Philadelphia 76ers: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason

2. Draft shifts to long-term focus

The Sixers certainly surprised many with their activity on draft day.

Armed with the 10th overall pick, the Sixers initially made the popular choice in selecting hometown kid Mikal Bridges. A 6’7″ swingman with three years of college experience at Villanova, Bridges’ level of experience coming out of college was seen as a good fit for a Sixers’ team ready to take things to the next level.

However, despite the absence of a general manager following the departure of Bryan Colangelo, the Sixers swung a draft-day deal with the Phoenix Suns that not only landed them Zhaire Smith, but also the Suns’ unprotected 2021 first round pick via the Miami Heat. Unlike Bridges, Smith is an extremely raw 19-year-old, whose role on the team next season is certainly up in the air.

https://twitter.com/sixers/status/1015950823002660866

Following his selection, head coach Brett Brown was high in praise, seeing similarities with Kawhi Leonard:

"“There are some similarities with his length. There are some similarities with his athleticism. I think that when you look at just where I believe Zhaire can be, there are some common denominators that Kawhi had when we first brought him to San Antonio.”"

In terms of choosing between Smith and Bridges, Brown added:

"“He’s going to be great. Let’s face it…When you eliminate the human side and the Philadelphia and local side, just look at what happened. He’s in a good place and he’s going to be around for a long time and he knows what we think of him. We chose him 10th for a reason.”"

So while Smith is unlikely to make an enormous impact next season, his age and considerable upside, combined with Brown’s proven ability to develop younger players, means this could be a terrific long-term decision by the Sixers.