The NBA Draft Combine began on Wednesday, and the Philadelphia 76ers brass are busy in Chicago meeting with perspective members of the 2016 draft class.
According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sixers met with Oklahoma shooting guard Buddy Hield on Wednesday evening, and have interviews lined up with Duke small forward Brandon Ingram on Thursday, as well as Syrcause shooting guard Malachi Richardson on Friday.
CSNPhilly's Jessica Camerato is also reporting that Kentucky big man Skal Labissiere interviewed with the team Wednesday night.
The 22-year-old Hield had one of the more impressive collegiate basketball seasons ever this year, averaging 25.0 points per game while shooting 50.1% from the field and 45.1% from beyond the arc. He's certainly an elite scorer who can knock down shots from deep or take defenders off the dribble, but I would worry about taking Hield with a top four pick. He's older than Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, which makes you wonder about how much room for growth his game has left, and Hield is the type of player who needs constant touches to get himself into a rhythm. I don't think he's the type of guy you build an offense around, but having a conversation with him can't really hurt.
Ingram spent one season at Duke where he averaged 17.7 points per game and shot 41.0% on three-point attempts. He's made some serious moves up draft boards over the past several months, so much so that Jonathan Givony of Draft Express has the Sixers taking him number one overall, provided that they win the lottery.
Philadelphia will look long and hard here at Ingram and Ben Simmons to determine who the best long-term prospect in this draft class might be. Ingram is clearly the better fit in terms of what the team needs on the wing. He’s also a better fit alongside last year’s No. 3 pick Jahlil Okafor, who desperately needs shooters around him, and Dario Saric, who is somewhat of a European version of Simmons.
Richardson, 20, averaged 13.4 points a game during his freshman year at Syracuse. He seemed as a prime example of a guy who would use the NCAA's new rules about entering the draft to his advantage before returning to the Orange for his sophomore season, but there's a lot of buzz surrounding the Trenton native. Richardson will not participate in 5-on-5 games according to Givony, which could mean a team with a late first-round pick already promised to select him. The Sixers have two of those.
Labissiere was the projected top pick coming into this season, but never really lived up to the hype. He averaged just 6.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game. The Sixers having a ton of big men make him an easy pass with a high lottery pick, but if he miraculously fell into the 20s, selecting him would be a no brainer. His jump shot is NBA ready.
In other news, Pompey is also reporting the Sixers will work out St. Joe's forward DeAndre Bembry on Monday. Bembry spent three years on Hawk Hill, and averaged 17.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game during his final collegiate season. Draft Express currently projects him as the 30th overall pick to the Golden State Warriors.
Please help team Liberty Ballers qualify for the $2 million The Basketball Tournament this summer in Philadelphia! The roster includes FORMER SIXER John Salmons, and great local talent like C.J. Aiken (St. Joe's), Ryan Brooks (Temple) and Garrett Williamson (St. Joe's)! Vote for Liberty Ballers here and possibly win some money if we win.