The Philadelphia 76ers had their way in the 2017 NBA Draft. As a team that’s on the rise, they look to be on the downslide of the rebuilding process.
The Philadelphia 76ers began a trend in the 2017 NBA Draft by drafting prolific freshman guard Markelle Fultz. Fultz was one of 16 freshmen drafted in the first round, breaking last year’s record of 13.
The Sixers made their intentions clear after swapping the third overall pick in the draft and the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 2018 first-round pick (protected) with the Boston Celtics for the first overall pick.
Fultz joins an up-and-coming roster looking to turn the corner as a franchise after going 28-54 in the 2016-17 season. He joins the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, forward Ben Simmons, and the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, center Joel Embiid, to potentially form a dynamic trio of scorers and playmakers.
Along with Fultz, the Sixers also drafted four other players in the draft, three of which came in the second round. They traded the Orlando Magic a future 2020 first-round pick (top-20 protected via OKC) for Latvian center Anzejs Pasecniks, who was the 25th overall selection.
With the 36th overall pick, they took Jonah Bolden, a power forward out of Australia. They nabbed another shooting guard with the 46th overall pick, selecting Sterling Brown out of SMU. However, they traded the pick that was Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Then, with their final pick (50th overall), they drafted Mathias Lessort from France.
Pasecniks may not come over right away, but Bolden, Brown and Lessort have an opportunity to make an impact on a roster looking to finish up the rebuilding process.