Liberty Links: Josh Jackson is still the mock draft favorite for Sixers at No. 3

Happy Monday, Sixers folk. The Finals are still way too far away, and the sports world at large was treated to a long weekend of almost nothing but baseball. Yuck. Thankfully, there are still some morsels of NBA Draft coverage to sink your teeth into, and we’ll really start to ramp things up in the month of June.

Enjoy your Memorial Day!

Josh Jackson is still the guy, maybe, depending on who you ask

As usual, there has been a lot of hemming and hawing since the Sixers landed that oh-so-sweet No. 3 pick on lottery night. Making the commercial is satisfying, but there still isn’t a whole lot of clarity locally if you ask who the Sixers should take.

Running through some of the usual mock draft suspects, though, there’s a consensus building. Draft Express updated their board on Thursday, and Josh Jackson is firmly entrenched at No. 3 for my personal favorite scouting website. SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell is on board with the Jackson pick for Philly, which he talked about in the last mock he did on the 22nd:

He’s a quick-twitch athlete who can defend multiple positions, create plays for his teammates, and score both in transition and as a slasher. Philly will need to find shooters at point guard and on the opposite wing. Until then, a core of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Jackson should do just fine.

That rationale seems like it works for most people, including Gary Parrish at CBS. As we talked about in our initial reaction to snagging the No. 3 pick, Jackson at No. 3 makes as much sense as anything.

Elsewhere, there are some rogue dissenters. Andrew Sharp is on #TeamTradeDown, and our old pal has the Sixers selecting Malik Monk at No. 5 and Donovan Mitchell at No. 10 following a deal with the Kings. I’m not necessarily opposed to either guy, but I think the Sixers have a chance to build a unique team around Simmons, and would prefer to grab a long, versatile wing like Jackson or Jonathan Isaac.

Poor LaMelo Ball

On the one hand, I feel bad for this poor kid, who is the punchline of the internet at just 15 years old. Lonzo Ball has control of his life now that he’s about to be a millionaire athlete, and he can easily escape the shadow of LaVar Ball’s idiocy if he chooses. LaMelo is still living under that guy’s roof, so he’s going to get piled on by the public at every possible moment while having to live with that carnival barker.

On the other hand, this shit is absolutely hilarious. The moment the ball gets stuck between the rim and the backboard had me howling, and there may not be a better comedy released in 2017. Shameless chuckers being put on blast will always be funny.

The Klay Game — Haley O’Shaughnessy, The Ringer

Klay’s performance is still worth the recollection, if only for the wires it tripped.

If Durant and Russ had advanced to the Finals, LeBron’s promise to his hometown might still be left unfulfilled. Curry’s Warriors could have been a one-Finals-trip team, never reaching “era” status. And Durant would, likely, still be wearing the navy alternate jersey instead of getting subjected to sleeves on Saturdays.

Kevin O’Connor joins The Ricky

O’Connor’s top three for the Sixers: Malik Monk, Dennis Smith Jr., and Jayson Tatum. Listen for the explanation, and of course a riveting discussion about whether or not Brad Stevens is on the hot seat.

Sixers Beat talks options at No. 3

I will never forgive Derek for having me record a segment of a podcast at 9:15 in the morning the other day, only for it (and segments from the other guys) to get thrown out in favor of a more coherent podcast. You all should probably still listen to him and Max talk about draft stuff, however.

Is Otto Porter a descendent of Wilt Chamberlain?

I suppose that’s up for you to decide.