Philadelphia 76ers Get No. 3 Pick In 2015 NBA Draft

The dream of “OneSixEleven” is dead for the Philadelphia 76ers, but the projected odds came to fruition in Tuesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery as the Sixers were gifted with the No. 3 overall selection in the June 25 NBA Draft. Philly entered the night with a slight, but possible chance of stealing the Miami Heat’s pick, should it have landed outside of the top 10, as well as the Los Angeles Lakers top five protected pick, which ultimately became the No. 2 overall selection.

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Philly entered the night projected to land in that No. 3 spot and were guaranteed a top six pick.

Of course, getting the No. 3 pick may not seem as rewarding as one of the top two picks, which are owned by the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Lakers, respectively, but this placement may be a blessing in disguise for the Sixers. By now, everyone knows about how willing Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie is to take risks in the draft, and Hinkie and other members of Sixers’ management have voiced multiple times that the “best player available” strategy is the one they prefer. The two consensus top talents in this draft have been big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor. What about the third most sought after talent? That happens to be a dynamic and highly skilled and confident combo-guard named D’Angelo Russell.

With the Timberwolves and Lakers both having needs down low, Philly falling to third could prove to be a roadblock for and risk Hinkie might have taken on yet another big man and completely avoiding to address the Sixers need for a star-caliber floor general.

Philly landed a guy they hope can develop into a franchise-changing talent last season at No. 3 in Joel Embiid. They can only hope they have the same luck at the end of next month this time around.

Next: Our Latest NBA Mock Draft

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