Philly Sports Jabronis
The Sixers were one of three teams to have their number drawn during the NBA Draft Lottery, receiving the third-overall pick in next month’s draft.
But acquiring a top-three pick wasn’t the only bit of good fortune that came the Sixers’ way Tuesday night. The top-five protected pick that was to be sent to Philadelphia unless New Orleans catapulted into the top three remained at #10, meaning that the Sixers will retain the pick.
Armed with the third- and 10th-overall picks in next month’s draft, Hinkie expressed pleasure regarding the outcome of the lottery.
“I think it was a good night for us,” he said. “It’s a lot to be hopeful for to have two top-10 picks in a draft like this. It’s something a lot of teams would give a lot for.”
Indeed, possessing two top-10 picks in a single draft is a rarity. It’s the first time the Sixers have done so since 1984, when they selected Charles Barkley and Leon Wood with the fifth- and 10th-overall picks, respectively.
“This is an exciting night for our franchise. We all know the NBA Draft is an important way for us to add players, and the depth of talent available this year is a great start,” said Hinkie. “We’re excited about the players that we might get and about being able to add them to our program.”
And the Sixers will have plenty of ammunition to do just that. In addition to #3 and #10, Philadelphia also holds the rights to a league-high five second-round picks – #32, #39, #47, #52, and #55. The seven total picks are the most for the Sixers since 1987, the final year in which the draft was seven rounds long (it was reduced to three rounds in 1988 and to two in 1989), and the most in the league this season.
This abundance of picks will help the franchise add to a core that includes Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams, veteran forward Thaddeus Young, and 2013 sixth-overall pick Nerlens Noel.
“I suspect, from our discussions thus far, that most of the top players in this draft find Philadelphia a very attractive place,” said Hinkie. “They want to be in a place where they’ll have opportunity, they want to play in a big market and realize what a platform it is to play in Philadelphia, and they want to get better. And they realize that Philadelphia is a place where, with our coaching staff and with our roster, you can come and play and get better.”
In just 35 short days, the Sixers will add more pieces to their basketball puzzle. Until then, Hinkie and his staff will be hard at work, continuing to put themselves in the right positions to make sure those pieces are the right ones.
Take a look at the history of the third-overall pick from 1980 until 2013: #3 HISTORY
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Complete Lottery Results
1) Cleveland
2) Milwaukee
3) Philadelphia
4) Orlando
5) Utah
6) Boston
7) LA Lakers
8) Sacramento
9) Charlotte (via Detroit)
10) Philadelphia (via New Orleans)
11) Denver Nuggets
12) Orlando Magic (via New York)
13) Minnesota Timberwolves
14) Phoenix Suns
