As the Philadelphia 76ers continue their draft preparation ahead of the 2021 NBA draft on July 29, we look back on past drafts as we lead up to this one from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The Sixers had just wrapped up a pretty tough 10-72 season in 2016 and their misery earned them the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. At last, their misfortune had finally brought them their chance at a franchise cornerstone.
The consensus No. 1 pick in 2016 was LSU freshman phenom Ben Simmons who had a terrific season with the Tigers. He could do it all: score easily, rebound and record assists. The selection was a no-brainer for Philadelphia.
Simmons missed the 2016-17 season due to a foot injury, but he returned in the 2017-18 season to average 15.8 points, 8.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds on his way to winning the Rookie of the Year award. He then averaged 18.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 9.0 assists in his first playoff series against the Miami Heat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbDgiFOLub8
Since then, Simmons has been named an All-NBA third-team member in 2020, an All-Star three times, and an All-Defensive first-team selection twice. The biggest criticism of his game is he still has not made the necessary improvements on the offensive end of the floor, and it has cost the Sixers in the playoffs.
While Philadelphia is taking trade calls on Simmons, they will not just take anything for him. They want real value for the 24-year old star, and if they can get a guy like Damian Lillard, for example, it would be a huge addition for Philadelphia.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=48387]
[lawrence-related id=48470,48459,48456]