The Philadelphia 76ers officially have their pick for the 2022 NBA Draft. The Brooklyn Nets have decided to defer their option on this year’s pick as they will take the Sixers’ pick for the 2023 NBA Draft. The question that is now on a lot of Sixers fans minds is, what will they do with this pick?
The Sixers are set with the 23rd overall pick in this year’s draft which could land them a fairly good player in the draft. That is if they decide to use their pick in the actual draft. A lot of speculation has been made that the Sixers could use this pick in a potential trade. The more immediate thought is to trade the pick for a significant role player. This would most likely be to boost the depth of our bench. The Sixers bench was quite literally one of the worst benches in the league. This was no different in the playoffs as they continued to struggle, particularly in the Miami Heat series. With a few possible additions via free agency, they could greatly improve their bench next season. This pick could also be used to make that bench even better.
The other trade possibility that this pick could be used for is one for the third star. This would be a much smaller asset to this trade than the first option. However, it would be an asset nonetheless. The Sixers’ front office has a lot of figuring out to do this offseason in terms of which route they will decide to go. The two choices are either to trade half of the team for another superstar, or sign a few good bench players to improve our depth. Obviously, one sounds nicer than the other, but Daryl Morey is believed to be going after that third star.
If the Sixers were to actually use this pick in the draft, they’ll have a few options to choose from at the 23 spot. One name that comes to mind is star power forward E.J. Liddell out of Ohio State. Liddell has been a really solid player over most of his career with Ohio State as he was a fan favorite for the buckeyes. He could fill the Sixers lack of depth at the PF position at least off the bench, or filling in if they move on from Tobias Harris. Another option would be another big man in Kessler Walker. The center out of Auburn has been a really solid player for Auburn and would again fill in depth as a big man. The power forward and center positions for the Sixers are extremely lackluster currently. Some young talent could be just what the doctor ordered.
No matter what they do with this pick, it will likely be a smart move. The Sixers could improve their depth simply by having their pick this year. For this, we will be thanking Brooklyn and hopefully welcoming a solid player in the coming months.
