Due to the Philadelphia 76ers having a terrific regular season, they will enter the 2021 NBA draft with the 28th pick. That means it will be tough for the Sixers to find a rotational player that late in the first round, but it is not impossible–see Tyrese Maxey at 21 overall in 2020.
There are some options at 28 that the Sixers can take a look at and who can come in and help right away and one of those options is the 2021 NCAA Tournament MOP winner, Jared Butler.
In a mock draft recently performed by Rookie Wire, they have the Sixers selecting Butler with that pick at 28:
Butler should easily be on teams’ radars as a lottery pick, but a heart condition has his future up in the air. He was referred to the Fitness-to-Play panel by the NBA and must now be cleared from the condition in order to play or practice. He tried to squash those concerns recently after saying he did not plan to work out at the combine and would only interview with teams.
On the court, he averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and two steals in 30 games last season, earning All-Big 12 first-team honors as the Bears claimed the national title. He also shot 41.6% from 3-point range on 6.2 attempts per game, making him a prime target for a team. However, teams will certainly be wary about selecting him but, if he can be cleared, the fit with the Sixers appears to be there.
Butler performed well on the big stage of the Tournament where he averaged 15.2 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 40% from the floor and shot 36.8% from deep. He also provided some good play on the defensive end that will become attractive to any NBA team, let alone the Sixers.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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