The Philadelphia 76ers have a lot of decisions to make when it comes to the No. 3 overall pick they own in Wednesday’s draft. After a miserable 24-58 season, the Sixers will be looking to add a talented young piece to a roster in need of an injection of youth.
There are plenty of directions the Sixers could go. They could add a player like Rutgers star Ace Bailey–who did cancel a workout with Philadelphia–or Baylor star VJ Edgecombe or one of the other prospects such as Texas’ Tre Johnson or Duke’s Kon Knueppel. Another option could be to trade down to acquire more assets and create some cap flexibility.
A mock draft performed by ESPN has the Sixers staying at 3 and selecting Edgecombe, but there are some details emerging on his workout with Philadelphia:
Edgecombe appears in pole position to hear his name called at No. 3 because of his unique talent, but also because Ace Bailey’s clear determination to avoid teams in this range puts Philadelphia in a difficult position, potentially selecting someone who clearly does not want to play for them.
While sources say Edgecombe appeared nervous during his private workout in Philadelphia and did not shoot the ball particularly well in an unnatural one-on-one setting, he made a strong impression in interviews and meetings, something the front office values more highly.
Edgecombe’s athletic prowess should be his biggest asset heading into the draft. If Philadelphia wants to play faster, then the thought of running the break with Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, and Jared McCain should be something very interesting for this group.
In terms of his catch-and-shoot ability, a skill needed on a team with Joel Embiid on it, he shot 45-for-124 (36.3%) on catch-and-shoot 3s per Synergy Sports. However, he did shoot 21-for-45 (46.7%) when unguarded on those attempts. It shows that he can knock down an open look should it be needed. That shows he has a lot of shooting upside for his position, despite the reported tough showing in the workout.
It remains to be seen what the Sixers will do heading into Wednesday night, but there is no doubt that president Daryl Morey and his staff are doing the proper due diligence to get the job done and move forward in the East.