The Philadelphia 76ers have a decision to make at with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Here’s why Brandon Ingram is the right choice.
To put it simply, the Philadelphia 76ers are not good at basketball. They’ve failed to reach 20 wins for three straight seasons and have made some baffling draft picks in the process.
While Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor have been very solid players and Joel Embiid could eventually be one as well, there is no sense in taking three centers in three consecutive drafts.
Taking the best player available is one thing, but when that position is your only strength on the entire roster, you don’t keep taking that same position year after year. It’s decisions like these that lead to a team being the laughing stock of the league for multiple seasons in a row.
But this year, the Sixers will be saved from themselves as there are no centers who are reasonably in play for the top pick. Most experts agree it’s down to either LSU’s Ben Simmons or Duke’s Brandon Ingram and for some, the pick is obviously Simmons.
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That’s understandable since he averaged 19.2 points per game, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in his only college season. But Ingram would be the smarter pick for Philadelphia and is more likely to be the answer to so many of their problems.
Simmons undoubtedly had eye-popping numbers, but he has two main flaws. One issue is the shooting woes, as he shot just 33 percent from three-point range last season. Is three-point shooting a necessity for someone who’s 6’10” and will make a living in the paint? Probably not.
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But it is necessary for someone who’s going to be taking a majority of the team’s touches on offense, especially when there’s another player on the board who is also capable of leading an offense but has the ability to shoot from distance on top of that.
But in all honesty, numbers should not be the Sixers’ main concern when deciding between Simmons and Ingram. Their main concern should be attitude, since it has come into question for the man a lot of people consider to be the future first overall pick.
Many have already painted Simmons as a diva and that title might be warranted. First, he was ineligible to win the Wooden Award in college due to academic issues.
Simmons seems to agree with the immortal words of Cardale Jones, who so eloquently tweeted “we ain’t come to play school” in October 2012. And that is somewhat fair since Simmons is about to be paid to play basketball, not attend classes.
But this should be a red flag since the fact that he doesn’t value education at all could be a character concern.
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Further, there’s a good chance that even if Simmons were to succeed in the NBA that he might not commit to the Sixers long-term.
His desire to become a Laker is well-documented so there’s no guarantee he would return to the Sixers at the end of his rookie deal, especially if they’re still struggling.
It may seem strange to just let the Lakers get their guy at No. 2, but if there’s a chance he just bolts for them eventually anyway, they should go another direction.
Sure. there’s no guarantee Brandon Ingram re-signs beyond his rookie deal either, but at least he isn’t flaunting his desired landing spot every chance he gets. (via SB Nation)
Both Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram obviously have a good chance to be stars at the next level; they wouldn’t be projected to go top two in the draft otherwise.
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But with the Sixers having the first overall pick for the first time since their rebuilding process started, they need to make sure they make the right pick. All signs point to the right pick being Brandon Ingram.