2015 Sixers Big Board 2.0
By Derek Bodner
Updated: Friday, February 6, 2015 08:00 AM
This is v2.0 of my 76ers-focused 2015 NBA draft big board. Note, this is how I would rank them if I were running the Sixers. That is not necessarily the same as how I would rank them as prospects overall, or a prediction on how I think the Sixers rank them within their front office.
Last updated: February 6th, 2015
| Pick | Player | Position | College | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jahlil Okafor (last: 1) | C | Duke | Freshman |
| Continues to project as the most likely to dominate on the offensive end at the next level, but it’s the passing that makes him special. Continues to look like a bad fit with Embiid (especially defensively), but hard to pass up a guy who looks like he has such a good chance to be dominant. If the Sixers have two dominant big men in 3 years they’ll deal with that problem. | ||||
| — End tier 1 — | ||||
| 2 | Karl Towns (last: 2) | C | Kentucky | Freshman |
| Played more than 30 minutes in a game for the first time this season on February 3rd against Georgia and put up 15 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks against a top 50 team in the process. His per-minute productivity (before this recent two game stretch) had taken a hit of late, as he had a 4 game stretch where he averaged only 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in under 16 minutes per night. Still, he has the chance to be a big who can impact game on both ends of the court, a rare commodity. | ||||
| 3 | D’Angelo Russell (last: 9) | PG/SG | Ohio State | Freshman |
| No top prospect has been playing as well as Russell has of late. Legitimately being able to play either guard position would be a huge help for the Sixers, as would his shooting and playmaking ability. Consistency on defense and ability to score in the lane with regularity are the biggest concerns. | ||||
| 4 | Kristaps Porzingis (last: 3) | PF | Sevilla | |
| Continues to consistently play well at a very young age in a tough league. Sevilla doesn’t have much talent around him, but Kristaps continues to find a way to be productive. His shooting at the power forward spot makes him a tremendous fit with both Noel and Embiid, if you’re willing to let him mature and develop. Along with Russell, he’s a good combination of high-end talent and good fit. | ||||
| — End tier 2 — | ||||
| 5 | Stanley Johnson (last: 5) | SF | Arizona | Freshman |
| Shooting has regressed a little bit of late, as he’s shooting only 28.6% from three point range over his last 6 games. Still, he’s found a way to continue contributing, and few freshman (outside of Russell) have been as consistent as Johnson. | ||||
| 6 | Emmanuel Mudiay (last: 4) | PG | Guangdong | |
| In terms of physical talent, few have the combination of size, quickness, and explosiveness that Mudiay possess, and he has pretty good passing instincts for a guy who will be viewed as a scoring point guard. The question, and it’s a big one, is whether his shot can come around. I’m not as confident in that being the case as some are. | ||||
| — End tier 3 — | ||||
| 7 | Mario Hezonja (last: 6) | SG | Barcelona | |
| After some sporadic playing time on a good team in the tough ACB in Spain, Hezonja has been tearing it up of late. He scored 24 points on 9 field goal attempts last week against Manresa, then followed that up with 22 points on 14 field goal attempts against Real Madrid. When he’s shooting in rhythm, he’s as good as any shooter in this draft. Combine that with his 6’8″ frame and incredible athleticism and he’s another one that would be a tremendous fit. | ||||
| 8 | Kelly Oubre (last: 8) | SF | Kansas | Freshman |
| After seemingly finding his way after a tough start, Oubre struggled again, shooting only 33% over a three game stretch where he averaged 5.3 points per game. He turned that around with 16 against Iowa State. Oubre will likely continue to struggle with consistency down the stretch but he’s showing the talent, even if it only comes in spurts. | ||||
| — End tier 4 — | ||||
| 9 | Myles Turner (last: 11) | C | Texas | Freshman |
| Speaking of inconsistency…few go from game changing to frustrating as frequently as Myles Turner. To Turner’s credit he continues to alter shots at the rim, but his offense has been a bit frustrating of late, as he’s only shot more than 40% from the field in one of his past 5 games. Turner’s a top 10 talent but, due to fit, I find it unlikely he’s going to be on the Sixers next year unless he falls all the way down to the Heat’s pick. | ||||
| 10 | Kevon Looney (last: 13) | PF | UCLA | Freshman |
| Looney’s a bit of a polarizing prospect, but he’s been impacting games more consistently of late. Doesn’t do anything exceptional at this stage but he has a diversity and fluidity to his game that could be interesting in a couple of years. | ||||
| 11 | Justise Winslow (last: 7) | SF | Duke | Freshman |
| Had a stretch where he just couldn’t do anything offensively, but has started to look like the Justise Winslow we saw to start the year over the last 3 games, which (perhaps not so) coincidentally coincided with when the team parted ways with Rasheed Sulaimon. Winslow has averaged 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per night over his last 3 games while shooting 55.2% from the field and 44.4% from three. If he continues to do that he’ll jump back up draft boards again, as he’s still a very good defensive wing. | ||||
| — End tier 5 — | ||||
| 12 | Devin Booker (last: nr) | SG | Kentucky | Freshman |
| 6’6″ wing that’s shooting 48.7% from three (on 4.1 attempts per game) in a tough conference at 18 years of age? He’s been a big key in Kentucky’s ability to operate in the half-court, and would be a great fit for the Sixers should they get Miami’s top-10 protected 1st round pick. | ||||
| — End tier 6 — | ||||
| 13 | Willie Cauley-Stein (last: 10) | C | Kentucky | Junior |
| WCS is a bad fit with Embiid, and you already have a guy who brings much of what WCS does in Nerlens Noel. But at this point, forget about fit: Willie Cauley-Stein has too much defensive potential to fall any further. | ||||
| 14 | Trey Lyles (last: 12) | PF | Kentucky | Freshman |
| Another guy who has his playing time severely limited due to Kentucky’s incredible front court depth. Continues to develop as a jump shooter, which should open up some potential as a face-up power forward. | ||||
| 15 | Bobby Portis (last: nr) | PF | Arkansas | Sophomore |
| Few sophomores have improved as much as Portis has offensively, and he has good shot blocking and offensive rebounding skills that should make it a fairly decent bet he’s a productive player at the next level. | ||||
You can view previous versions of my big board here.
