Mock Draft Roundup: Dosunmu, Hyland, Mann projected to Sixers

Sam Vecenie, The Athletic

28. Philadelphia 76ers

Ayo Dosunmu | 6-5 guard | 21 years old, junior | Illinois

The player: Dosunmu was one of the best players in college basketball this past season, posting 20 points, six rebounds and five assists while leading Illinois to a terrific season. Simply put, he’s pro-ready and should be able to make an impact early due to his athleticism, vision, defensive ability, length and poise. Having said that, I can tell you there are scouts who are not enamored with him because of his jumper. He hit 39 percent this past season on under 100 attempts, and over the course of his career, he’s hit 34.5 percent of his 300-plus 3-point attempts. It’s a bit of a wonky shot mechanically that scouts worry about in terms of consistency. Teams also aren’t sure if he’s a lead guard or an off-guard from a vision and playmaking perspective. But he’s also considered a leader and a high-character guy, so there is some faith he’ll keep improving.

The fit: The 76ers seem likely to move Ben Simmons this summer given all of the reporting. That would totally reshape the roster and open up a few different avenues. Dosunmu isn’t a great shooter, but he’s a high-level defender on the perimeter who also has some real offensive game. As usual, though, sources have continued to note that Daryl Morey has a tendency not to use his draft picks, so don’t be surprised if this pick comes up as a potential trade option.

My take: Dosunmu’s an intriguing prospect. After three years starting at the NCAA level, he could be a guy who comes in and makes an instant impact off the bench. With good size and athleticism at the guard position, he’s built to perform well defensively. I would certainly worry about his shot making abilities, shooting 34.5 percent from deep over 332 career attempts in college. His improvements from the free throw line could be enough to encourage a team to bite though, going from 69.5 percent to 75.5 percent to 78.3 percent. But one trend I do not like to see is that his willingness to shoot threes has declined with each season, going from attempting 4.4 3PT/game his freshman season to 2.9/3PT game his junior season. I’ve had just about enough of Sixers players who are hesitant to shoot.

Colin Ward-Henninger, CBS Sports

Nah’Shon Hyland

PG / VCU • SOPH • 6’3” / 173 LBS

Nah’Shon Hyland is a pure scorer who started rising up draft boards following an excellent combine performance. He’s extremely confident, with tremendous range off the dribble, and has shown the ability to hit clutch shots. His offensive game, particularly his playmaking, needs some fine tuning, but he has the ability to provide bench scoring right away for the 76ers while also possessing potential for the future.

My take: If the Sixers keep their pick, I want them giving strong consideration to selecting Nah’Shon Hyland. (I may or may not have selected him in a mock draft that will drop in the next 24 hours.) Hyland is a bit undersized, especially in the weight department. But he’s an athletic scorer with chutzpah both in range and volume. He shot 39.9 percent from deep over 331 attempts in two seasons at VCU. His free throw shooting is encouraging, shooting up from 66.7 percent on just 24 attempts his freshman season to 86.2 percent over 109 attempts his sophomore (final) season. One area of concern is his assist to turnover ratio — this past season he averaged just 2.1 assists per game to 3.1 turnovers. However, with Tyrese Maxey on the roster already, Hyland could serve as more of a two guard. Of course, a Maxey/Hyland backcourt could present problems on the defensive end. But man, they’d be fun to watch drop buckets. Keep your eye on Hyland.

Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated

28. 76ers: Tre Mann, G, Florida

Height: 6’ 4” | Weight: 190 | Age: 19 | Sophomore

Daryl Morey has never been particularly attached to his draft picks, and history suggests the Sixers will entertain offers for this pick, making it an interesting spot for a team to grab a player who unexpectedly slips to the back of the first round. Considering the large glut of guards pencilled in all over this part of the draft, it’s inevitable that a few of them will fall. While Mann has a bit of a wide range at this point in time, he’s a first-round type talent with a quality jumper and nice size for his position. The knock on him is that he’s a bit one-dimensional, as he’s more scorer than setup man, doesn’t play a physical style and isn’t known for being a committed defender, fancying himself as a perimeter creator and most comfortable with the ball in his hands. But Mann does have unique ability to create space off the dribble and score, and he remains a good bet to come off the board in the 20-30 range.

My take: If the Sixers can land Tre Mann, I’m all for it. He’s a lights out shooter from deep and could serve as a reliable spot up shooter in any lineup. I’m just not sure he’s going to be available at 28. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mann go top 20.