Should Sixers draft best available or specific position?

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The Cleveland Cavaliers got a little lucky. They had a 15.6 percent chance to land the first overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft -- which is exactly what happened.
 
The Washington Wizards got very lucky. They had a 4.8 percent chance to move into the top three -- which is exactly what happened.
 
The Philadelphia 76ers did not get lucky. They had a 1.1 percent chance to move into the top three and a 0.8 percent chance to pick first. Neither of those things happened. They currently own the 11th selection for the June 27 NBA draft.
 
“We had a small probability of being super happy and a small probability of being slightly sad,” Sixers’ managing owner Josh Harris said on Wednesday (see story). “We’re neither. We’re right where we were expected to be.”
 
That doesn’t mean they’ll stay put. During his introductory press conference, new president and general manager Sam Hinkie talked about getting creative with the salary cap and how he doesn’t always think in a “straight forward” fashion when it comes to getting creative and building a team. Perhaps he’ll look at the draft board and find an opportunity to move up or down.
 
For simplicity and the purpose of this column, we’ll pretend that the Sixers plan to keep the 11th pick. The question, then, is what should they do with it?
 
There are people who believe the Sixers need a post player. They are correct. The Sixers were 20th in the NBA in rebounds and 25th in rebound differential. They were also 23rd in points in the paint. And for you advanced metrics fans, they were 25th in total rebound rate. A quality frontcourt player would certainly help in that area.
 
There are people who believe the Sixers need a scorer, preferably someone with a consistent outside shot. They are also correct. The Sixers were last in points per game, 21st in three pointers made per game, and 21st in points from three-pointers per game. And for you advanced metrics fans, they were 26th in offensive efficiency. A solid scorer -- perhaps a guard with a good jumpshot and the ability to either get to the rim or draw a foul (something the Sixers also didn’t do well) -- would certainly help in that area.

The Sixers won just 34 of their 82 games. The point here isn’t that they need one specific thing. The point here is that they need all sorts of things. Targeting a specific position with the 11th pick would be unwise -- like buying a gutted house, then focusing on rebuilding the guest bedroom and only the guest bedroom when everything else also requires work.

Given the Sixers' many needs, it would make sense to grab the best available player with the 11th pick. That approach seems like a safe bet since Hinkie has essentially implied that he’s open to overhauling the team through all sorts of methods.
 
Which brings us to the players that might be available when the Sixers are on the board:
 
CSNPhilly.com’s first mock draft (right here) -- prepared by Sean Kane, a hardcore college hoops enthusiast whom I suspect of owning bed sheets stamped with the NCAA logo -- has the Sixers grabbing Lehigh shooting guard C.J. McCollum. Kane calls McCollum “hands-down the best shooter in this draft.” I’m less bullish on a guy who played in the Patriot League, even if he did hit 51 percent from three-point range before injuring his foot in January.
 
Moving along to other mock drafts: NBA.com and NBC Sports’ partner Roto World both have the Sixers taking Duke center Mason Plumlee. ESPN.com has the Sixers selecting Indiana center Cody Zeller. And the most-recent CBSSports.com offering predicts the Sixers will land Pittsburgh center Steven Adams or Louisville center Gorgui Dieng.
 
In order, I have an allergic reaction to Duke players. I saw Zeller play in person. He’s large and capable around the basket, but I’m not sure he’ll be much more than an average NBA center. Adams didn’t exactly wow in his first year at Pitt, and I can’t imagine that Dieng -- despite being a solid defender and rebounder -- would go that high.
 
Other players who might be on the board include shooting guards Shabazz Muhammad from UCLA and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from Georgia, and centers Kelly Olynyk from Gonzaga and Rudy Gobert from France. The first three don’t get me excited in the slightest. The last one is interesting, if only because no one around here has seen him play, and yet the ensuing ill-informed outrage would be predictable and hilarious.
 
So, if the Sixers stay put, there will be plenty of possibilities to fill their various voids. No one great. No one obvious. But plenty of choices.
 
“Over the next weeks and months we’re going to get more articulate about our strategy,” Harris said. “Sam has been here for a week and he’ll be speaking about our basketball strategy. It’s all interrelated. All of this stuff has to be focused on building a winner. Every decision you make has multiple affects on every other decision.”
 
Harris. Hinkie. Doesn’t matter. You can’t pin either of them down these days. They seem to be keeping their options open -- which isn't a bad idea.

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