potential stars, envisioning the Lakers putting together a record that would keep them out of the lottery probably isn't feasible. So the Sixers will have that and their own pick in the first round.
A year later, when many of these young players should be somewhat established, the Sixers will get the unprotected first-round pick of the Kings, who are a hot mess of an organization right now.
"I'm excited. We jumped up one more spot, and I wish we would have gotten the No. 1 pick and the Lakers' pick, but we're just trusting the process and it's going to be exciting to see who we're going to have," said rookie center Joel Embiid, who represented the team on the stage with a bright, red suit, gold shoes and his priceless quizzical expressions when the explanation of picks was being made on stage. "I think the two guards, Fultz and Lonzo Ball will go No. 1 and 2. I like Josh Jackson a lot, and Jayson Tatum. So I expect one of those guys to be at 3 and with us."
Had a perfect scenario presented itself Tuesday and the Sixers wound up with Nos. 1 and 4, a vision of pro and con Processors hugging it out would have been a common sight around the city. The third pick will probably keep the debate rolling, the lovers loving, the haters hating.
A quick glance says the four seasons of losing have produced three No. 3 selections and one top overall pick, Ben Simmons. Embiid has played in only 31 games in three years. Jahlil Okafor will have to do an awful lot this season to prove his worth of being selected No. 3, and next month's selection probably won't be the shooter the team desperately needs.
Advantage, haters.
A longer look reveals potential game-changers in Embiid and Simmons; a terrific find by Hinkie in Dario Saric; the improvement of younger players and a very good chance to still make noise in free agency.
Advantage, lovers.
Sixers president Bryan Colangelo noted that the team has "assets rolling forward in, now, a very concrete way."
"We know that we have an unprotected (2018) pick (Lakers). We know that we have an unprotected 2019 pick (Kings)," he said. "Those are assets that we'll put to use. We certainly don't want to be here again with our own status. We want to be here only with other picks and move forward with making good solid additions to the team, whether it's via the draft this year with the pick at No. 3 or with free agency and/or trades."
The excitement surrounding the team has rarely been higher. Rightly or wrongly, it is based mostly on hope. There can be no denying how great of a ride the next few years can be, if everything falls into place. Conversely, if health and unmet expectations are the norm, tremendous disappointment will rule the day.
The results of Tuesday give ammo to both sides who are divided in this process. I say advantage to lovers, with haters having a slight puncher's chance.
@BobCooney76
Blog: philly.com/Sixersblog