Who is one sleeper that nobody is really talking about for Philly in the first round?
Ky: Grant Riller is a guy who not a lot of Sixers fans are talking about. Riller shot 36.2% from deep, he had a 60.9% true shooting percentage, and he averaged 21.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in his senior season at Charleston. As I mentioned before, Philadelphia does have a need for a backup point guard. Riller isn’t a true point guard in that sense, but he’d give the team offense off the bench and that is an area the team struggles in.
Justin: I think at least one or two lottery prospects in most mock drafts could easily slide to the 76ers’ range — but will it be a player with the skillset Philadelphia needs? Some of the more likely candidates I’d be watching closely are Vanderbilt’s James Nesmith or Villanova’s Saddiq Bey. Both play a position of need for Philadelphia and are both competent and willing shooters, but both are also longshots to make it much further than just outside the lottery. Still, Bey’s age or Nesmith’s injury history could be just enough to scare off the right teams.
Logan: I’m not sure if Philly fans are talking about Desmond Bane, but he seems like a logical fit on the Sixers. He made 44% of his 3-pointers while attempting 6.2 per game, which would give the team a needed weapon. He is 6-foot-6 and moves his feet well, positioning him to be a 3-and-D player who can defend guards and small forwards. I’m unconvinced he’ll be able to be a playmaker and more than an average passer at the next level though, and the Sixers could use one at the backup point guard spot when the player isn’t with the starting unit. But even if Bane is a standard catch-and-shoot 3-and-D player, that’s something useful the Sixers could use.
Bryan: One of the players who continues to fly under the radar in this draft for some odd reason is Duke freshman Cassius Stanley. The guard, who actually beat out Zion Williamson for the highest vertical leap in Duke history, won back-to-back high school state championships in California for Sierra Canyon. He earned ACC All-Freshman honors, averaging 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He also considers himself a combo guard who can push the break with ease for strong finishes in transition. Stanley was nearly 50.0% on his corner 3-pointers and was 43.8% from downtown off the catch.
When asked why he feels he has been overlooked thus far, here is what Stanley told HoopsHype: “I didn’t really think about it that much. People can say it’s my age or that I’m playing on teams that have other good players or whatever, so I’m not going for 30 or 40 points every game. I’ve heard it all. I just know that I win and my record speaks for itself. I’m not really worried about what people were saying or why they were devaluing me. I just know that every time I step on the court, I get the job done since high school, Peach Jam and Nike Skills Challenge. I’m a winner. That’s all I know.” [lawrence-related id=34393,34365,34374]