2019 NBA Draft: Sixers Final Mock Draft Roundup

Jonathan Givony, ESPN

The pick: Eric Paschall - Forward, Villanova

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Paschall is one of the more ready prospects to contribute in this draft class, turning 23 in November, with a chiseled physique and an impressive national championship pedigree. Paschall’s athleticism, toughness, perimeter shooting ability and defensive versatility will fit right in with the Sixers, as they’ve expressed interest in adding older players who bring exactly these qualities.

Sam Vecenie, The Athletic

The pick: Matisse Thybulle - Guard/Forward, Washington

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He also fits extremely well with Philadelphia as long as you believe in him becoming a good shooter. I question that a little bit, as he shoots something of a hard ball despite his percentages being solid. This would be a bit of a reach for me, but I get why Philadelphia would go for it as they try to fill out their roster around the star power.

Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report

The pick: Eric Paschall - Forward, Villanova

Paschall doesn’t have a speciality skill, but his mix of explosiveness, power and scoring versatility could earn him first-round looks. He’ll turn 23 in November. Becoming a consistent shooting threat remains the priority.

Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated

The pick: Eric Paschall - Forward, Villanova

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The 76ers need shooting, and they need players who can contribute sooner than later, and the hope is that Paschall provides both. His game is rugged and unflashy, and there’s some skepticism about his shooting translating to the NBA line, but he could be a good fit here.

The Ringer

The pick: Cameron Johnson - Forward, UNC

Effective shooter who presents value to teams in need of a tall, floor-spacing role player.

Rob Dauster, NBC Sports

The pick: Ty Jerome - Guard, Virginia

I love Jerome’s toughness, shot-making ability and savvy in running ball-screens. He’s not a great athlete, but he makes up for it because of how smart he is, and it’s hard to imagine a guy that spent three years playing under Tony Bennett being a liability defensively. More importantly, he’s excellent at running off of screens and knocking down jumpers. He can be everything that Landry Shamet was for the 76ers before getting traded.

Ricky O’Donnell, SB Nation

The pick: Cam Johnson - Forward, UNC

Johnson has a case to be the best three-point shooter in the draft. The 6’8 forward hit 45 percent of his threes during a breakout senior year playing in North Carolina’s fast and efficient offense. He’s limited as an offensive creator and will have to prove he can stay on the floor defensively, but a knockdown shooter with this type of size is worth taking in the 20s.

Some Thoughts

• If the Sixers select Eric Paschall at 24th overall, I will be pretty disappointed. Maybe the folks who are mocking Paschall to the Sixers at 24 have inside info, because he seems to have made a push very recently. Maybe it’s smoke and mirrors from the Sixers. Whatever the case may be, I don’t see a whole lot of upside in Paschall but I guess the thought is that he can contribute immediately. Offensively, Paschall worries me. Through four college seasons, Paschall connected on just 33.1% of 538 three-point attempts, although I must add that he seems to have improved over time as his percentage in his first two seasons was 30.3% vs. 35.1% over his last two (still not exactly an impressive clip). So he’s not much of a floor spacer and he doesn’t possess any elite offensive skill that I can see. On the defensive side, I think Paschall has the size and motor to be effective, but I’m not sure if he’s versatile or just a tweener without an NBA identity. I’d be okay with Paschall as a 2nd round pick but in the 1st, he seems like a reach. It just feels like they’d be settling by convincing themselves of a “sure thing” that isn’t actually a sure thing.
• I’d be happy with Matisse Thybulle at #24. His defensive numbers are historic and I believe they’ll translate, and I think his shot will be good enough. Put him in a Robert Covington role and grow him into an analytics darling.
• Everything I’ve read and heard about Cam Johnson screams vanilla player to me. I don’t like him at #24 but if the Sixers take him and he shoots 40% from three while playing adequate defense, I will happily concede my wrongness. Depending on who is available, a 2nd round pick on Johnson would be fine.
• Ty Jerome seems like a 2nd round talent to me, but I like his fit.
• There are two swing-for-the-fences picks I’d consider at #24: Talen Horton-Tucker and Jontay Porter. Horton-Tucker I’d be much more comfortable with. Porter I go back and forth.
• It seems like Carsen Edwards just might slip to the 2nd round. If he’s there at 33/34, I think the Sixers should pull the trigger.
• My ideal outcome: Matisse Thybulle (24), Carsen Edwards (33) and Talen Horton-Tucker (34). Trade the final two 2nds for future picks.